Whilst I agree one does not see heels in most of the USA as often as say 2008-2012 I would add it does matter where one is living or traveling. Heels are a much more common sight in areas such as southern Florida or Arizona where I’ll be headed in a month. If you then add a notable Hispanic element to the population like Yuma for example you’ll see heels are alive and well. I have seen some historical info which says heel heights go up in recessions and go down during economic expansions. What I think has changed is many many heels are being bought and worn by men. I say this after talking to various retail outlets, talking to my Chicago friend who is an independent shoe retailer and combing different shoe sites and checking availability in sizes above 10. All signs point to a sizable number of men buying women’s style shoes. If you tire of seeing too much frumpiness just travel to places in Latin America, Montreal, Paris or even NYC and you’ll see plenty of heels. I say no matter current economics or geographical location just dress for your own success. HInH