On Friday I was horrified to read this dress-for-success article (it's available online - at least for now):
http://tinyurl.com/2udkhs
Designers Push Fashion Elegance: Will Fashion Follow?
By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan.
Friday, August 31, 2007.
According to designers (and presumably the Journal), fall elegance includes a matched suit with a knee-length skirt, gloves, a hat (hat?!) and my personal nemesis: 4-inch heels.
We are in the 21st century. Hasn't anybody told the author and the WSJ what high heels can do to your feet, back, stress and general health...not to mention that some women have feet that were never designed for those shoes?
Inside my own sneakers, my feet are shaped like little rectangles. I wear men's Asics, 7-1/2, on the recommendation of a podiatrist after I started getting blisters and corns from traditional shoes. I had trouble walking and exercising.
My Asics feel great. In a perfect world I would never have to wear any other shoes, ever. In this world, you get taken seriously in comfy shoes only if you're a cop, a nurse or a nun.
If you want to be a ballet dancer, you acknowledge you need a certain body type. Wrong feet? Sorry - go for modern, jazz or tap.
And if you want to be a well-dressed business woman, according to the fashionistas you'd better pass the foot test too.
Maybe we need some solid research on the long-term health effects of high heels. Foot and back injuries are notoriously hard to treat. Who pays the medical bills of these women? Do all of us have higher insurance premiums as a result?
What's next for women: a fashionable cigarette?
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3 comments:
You are so right about the high heels. Fashion keeps pushing, but consumers push back.
Shows like "What Not to Wear" consistently seem to almost force makeover participants to declare high heels to be "comfortable." The hosts keep repeating this like a chant, since female viewers well know that's a lie.
As for the return of "elegance", dream on, fashionisti! The American worker's wages have basically been flat for 30 years and impressing higher ups with style doesn't have the cache it once did. Gen Y's flip-flops at work aren't likely to be replaced with $500 4-inch heels.
If you're at Wal-Mart or stuck in a call center cube, your boss barely sees you. Something new in your life might indeed help your career but an outfit from InStyle magazine probably isn't it.
Thanks, Paula! Well said!
Interesting article. But I'm glad no one pays attention to "old ladies," and we can pretty darn well wear what we like. I used to love high heels back in the fifties, and even later. Now I love my crocks! Of course, I work at home, where comfort rules!
I'm enjoying your blog, Cathy.
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