Killer Heels

Icy pathways, slippery stairs, treacherous commuting conditions -surely one wouldn’t dare don a pair of heels- or would they?

Hardcore fashion lovers may have wrapped up in cashmere and snooded themselves in winters must have accessory but no matter how snowy or icy the ground became, nothing could tear them away from their beloved high heels. Luckily, no one caught my Naomi Campbell impression as I skidded my way into the New Year gracefully.


Celebrities are accustomed to wearing heels almost everyday and they certainly weren’t going to give up that easily when a bit of snow fell over the Christmas period. Alex Curran stepped out in towering studded heels while shopping in Liverpool. Across the frozen pond, Jennifer Lopez needed the help from her many assistants to stop her from slipping into the evil grasp of the dreaded paparazzi.


However caution must be taken during this tempestuous weather. Dr. Rick Pullinger, a consultant in emergency medicine said that “typically people were coming in with injuries sustained from slipping on the ice almost as soon as they stepped out of their front door”. Surely that shouldn’t dampen our spirits as much as the snow has dampened our hair?

To most of us, the Christmas period is all about style and a dazzling appearance. While the more sensible folk stuck to flats-dare I say my mother crunched on the ice in her golf shoes-us stubborn fashionistas could not attempt to leave the house without the uncomfortable comfort of our six inch wonders during the party season.

Perhaps this decision was justified by the many models that have slipped and slid their way down the catwalks over the years. Who can forget Vivienne Westwood’s monstrous strappy heels from her SS07 collection that had model Kamilia Wawryzina tip toeing and tumbling on the runway, watering can in hand. Or that poor Prada model from SS09 who has now become youtube.com gold receiving over 500,000 views since the video was uploaded a year ago. Even Alexander Mc Queen tested his models in his latest collection with futuristic moulded platforms Schiaparelli would be proud of. If heels can cause models to fall on a clean, obstacle free runway and get up smiling, what’s the harm in tackling the freeze in style?




Flats and festive glam simply do not mix, unless of course you are The Kills/The Dead Weather singer Alison Mosshart, but even she is partial to some Prada. She admitted to Alex Blimes in an interview in Vogue’s February issue that when she saw a pair of studded brown leather shoes on Kate Moss, she just had to have them.



It is undeniable that we put style before sense, and many of us have ended up succumbing to the power of ice by using it to nurture our battered feet after an attempted high heeled strut. Companies have tried to relieve the stubborn heel wearer by inventing items such as non-slip pads which help grip the ground better and may prevent falling, or at least looking like a duck waddling down the road. Maybe next year we will remember to bring a larger clutch to carry flats in for the walk home, along with a harness and ski sticks.