How High?

During a recent work trip, I pondered the thought...how high is too high for shoes?

For several years, I pushed the boundaries on shoe height, and always got comments from other fellow high heeled wearers - sometimes men.

"Wow, you are tall."

"How can you walk in those?"

"You are not going to be able to walk someday because of those torture devices you call shoes."

"You're going to kill yourself walking in those shoes."

and my favorite...

"I hope you didn't pay a lot for those shoes to look that uncomfortable."

Most of the time, I brush the comments off, as many of my favorite shoes are quite tall. I have my heel limits, tending to stay 4" or below. But sometimes a shoe calls your name...and you MUST answer the call.

Then you answer...and then you fall...on a busy street sidewalk...end up with a scuffed knee like a 3 year old...and THEN, and only then do you ask yourself, how high is too high?

For example, take these amazing shoes from Gucci. Beautiful design, and a sleek patent leather outer.

Find them here

But, if you buy these, you commit to a 5" heel, and limited walking. Sure, you can model shoes from a chair, but these are not city shoes...and your feet will be confined to special dinners out or long seated event.



Or, take these amazing Giuseppe Zanottis.

Find them here

Again, a wonderful architecturally designed sandal, with a 5" heel. I actually think you could get around in these a bit easier, but you would have to avoid any sidewalk or tile flooring while walking. City streets and grates are heel damaging culprits.



And lastly, one of the more interesting non-heel (yet still high) options out there.

Find them here

Sporting a 6 1/2" heel height and a 1 3/4" platform, these are some of the highest heels I have seen. Given the distribution of wedge and lack of heel, these could provide a major balancing challenge. You build strength and balance doing "tree pose" at yoga....but I am not sure these provide the same benefit.


In the end, choosing "how high" you go is a personal decision. One of my favorite sayings is: "the higher the heel, the closer to god." My other favorite and recently experienced saying is: "the higher the heel, the harder the fall."

Happy high (or not) heel shoe shopping to you....from the World of Cha Cha Shoes