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August 24, 2004

The Rounded Toe, Superhigh Heel

From Ballet Flats? Walking Shoes? Nah. It's Round Toes and High Heels. [NYT] -

Forget ballet flats or sneakers or the old-fashioned British walking shoes. This season, stores - from Macy's to Neiman Marcus - are stocked with rounded shoes with four- , five- and even six-inch heels. They are on magazine covers. The shoe salon at Jeffrey, the chic specialty store in the meatpacking district of Manhattan, has a whole pedestal of them, at $380 to $740 a pair. Nine West's version, sold at mid-price department stores, goes for $79.

"It's a round world," said Paul Wilmot, a public relations agent who represents Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta and other designers. "It's clearly a throwback, a retro feel." Mr. Wilmot said he regretted the demise of "the fabulous, low-vamped shoes, as pointed as a steeple top - they make women's legs look great." He called the new silhouette ungainly: "These things are clunkers; they're high-fashion, but they're clunkers."

Maybe so, but the super-pointy toe is not a natural shape for our feet. I have some cute Isaac Mizrahi (Target) shoes, and I don't wear them if I expect to walk much. They're so cute - but they hurt! Of course, I don't really see myself pulling off the sky-high heel. I'm already tottering at two or three inches.