Monday, July 12, 2010

An Apolitical Platform

Or maybe not.

The other night I ventured out to Nordstrom, to take a peek at its fall sale preview.  This time of year is a bit of a purgatory for shoes, with the last dregs of unsellable summer sandals looking up wistfully from their display boxes, with a few fall shoes floating in, without an anchor.

And then there's the mysterious sale curtain, akin to Hawthorne's veiled lady in The House of the Seven Gables, behind which lurk generally unattractive shoes, the likes of which generate great excitement because they are:

a) on sale

b) behind a curtain

c) available for prepurchase only (you can't take them home till Friday).

But I digress, for in this post I want to conjure Miss America and talk about platforms.  Hidden platforms, in fact, which is a very un-Miss America-like strategy.

I really do appreciate hidden platforms.  My two favorite pairs of shoes feature them: my beloved Loeffler Randalls and my well-liked Whyreds. Both of those shoes work, I think, because they have an architectural, sturdy heel to balance the (hidden!) platform.

But the new hidden platforms at Nordstrom give way to spindly, spiky heels, and I find the effect less than attractive, rather schkanky, if you will.

Indeed, the (hidden!) platform looks even taller (even though its hidden) because of the extreme heel height.

It is only July, but I am not yet tempted by fall shoes.  This is not a bad state of mind, but I do hope for some inspiration come August.  And for a platform I can support.

1 comment:

Belle de Ville said...

I love hidden platforms...if they are done well.
We have had the coldest weather on record over the last 30 days or so and I've been tempted to start shopping for Fall clothes already.
Luckily the sun came out and I can put it off for a while.