Women aren't about to give heels the boot

It's clear that heels put stress on the foot, but women still love them..
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
When Molly Watts was shopping for shoes for her wedding, she bought five pairs and returned four.
"I barely tried on my dress," she says. "The shoes were the most important."
Her final picks have diamond trim across the toes, but what cinched the deal were the towering stilettos that rise more than 3 inches off the ground.
"I live in high heels. I'm not very tall. I'm 5-feet-4. I like having the height," says Watts, a special events planner.
The fashion direction for footwear is moving up. Make way for chunky stilettos, platforms and armorlike wedges reminiscent of the 1970s. Even as medical professionals cast a disapproving eye toward foot contortions that high heels can cause, many style-conscious consumers appreciate the lift.
What's the appeal?
Higher heels unquestionably flatter the legs. They create an illusion of long legs and emphasize the shape.
"I definitely feel sexier when I wear high heels," says Watts, 27, who estimates she owns 120 pairs of shoes. "You feel like you're on top of the world,"
The movement to higher ground represents a marked shift in fashion after years of flirtation with the Audrey Hepburn-style slipper.
"A year ago everyone was looking for flats," says Ian Wright, a New York-based footwear consultant who formerly produced the Isaac Mizrahi line. "This year women want sexy shoes."
The high heel is the "best accessory ever invented for women's legs," says Wayne Kulkins, president of Stuart Weitzman sales.
High risers
The trend was kicked off with considerable ado by European designers in the last year. Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere sent out thick, sturdy high rises for spring. The shoe, priced at close to $1,000, is a coveted collector's item among the fashion cognoscenti. For fall, he added boots set on platforms the size of a deck of cards. The look is sure to continue into the next year in a variety of copies.
Closer to home, American manufacturers offer a wide range of choices including flats and low, curved "kitten" heels. But they, too, are thinking tall. BCBG, for instance, explores a sturdy 4-inch heel for tan and gold pumps.
Stuart Weitzman is having success with a 4-inch-high cork platform slingback with a peep-hole top in a bright color, Kulkins says.
The season's successes are either very high or low, adds Aimee Lippencott, from Nordstrom's Midwestern fashion office.
The change represents a natural cyclical shift, says fashion historian Valerie Steele, director of the museum at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. After flats, now the pendulum is simply swinging back.
Steele, author of "Shoes: A Lexicon of Style," says one ongoing factor is an erotic femininity that high heels represent. They affect the whole body stance, thrusting the pelvis forward and the bottom back. It's about "erotic power," she says.
The wedge, which is available in many prices and materials, is a hit. They often have straps that wrap around the ankles. And they are especially fitting for summer in casual espadrille styles.
None of these shoes is strikingly new. The wedge sandal was a rage in the early '70s. But high heels go back to the Renaissance, Steele says. More recently, the hourglass fashion silhouette of the '50s called for the feminine high-heeled pump.
The downside
Meanwhile, red flags continue to fly regarding damage to the feet. Speaking for the American Podiatric Medical Association, podiatrist Holly Korges advises women not to go over 2 inches, a far cry from current styles.
"A 3-inch heel puts seven times more stress on the ball of the foot than a 2-inch heel," she says. Consistent pressure can cause foot problems such as nerve damage.
For women intent on wearing heels, she recommends metatarsal pads found in drugstores. They cushion the foot and lessen the stress on the foot's forefront. Does the doctor wear high heels?
"Once a year, maybe," she says. "When I go to an event."