Those so-called statement shoes with their platforms, sky-high heels and fetish straps are the most ridiculous of my lifetime. Podiatrists must be having a field day. What's a sensible, fashion-aware woman in her 40s to wear? Please comment.
Shoes with kitten heels are right now the cat's meow -- and the answer to your needs. Thanks to first lady Michelle Obama, fashion is once again purring over little heels, aka kitten heels.
Shoe guru Manolo Blahnik, who designed the kitten-heeled mule illustrated here, says the first time he heard the heel described as such was from Mary Quant and Tuffin and Foale when they talked about shoes worn by "London's little kitten girls from the '60s. "Penelope Tree, Twiggy, all those girls -- the kitten heel was named for them," says Blahnik, who describes the height as generally 1¾ inch.
The sheath dresses Obama also helped popularize look especially au courant with the kitten. You could say the first lady is smitten with the kitten. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) As you can imagine, this heel height is especially helpful to tall women, like Michelle Obama.
