Reaching New Heights or Murder In the Shoe Dept

Yesterday I drew blood in the David Jones shoe department, trying on what can only be described as ridiculously high heels (when I went in looking for black ballet flats). My usual philosophy when it comes to shoes is "the higher the better", however a bout of vertigo at the dizzying heights the shoes had elevated me to made me briefly consider whether my philosophy might be a little misguided for the latest torture devices we call shoes for Spring/Summer 2009/2010 here in Australia.

New in is the extra pumped up platform heel. The platform takes its cue particularly from the Matthew Williamson collection (first 3 pics) and also a little from Balenciaga and Lanvin:



The defining difference in the new collections of heels (particularly from Sachi, Urban Soul, Peeptoe and Robert Robert) is the floating platform. That is, the platform isn't the same dimension as the rest of the front sole of the shoe, instead a little smaller. This smaller size at the base of the shoe draws attention to the added height of the shoe (a lot of platform shoes for winter had sought to hide the fact they added extra height by combining the platform within the front design of the shoe, attempting to create seamlessness). Instead, all and sundry will be aware that you are most definitely not magically tall, rather that you are being propped up in a delicate balancing act of architectural dexterity on a thin stiletto heel and front sole about the size of the bottom half of a scone (without the jam or cream).


Peeptoe's Miss Double Bay

As the sales assistants fussed around me (with non-absorbent tissue paper from the bottom of a shoe box no less - apparently dept stores don't stock tissues or bandaids anymore), and as I stared at my torn stockings and bloodied top of my foot (apparently it bleeds so much because there isn't much fat on that part of your foot - thanks Dr AC), and briefly considered that I may die (unlikely, but it was quite messy - the sales assistants were terribly affronted and I thought I might need to put my head between my legs), I decided that there were far worse ways to go than at the base of a pair of the highest heels known to womankind. Of course I bought them.