Suzy’s shoesies and other tales of the woesome
by DPC
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| A friend of mine, a writer and a perspicacious social critic (a simpler synonym would not be appropriately accurate) sent me an email yesterday: “I think it is time for you to comment in an official capacity on the fact (some might call it perception) that we are passing through an era notable for perfectly hideous women’s shoes! ...” I laughed when I read it because I knew what he meant. I do notice shoes. Most men’s shoes don’t stand out except for their ill-kempt appearance, often scruffy and dull from wear and tear. Tough guy in a wuss world.
Still, a well-shined pair of shoes adds luster and even the possibility of wit and intelligence (a wild guess of course) to the wearer’s appearance. It can even spiff up an otherwise baggy, even slopping appearance. Nevertheless a shine on the shoe is rare in today’s world. With the women it’s different. Shoes are not accessories; they are necessities. They punctuate the story. The shoes that my friend was talking about, I am almost certain, are those with a high heel, recently in fashion, that cover the bridge and/or a lot of the foot and ankle partly or entirely. Some look like ankle boots with a high heel. Others looks like glitzed up Roman sandals with a high heel. There’s a hint of S&M, a kind of edgy toughness in the look. Whips don’t punctuate. It sends a couple of messages. Naughty but nice. Maybe even not so nice. |
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| Louis XIV, age 25, receiving Swiss Ambassadors in 1663. |
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| French, 1730. The heel Louis liked for himself. |
| I’m sure many would disagree or have an opinion about my idea of NBN. Or either N. However, aside from the fact that women are said to dress for each other, rather than men, they sum up not only the clothes but the appearance. A slender ankle and a smooth well shaped bridge with a heel high or mid can be very alluring, or just plain beautiful on the eye. But these shoes today that my friend was referring to -- some of which are quite cleverly and beautifully designed -- deprive the viewer of most of that. I don’t know; there are probably some Wall Street tycoons who like that sort of thing. I’ve often heard those stories. However, they can leave me wondering about the winter that’s coming. |
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| Photographs by PatrickMcMullan.com |
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