WHAT THE HEEL? VICTORIA BECKHAM CAUSES A COMMOTION IN HEEL-LESS BERARDI BOOTS
September 30, 2008
Posh Kicks Off Fragrance Launch on Her Tippy Toes
In a scene reminiscent of the Beatles arriving in America, the Beckhams caused a frenzy at the launch of their signature fragrances at Macy’s. Hundreds of fans waiting for a glimpse of the celebrity-branded British duo brought NY streets to a standstill. And they weren’t disappointed. Becks dressed to impress, but Victoria stole the limelight with her usual over-the-top “I AM fashion” statement. Victoria pouted and posed in head-to-toe Antonio Berardi, the gent who designed the couple’s purple wedding party outfits in 1999.
Dressing to complement her angular new ‘do, the former Spice Girl edged up her chic gray mini dress in thigh-high PVC-chic boots with gravity defying 5-and-a-half inch platforms - with no heels. Heel-less shoes are an “11″ on the fashion style meter and so fashion forward they confound the laws of physics!
Berardi said he was inspired by Latin American music and 1980s post-modernism, adding: “When you walk, it is almost on tiptoe. You look really dainty.” Berardi went on to say the radical design will not cause the wearer any pain, “They are perfectly balanced. When the girls come for fittings, they look a bit daunted, but by the end they say it’s just like wearing a regular shoe. They are graceful and there is a ballerina nature about them. Having a heel is really just psychological.” Riiight. We’re all for breaking the passé rules of fashion - go ahead, wear white shoes after Labor Day - but we’re kind of partial to the “form follows function” principle, which translates to heels being a must for mobility.
Victoria spent the appearance clutching hunky hubby David, who looked every inch the gent in his pinstripe suit. And no wonder, she probably needed him to prop her up. A spokesman for the Paris-based fashion house said: “The shoe has a bigger platform sole which stretches back further than normal and gives support under the arch of the foot. When walking though, you have to put your toe rather than your heel down first and you cannot wear them for very long. They are not dangerous because you would have to lean quite far back before you fell over.”
Recession, what recession? Totally impractical and not even particularly pretty, the wearer gets to totter around with all her weight balanced on a thickened platform sole for the bargain price of $5,889. So far, 60 die-hard slaves to fashion have plunked down their exclusive black credit cards for the pricey fetishistic boots.
Blame Marc Jacobs for the burgeoning “look ma, no heels!” trend. It started with his spring/summer ‘08 surreal heels, where the heels were backwards. Then Berardi and Stella McCartney one-upped him, showing heel-less shoes and boots in their collections. Stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman invested in a black pair of Berardi’s heel-less shoe shortly after they were unveiled in his spring/summer collection in Paris last year. After the kvetching over towering heel heights to no heels at all . . . dear lord, we fear what the mad hatters of fashion will come up with next. Strips of leather tied to your feet with string?
No Olympic gold medal in balance beam? No worries. These Georgina Goodman ‘Marci’ platform boots give your outfit the perfect style pitch, without the threat of pitching over. Those we wouldn’t blame you for a feigned wobble or two to get a good-looking hunk to lend you his arm.
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