Under the hood

When I first saw them at Lane Crawford, the Nike Cole Han Joint venture to make comfortable heels struck me as a really good idea. It was a few months ago, but I remember deliberating over an example with the rubberized heel and reinforced sole. "If I were a chick, I would buy these in a heartbeat," I muttered to myself. Overhearing my zeal, Jo was quick interject with a "they're okay, I guess. kinda cool. look a bit heavy." I guess so, but guessing from the heft, they couldn't be any heavier than a pair of runners. More importantly, I thought they look really really - not baaad.

Surfing their site now, it's obvious they're making a kiling out of high quality comfortable shoes that you can wear everyday. It's just a pity that most of them are also really boring. And it's a pity because, I think there is actually one pair in there that'd otherwise be a nobrainer. However, since the majority of them fail on making any impression at all, I reckon this "absence" damages the overall brand value, giving just enough reasonable doubt to step away from the display case. But this is me comparing high street to main street, so I digress.

The point is not the overall trend towards comfort, but more importantly, the overall trend towards innovation. The front rubber sole on heels now is something I see everywhere, and while I am going to miss hearing the feminine clacking of leather soles, I think it's pretty awesome to have this technology available. Specifically, I find it really cool that the tapered architecture of the rubber sole saves the entire intention of the heels from looking too macho, too heavy, too fake - instead, it appropriately savors the feminine lines that allow for a "light on toes" image of the wearer - a massive contrast to the cloggy platform heels still prevalent in excellent porn and Guy Ritchie movies. Rather, it cleverly keeps the all that was good (the height and the comfort), and took away the bad (the tartiness, cheapness, and in some cases manliness) It's really really cool.

What's even more cool is seeing the evolution in some genuinely high quality sophisticated brands such as this one I've never heard of until now. Uterque has a very promising lineup of comfy but quality boots and standard heels, and they too have implemented the reinforced cushioned sole.

I love heels. I love watching my girlfriend strut around in them, how they force a napolean complex on me when we hit the town on Friday. But I also know they hurt, and she even sports cracked a tooth as a commemorative scar from the last battle. And so it makes perfect sense if she could walk the catwalk without shaving years off her life. Stomp away, I say. Stomp away.