High on flats

Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Dustin Hoffman and Dolphy wore high heels. They tripped; they twitched and stumbled, drawing laughter and causing stitches/ bellyaches to the viewing public. It’s the law of physics – how does one keep one’s balance when walking on stilts?

My first pair of heels measured one-inch high made of black patent and alligator. I didn’t appreciate the good quality of the hide (nor the reptile) because I was trying to concentrate on keeping my feet inside the shoes without wobbling like Jack and Dolphy! In three years, I got the rhythm and could swing, boogie and do the mash potato on stilettos, 3 1/2 inches high! That boosted my height to stand on eye level with my "vertically-blessed" classmates and glide dreamily in the arms of my tall and handsome escort.

Wearing heels was a sign that I was ready to trade "baby toys for boys." I was also shedding my lollipops and ribbons to give credence to Frankie Avalon’s song, "When a girl changes from bobby sox to stockings, she’s old enough to give her heart away..."

At a shoe store called "Gregg’s" located in the suburb of San Juan, I could order custom-made shoes in different colors, design and various heights. We knew the shoe attendants by name, their service was personalized and the workmanship was first class. Life was fine and dandy and I never saw any reason to change my shoe style. (The fact that I was in the company of boys who were tall and lanky was beside the point!). But I suddenly a reached cross road in life when form gives way to comfort and it was inevitable that I would re-discover flat shoes. The first time I slipped back into one, my arched feet went on "mutiny." "What are you doing? You know we can’t wear anything that touches the ground!"

Flats have been around for a long time and contrary to what my feet believe, I’ve been wearing them longer than stilettos. Remember the Mary Janes? Those black shoes strapped across the mound of your feet to keep them secure? Weren’t they our uniform in elementary and high school? I wore flats during most of my waking and sleeping hours, at home, during field trips, tours, travel, sports and leisure. How easily we forget.

Well, shoe designers have re-discovered them too like Cole Haan, Tod’s, Bruno Magli, Salvatore Ferragamo, Via Veneto and Celine when their display windows showed flat mules in their summer collection. They have them from monk-strap flats, oxfords, ballet and bowling shoes, stretch slippers, flat boots and the one designed by Marc Jacobs was inspired by an old pair that made him smile because "they looked like mice."

How are flats worn? The switch may feel a little odd to the regularly high-heeled milady but it’s easy. I like them worn with cropped, loose or cigarette pants (Note: The flats should match the color of the pants). Marc Jacobs likes them worn with long skirts. Donatella, my Italian friend, thinks that there is "an awkward charm to the silhouette" (that wears flat shoes). I think it’s something about the ease, the femininity, and the so-far-from-vulgar attitude of flats that is so appealing. When you wear Mary Janes, ballet pumps, lace-up oxfords, and little slipper-like shoes, they’re all so youthful, childlike and pure.

Men and the ultra glamorous crowd would interject, "But are they sexy?" Have you ever seen a Playboy bunny in flats? Hello? Men fantasize about it. The ritual they attach to women removing their high heels before the rest of her garment can set their blood pressure, (both systolic and diastolic) to a mercurial high. They hold the image of this free and liberated woman taking him by the hand with the ultimate invitation, "Voulez vous cocher avec mois?" (Would you like to sleep with me?) But in flats, you can move around a lot easier, you swish instead of stumble, you can spin and twirl (remember Julie Andrews in Sound of Music?) and you have more control over your body language. You sure don’t need to be in heels to catch a man. Au contraire, you can chase and catch him faster in flats!

Manolo Blahnik believes women can feel sexy in flats. Well, it may be a bit harder for those who are pleasingly plump, but with straight-legged pants and a little slinky shirt, certainly it can happen. " Women are sexy, not shoes," adds Jacobs.

Most sex symbols have worn flats without sacrificing their sensuality – Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow and of course Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood. Miss Gloria Romero, during her "Sampaguita" Studio heyday, exuded gamine charm in her pedal pushers and flats.

Women have many moods. Sometimes we like to wear flats, sometimes heels. Men love high heels always. They have this fixation, whether real or "surreal," that the only activity that’s worth pursuing is when the sun goes down, therefore nocturnal, meaning the female protagonist must be appropriately dressed in high heels. For women, her whole day is filled with worthwhile pursuits and flats "stand up" to the challenge. If it’s sports, there’s the aero, impact-resistant running shoes; for marketing, the strong and cushion-lined slippers and espadrilles; for driving and fetching kids, the sandals or beach tongs; and for relaxing, when one literally kicks up the heels, loafers or the rubber-spiked self-massaging slippers. Wouldn’t it be a shame if women have permanently arched feet like Barbie? She would grimace in flats.

A long-time New York-based friend, Renita Tongco, used to frown at women walking up and down the boroughs of New York in their sneakers and jogging shoes. Being such a lady, she could never feel at ease wearing rubber shoes with stockings regardless of whether she switches to stilettos or conservative pumps when she gets to her desk or not. But now that fashion designers have come out with a variety of flat shoes that are smart and flattering to the feet, Renita might still be convinced.

Flats are also great equalizers. You can find them anywhere at any price range from Payless to Sak’s Fifth, from Carriedo to Rustan’s. There is however, one design in two-tone black and beige that seems to be the favorite of many. The exclusive shoe salon bears the same brand as the perfume it carries with an odd number. I tried a pair once and to my husband’s relief, it was too big for my tiny feet. Not to worry. They promised to carry the "sample" size the next time I visit. When that happens, one more girl will be jumping high on flats. What’s more she has caught her man to foot the bill!

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