Article on MSN

[heelyandy]

Hi

Just stumbled across this on the MSN website:-

http://lifestyle.uk.msn.com/fashion/article.aspx?cp-documentid=953998

Thought I'd share it with everyone

Andrew

[kneehighs]

Andrew Thanks for the link. That was an interesting article. I've quoted it below so that if MSN removes it from their archives, we'll still have it here at hhplace.org:

Killer Heels

After months of wearing flats, high heels are making a comeback. Sophie Deeble, author of A Passion For Stilettos, explains why the love of heels never wanes.

Principles' Joyful black shoes, £55. (PA Photo/Principles)

Stilettos have power. They have a way of lifting the spirits and making any woman feel on top of the world, able to conquer anything.

Women have a lifelong love affair with heels: a recent New Look survey revealed a third of the British female population preferred buying shoes to having sex. And if you're vertically challenged or don't have supermodel legs, they're a God-send.

While we welcomed flatter shoes during the summer, autumn sees us in heels once again.

"Stilettos are sexy. Put on a pair, and the transformation is dramatic," says Sandra Deeble, editor of A Passion For Stilettos.

"They add inches to our height and take inches off our body. They tilt us at a more flattering angle, thrusting the sexiest parts of our bodies up and out. The love affair with heels starts when we're young.

"Storybooks tell of the magic power of shoes - Cinderella's glass slipper and Dorothy's ruby shoes capture our imaginations and make our toes curl with pleasure long before we're old enough to experience the heady rush of guilt-edged shoe shopping."

How to Walk in Heels

* Do some toe-flexing exercises to get your feet used to the big flex before putting your heels on.

* Practise wearing high shoes with chunkier heels first.

* For your first outing, bare feet - rather than stockinged - are better as they offer more grip.

* Look in the mirror, shoulders back and smile. Think relaxed, graceful thoughts before taking a step.

* When going up stairs, land on the ball of your foot. Going down, side step with toes pointing in the same direction.

Dressed for Success

Next's almond toe platform shoes, £34.99 (PA Photo/Next)

Height has always been synonymous with power, Sandra says. Working women in Margaret Thatcher's time wore killer heels to show that they could trample over anyone in their path, or smash their way through the glass ceiling.

Putting on your favourite pair of heels will make you feel a million pounds, even if you're having a bad hair or skin day.

"When you're up there, teetering high, it's impossible to feel down. Put your best foot forward and you'll change your whole demeanour."

WORKING WONDERS: Georgina Goodman for Evans' black and gold Louise shoes, £50, Next's almond toe platform shoes, £34.99 (pictured), Clarks' bronze Curtsey heels with diamante detail, £34.99, and Dorothy Perkins' purple patent court shoes, £15.

Grown-up Glamour

Lulu Guinness Laurel leopard print peep-toes, £205 from Handbags And Gladrags. (PA Photo/Handbags And Gladrags)

Named after the Italian stiletto dagger or switchblade, the stiletto heel is tapered and threatening.

"Hollywood starlets and sex goddesses of the 50s like Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly had a streak of danger. Their stockings and stilettos gave them an edge," Sandra says.

"For instant womanly glamour, all you need to do is slip on a pair of spike-heeled stilettos, and you'll instantly find yourself in tune with your inner sex goddess."

Gorgeous Glories

Principles' Joyful black shoes, £55 (pictured), Lulu Guinness Laurel leopard print peep-toes, £205 from Handbags And Gladrags, Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection black patent court shoes, £29.50, and Primark's peep toe animal print shoes, £12.

Sense and Sensuality

Faith's Lynfa black satin sandals, £50 (PA Photo/Faith)

There's no denying that spiky heels are seen as sexy, which explains why most men's heads turn at the glimpse of a stiletto.

Carrie Bradshaw's shoe collection in Sex And The City, voted the best in the New Look survey, probably wouldn't have had the same cult effect on women around the world if she had worn flatties all the time.

Likewise, when Marilyn Monroe stands above the subway grating in 1955's The Seven Year Itch, with her skirt floating up to reveal peep-toed Salvatore Ferragamo slingbacks. Would it have worked if she was wearing ballet pumps? Probably not.

SEXILY SLEEK: Faith's Lynfa black satin sandals, £50, All Saints' lace-back courts, £95 from ASOS, Flora Pompom's grey suede peep-toes, £54.99 from Office, and Additions Direct's black heels with gold strap and heel, £20.

Special Occasions

New Look shoes, from £20 (PA Photo/New Look)

Whether or not you integrate needle heels into your everyday life, when there's a special occasion, it's time to up the ante.

The red carpet wouldn't be the same without actresses trying to stride across the deep pile on pin-sharp five-inch designer heels, nor would a wedding feel quite right without female guests click-clacking their way down the aisle.

"Special occasions should always necessitate a special toe-grooming session. Book a pedicure for a day or two before the big event, and allow yourself plenty of time to get ready on the day itself," Sandra adds.

[balacau]

Hrm..makes for good reading that does Except they forgot something: what comes after autumn? Maybe city dwellers are ok with the fact they might not have to cross places which have lots of ice, but some country folk like myself face that every winter. Although chunky heels are more to my liking, there are some stilleto style boots which quite take my fancy (the old Faith "Reeve" calf boots being one of them). I was really hoping chunky heels might make an apearence myself! I have seen a few more of them around than I did last year so I guess there is still some hope

[dr1819]

I've seen some wonderful heels patterened after hiking boots, including vibram-style soles at the bottom of the larger-footprint heels, but sadly, the manufacturers continue to IGNORE the fact that approximately three times the number of women today wear sizes between 11 and 14, inclusive, than they did just 20 years ago. Naturally, this doesn't begin to consider the number of males wearing heels today, which, from what I've been able to piece together, ranges between 10 and 30 times more than in the mid-1980s. Some sources place it higher!

[Guy N. Heels]

Good article, Maudgca. Too bad that I didn't see anything about men wearing heels though.

[Tech]

I have just .pdf'd that page for inclusion on our website shortly too. Will slap it into the upcoming "press and articles" stuff. If anybody wants to point out more then please do... Regards Richie

[BobHH]

An article in today's paper on the fashion shows, written by a woman designer, said women like to wear dresses and skirts because they can show off their shoes. Too bad we men are afraid to show off ours.

[Elegant]

But is there really a cause to show something thast is so booooooo-ring off? Unless our shoes are of a more alternative style, of course!

[new_look]

interesting article but as dr1819 says, men can enjoy a lot of things too yes as the article says it does do wonders to make a womans body appear sexier. but the feelings such as the feeling good, lifting spirits adding height etc are things men could benefit from too.