What do Nicolas Sarkozy, Tom Cruise, Daniel Craig and Marc Jacobs have in common? No, it’s not hearthob status. It is this season’s hottest new trend: man heels.
As some women’s heels have crept up this season to 15 centimetres, there is now some support for the vertically challenged men in their lives, helping them regain a little ground (albeit possibly at the equal loss of a little dignity!).
According to the Sydney Herald, Melbourne’s trendy menswear stores are now seeing a strong demand for man heels of up to 5cm’s, slightly more wearable than a woman’s average of 10cm’s.
“Heels for men are definitely getting higher. In fact, they haven’t been this high since the 1970s,” said Ty Henschke of Calibre. “We’re doing a great Cuban heel boot for winter with a heel close to 4.5 centimetres,” he said. This compares with a 1.5-centimetre heel on a standard men’s shoes.
“But we’re not just doing them on boots. In dress shoes, too, we’re stacking heels a bit higher and making the soles a bit thicker,” he said. “They’re not quite platforms but they’re certainly a lot thicker and a lot higher than we’ve seen in a long, long time.”
Some top fashionistas have nicknamed the new season trend for man heels, “The Sarkozy Effect”, citing that when the French President touched down in London last March in stiletto-sized stacked heels for his state visit, he sparked a trend for man heels the world over.
Since then, dozens of other high-profile men have been spotted in super-sized heels. Shortly after the last Bond film was released, it was revealed that Daniel Craig had to wear stacked heels while filming Quantum of Solace, so that he would not be overshadowed by glamazon Bond girl Gemma Arterton. Bond? Stacked heels? Now that is something I simply choose not to believe!
Again last year in October Marc Jacobs wore towering Rick Owens heels on the catwalk, following his Louis Vuitton show. “Although I’ve always wanted to be taller, which is the real reason I wore them, I also thought I can show that I, too, will suffer for fashion,” he told New York Magazine.
In recent months, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise and Marc Anthony — in shiny patent leather Mary Janes — have all walked the red carpet in man heels. And just last month, Cliff Richard admitted to wearing heels to enhance his stature.
Paul la Rosa of Croft Shoes said men don’t want to be overshadowed by their stiletto-clad wives and girlfriends, or those girlfriends and wives of statuesque height: “Shorter guys have often preferred something with a bit of a heel. But as women’s heels have gotten higher and higher we’ve started to see more and more men wanting higher heels on their shoes, too,” Mr la Rosa said.
Is this a trend you would really like to see catching on here girls?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
TallShortGirl 05.11.09 at 9:47 pm
absolutely!
TallShortGirl 05.11.09 at 9:49 pm
absolutely! love a man in heels!