WALKING TALL
The only way is up as Sarah Young looks at this spring’s unexpected trend for platform heels
When it comes to shoes, spring is a season most commonly associated with insouciant slides and flat sandals – but not this time round. Instead tame and understated shoes are being replaced by a chunky, towering new breed. Enter, the platform heel.
Thanks in part to the unrelenting authority of the seventies, vertiginous heights are harking back to their heyday – think Studio 54 and John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever – as designers go all out for spring/summer.
Turning to the lofty heights of sky high heels, Miu Miu paired a retro seaside-inspired collection with platforms that kept models’ heads at least seven inches above water. Worn with everything from bathing suits, hot pants and floral swim caps, these shoes bought some serious pizzazz to the poolside.
Meanwhile, in a show that saw Bella Hadid topple to the floor in her platforms, Michael Kors’ monumental heels gave way to his signature feminine/masculine aesthetic. Here, belted trouser suits and trenches were paired with simple brown and navy soles while vivid floral prints continued into others with 3d embellishment.
Similarly, a continuation of last season saw Marc Jacobs’ models sport gargantuan platforms in a range of styles from Mary Janes, knee-highs and boots streaked with colour. Like it or not, this season the only way is up as shoe styles are chunkier, higher and more in-your-face than ever.
But, let us put minds of heel-phobes at ease. While these towering platforms might look like an accident waiting to happen, they’re actually far easier to walk in than standard heels. Ditch your needle thin stilettos because the added height on the front of these ones has a levelling out effect, while the chunky heel feels far sturdier on the ground.