Living the high life

Men think they completely dominate when it comes to length and pleasuring women. Not necessarily. When I think of getting a thrill from something inch-based, zipper watching is far from my mind. So are plastic toys.

I think of heels. Length, height, stiletto or stacked. How many inches. How high I can get. High heels are my sanctuary, as it is many other women’s. Cheap thrills, indulgences, pleasure points, ticklish spots, all rolled into one pair.

I recently interviewed a fashion lover who would rather do a walking tour of Europe in heels rather than those rubber-soled flats many term “walking shoes.” Walking in flats, she claims, gives her back problems. Although I am not one to sight see on a cantilevered level, I am of the school that believes in sacrificing for fashion — and longer-looking legs and a perkier bottom. Heels just naturally make a woman glamorous and sexy and sophisticated. (In heel-deprived footwear, you’ll usually get cute; at best, cool.)

Getting your stiletto fix is tricky. Many people still think that four-inch heels that cover as much ground as a five-centavo coin are like corsets for the feet: they make you look good but pinch like hell with every movement. I believe that comfort and height, though not exactly synonymous, can actually be put together when describing the same thing. I also believe that not all leg-stretchers beyond the three-inch mark are tacky pairs meant for the Vegas entertainment circuit.

With shoe brands like Schutz, comfort, class and height can be a package deal. The Brazilian label with the German name (ironically enough, schutz means “protection”) specializes in heels. It’s a brand that knows how to make women look good, both in the physical and sartorial sense. And it’s also a brand that realizes that neon Band-Aids peeking out from the back of a shoe isn’t much of a style statement.

Schutz’s styles run towards the trendy, which in this season means strappy leather designs, caged sandals, and geometry-inspired heels. But then, Schutz produces 130,000 pairs of shoes a month, so you’re bound to find your dream heels in every collection, from conservative three-inchers to skinny, skyscraping stilettos. And, if you’re of that female population that can never understand the appeal of living the high life, Schutz also has pretty ballerina flats and sandals: pleasure without the necessary length.

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Schutz is exclusively available at Adora Department Store, 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City, and Tyler Glorietta 4, Rockwell Power Plant Mall and Shangri-La Plaza.