April 20th, 2010 by 
I don’t need a reason to strike up a conversation about shoes, although any excuse is a good one – like the imminent release of Sex and the City 2 and the flurry of Jimmy Choo/Manolo/Louboutin references it will induce.
You’ve only got to type “shoes” into any search engine to see what impact S&tC has on legions of compulsive female shoe buyers. (I say ‘buyers’ rather than ‘wearers’ because most of us will buy at least one pair this year that will NEVER see the light of day.)
Like many I am relishing the re-introduction of the Wedge, which enhances the elegance of even the most calf-like calf as well as making walking a lot easier than the average stiletto. It’s a fact: balance and posture are improved by the humble wedge and they’re far more flattering and versatile than those ghastly MBTs.
Wedges are retro-retro, vintage even. We associate them with the flare-fashioned ‘70s, but we should associate them with the flair of the ‘30s, as it was in 1935 that pedi-god Salvatore Ferragamo designed the first orthopedic wedge. The look took off and wedges became an even bigger hit during World War 2, putting the chic into Utility. At the time they were fashioned out of cork and wood due to the lack of available rubber and leather – they still are, with the addition of rope, raffia and whatever is in.
By the ‘70s wedges had a unisex, casual appeal; one pair was even designed with a goldfish swimming in the heel!
But women’s relationship with shoes doesn’t always get good press. You’ve only got to look at the former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, whose pursuit of happiness saw her purchasing almost 3,000 pairs of shoes, to realise they’re synonymous with vanity, consumerism and an extravagance bordering on lunacy.
Time Magazine’s Lance Morrow mused on the megalomania of La Marcos in a scathing essay, back in 1986, which probably had shoe-fetishists striking out with their stilettos in defense of retifism (as it is oft referred) .
With apparently very little insight into women’s erm, needs, Mr Morrow asked: “Why accumulate so much if there is no use for all of them? How much gold is enough? Only a sane person would think to ask.
Oh Lance, women love shoes – the more the merrier and prettier and sexier. Anyway, where were you when Mrs Marcos opened The Marikina City Footwear Museum in Manila in 2001 in honour of her prime passion, or this week when and she inspired Talking Heads’ David Byrne and Fatboy Slim to release a “song cycle” CD about her (Here Lies Love). I think the sport of shoe shopping should be added to the 2012 Olympics, rather than relegated to the hall of infamy.
And, in praise of the higher heel, it’s time to look at a very positive bit of research which implies that wearing heels may well improve your sex life.
European Urologist Dr Maria Cerruto, who studied 66 women under 50, found that those who held their foot at a 15 degree angle to the ground (think 2” kitten heels) had as good posture as those who wore flat shoes, and crucially showed less electrical activity in their pelvic muscles.
Suggesting that the PF muscles are in the best place to help them improve their strength and ability to contract. With this in mind I take it in my stride to recommend donning a pair of mid-heel wedges and waving goodbye to those pelvic floor exercises once and for all.
At last I can swap my wad of Tena pads for a pair of kinky boots without feeling guilty! I have every excuse to walk tall as a well-heeled woman and if anyone asks why I am wearing ‘yet another pair of high shoes’ for the school run (or walk), I will tell them a) it’s for medical reasons and b) it is recommended that one rotates one’s shoes on a daily basis to optimise the lifespan of one’s footwear, oh and c) to keep my feet free of humidity.
Reasons enough, don’t you think?!
