They've been described as works of art for the feet but women
who wear the latest sculptural shoes will pay a heavy price,
podiatrists warn.
Towering heels were a huge hit on the runways of Milan, London
and New York, with trend-obsessed celebrities such as Victoria
Beckham snapped toeing the fashion line.
The look does not come cheap, however, in terms of either
designer price tags or the resulting medical treatment.
Australian Podiatry Association vice-president Brenden Brown
said the "scary" creations would cause permanent damage to the
fashionistas wearing them.
"I am certainly concerned about the mind state of the people who
are designing these shoes," Mr Brown said. "It just looks like it
is a class action waiting to happen."
The heel-less, thigh-high latex boots worn by Beckham last week
were by British-Italian designer Antonio Berardi and cost
£3300 ($7260), but far more costly would be the "traumatic
injury" they could cause.
"There is a real likelihood that you are going to fall
backwards," he said. "That is an amazing boot in that I virtually
cannot understand how she walks in it."
Heel-less shoes by US designer Marc Jacobs, available in Sydney
at Evelyn Miles for $648, were only marginally more sensible.
"Once again, it creates that massive instability," Mr Brown
said. "It will act a little bit like a see-saw so it will either
fling you back or fling you forward."
Even more bizarre, London design duo Aminaka Wilmont sent a
model wearing a shoeless heel down the catwalk, with little more
than strips of black fabric anchoring them to the model's
ankle.
"Can you see in these photos how those toes are clawing?" Mr
Brown said. "That really is going to create lots and lots of
pain."
Cheaper brands were also getting in on the balancing act, with
chain store Zu selling a pair of architectural wedges for $150.
"You would have to be from Cirque du Soleil to wear those
shoes," Mr Brown said. "That is going to create massive
instability. It will give wearers quite tremendous ankle pain."
Grazia editor Alison Veness-McGourty said people should
not take fashion too seriously. "A podiatrist is akin to a bank
manager," she said. "[The heels] are almost works of art. They have
become larger than life this season.
"I have just come back from Milan [Fashion Week] and everyone in
the front row was wearing them - big and strapped to the ankle. It
is an anti-recession thing. The higher you go, the further from
reality."
Caroline Marcus