Skyscraper shoes. Six-Inch Spikes Are Painfully Hot Trend [View All]

Women Fall Head Over Heels for Shoe Makers' Arch Designs
Six-Inch Spikes Are Painfully Hot Trend; A Balancing Act That Makes Models CryBy TERI

Anne Betts was sassy and confident strolling down New York's Fifth Avenue in her strappy, 5-inch platform heels. Until, that is, she stepped off a curb and fell to the ground.

"I felt it immediately," says the New York ad-sales manager, referring to the pain that shot up from her just-sprained ankle. Although her doctor admonished her to give up the skyscraper shoes and imposed a 3-inch-heel maximum, Ms. Betts admits she can't resist the allure of tall shoes. "I love to dance in them," she says. While standing still, she notes, "they improve your posture."

Not so long ago, high heels were defined as 3 or 4 inches -- a footnote to give a little height and a more appealing silhouette to the wearer. But this fall, shoes have been supersized with the proliferation of 5-, 6- and even 7-inch heels and platforms. The über-heels range from $100 versions sold by Steve Madden to deluxe pairs costing between $600 and $1,500 from designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Marni, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin. They come in an array of shapes, including spiky stilettos, tapered cones, sloping wedges and thick wooden posts. Exaggerated platforms have thick, elevated soles, as well as high heels, making for a superhero, rather than a Barbie-doll, look.

"These are the highest heels that I've ever seen sold on a commercial level," notes Roseanne Morrison, fashion director for Doneger Group, a retail consultant for more than 200 stores. And they're selling. At Bergdorf Goodman, senior vice president Edwin Burstell says they represent "a large piece of the business this fall."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122394215518830965.html?mod=yhoofront