Let's Get High (Or Not...)

I'm known among friends for being particularly well-heeled--I have a penchant for the teetering, towering works of Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Giuseppe Zanotti and many, many others. But my boys are testing me.

Manolo Blahnik, who has traditionally topped off his heel height at a (still respectable) five inches, decided to up the ante to six inches for Fall/Winter '08. With no platforms. For you male readers, allow me to clarify--platforms on the heels elevate their soles, thereby making them less painful. For a taste of the platform-free, stand on your toes until you're at a forty-five degree angle, and then stay like that. All night. Sir Blahnik (Yes, he has been knighted. His shoes are that hot.) says that his six-inch creations have accounted for 30% of his sales this season. Pretty impressive, dude.

Now, I have long dealt with six-inch platform heels--a challenge I undertook after watching too much Sex and the City, most likely. But Louboutin has just announced that he plans to release EIGHT-INCH HEELS next fall. Not only would these babies make me nearly six feet tall, but I'm fairly certain they're also going to make me fall flat on my fucking face. Is this how we've decided to cope with the failing economy? By abusing our feet? Masochism just isn't my cup of tea.