Killer heels
I have a wardrobe full of high heels, most of which I rarely wear these days, largely because I seem to have lost the ability to walk in them.
The last time I wore some seriously high heels was at a ballet gala in New York. I had a navy chiffon dress that was spectacularly beautiful, and had found some very high navy suede pumps to match. I found them online, admired how beautiful they were, and bought them, without a thought of how they might feel, or whether I would be able to actually get myself from A to B in them. We arrived at the ballet on time, joining our friends for the cocktail hour beforehand. After about 45 minutes, my feet started to ache. By the time an hour rolled around, I was in agony.
Thankfully there was much sitting during the performance. But then came a very long walk along a red carpet at Lincoln Center to the dinner. When I say ‘walk’, it was, in my case, half walk, half hobble. I managed to pretend I was fine when I thought someone was looking, but the rest of the time I hobbled miserably.
I didn’t dance that night. And when we left and were safely around the corner, I removed the shoes and did the unthinkably disgusting thing of walking barefoot through the streets of New York City until we reached our car. I honestly didn’t have a choice.
My footwear of choice these days appears to be clogs. I am obsessed with clog boots, bought from a little store in New York, that, bizarrely enough for clogs, are surprisingly cool. And recently I tracked down a clogmaker in Austria who makes heavy, wooden, handmade clogs to order, before shipping them round the world. I ordered a pair. I couldn’t resist. I used Google Translator to translate my very polite email to him into German, and used it again to translate his response back into English.
A few days ago I received the clogs – and they are just as fantastic and kooky as I’d hoped they would be. I wore them on Saturday. And on Sunday. And every day this week. I’m not quite sure what to wear them with, but they are perhaps the most comfortable things I have ever had the pleasure of wearing.
I am planning to write to master clogmaker Devich Holzschuherzeugung again. This time I will ask if it’s possible for him to make them in navy suede.
Next week: Emma Freud’s supper club
The last time I wore some seriously high heels was at a ballet gala in New York. I had a navy chiffon dress that was spectacularly beautiful, and had found some very high navy suede pumps to match. I found them online, admired how beautiful they were, and bought them, without a thought of how they might feel, or whether I would be able to actually get myself from A to B in them. We arrived at the ballet on time, joining our friends for the cocktail hour beforehand. After about 45 minutes, my feet started to ache. By the time an hour rolled around, I was in agony.
Thankfully there was much sitting during the performance. But then came a very long walk along a red carpet at Lincoln Center to the dinner. When I say ‘walk’, it was, in my case, half walk, half hobble. I managed to pretend I was fine when I thought someone was looking, but the rest of the time I hobbled miserably.
I didn’t dance that night. And when we left and were safely around the corner, I removed the shoes and did the unthinkably disgusting thing of walking barefoot through the streets of New York City until we reached our car. I honestly didn’t have a choice.
My footwear of choice these days appears to be clogs. I am obsessed with clog boots, bought from a little store in New York, that, bizarrely enough for clogs, are surprisingly cool. And recently I tracked down a clogmaker in Austria who makes heavy, wooden, handmade clogs to order, before shipping them round the world. I ordered a pair. I couldn’t resist. I used Google Translator to translate my very polite email to him into German, and used it again to translate his response back into English.
A few days ago I received the clogs – and they are just as fantastic and kooky as I’d hoped they would be. I wore them on Saturday. And on Sunday. And every day this week. I’m not quite sure what to wear them with, but they are perhaps the most comfortable things I have ever had the pleasure of wearing.
I am planning to write to master clogmaker Devich Holzschuherzeugung again. This time I will ask if it’s possible for him to make them in navy suede.
Next week: Emma Freud’s supper club