OK, if you’re a hardcore heels fan you won’t enjoy this post. It's quite the unfashionable thing to say. But say it I will: who the hell can wear high heels in NYC?
On the sidewalk, I mean, not the catwalk. I love a Louboutin in the comfy confines of a Barneys sale floor, and can gaze at Manolos in a magazine all day. But wear them out and about here in the city? No thanks.
Women do, of course. I see them on The Satorialist - even in the rain, snow and slush! - and once in a blue moon I spy some spike heels traipsing up the subway stairs in front of me. (There’s quite a knack to this that involves only treading on each step with the sole part of your shoe, not the heel.) But I consider this a case of vanity before safety. Like driving a Vespa with worn tires on an icy road. Against the traffic.
In fact, shoes are your wheels in New York City. Most of us get around on foot. And it can be rough terrain. There are uneven sections of pavement, all those subway grates, patches of oil (or worse), and the cobblestone streets of SoHo to contend with.
In the summer, I’m gobsmacked at how many chicks wear thongs and risk their pedicured toes touching the scummy roads. And in winter I scoff at the morons who wear Uggs (nothing like a wet sheep on your feet). Footwear requires forethought before fashion here. For me, anyway.
In the kind of snow we had this winter - and the slush and slippery ice that comes the next day - nothing will do but a big pair of waterproof boots with solid traction. Like I imagine it is with tires, you need to invest in a solid, safe pair of shoes for the winter. And you must stomp in them so you don’t slip. It doesn’t matter what they look like, as long as they keep you upright and dry. (Hunter, however, is the boot of choice for the stylish.)
In the brief but wondrous shoulder seasons here, like right now, the safety aspect isn’t quite as crucial, but durability is. You wear your shoes to death in New York, and a cheap pair of flats or sandals will be dirtied up and ground down to mince long before you can flag down a cab.
Over time, with some sad shoe-death experiences behind me, I’ve learned to only spend big on the most comfortable shoes, the “wheels” that will serve me well on the streets. Or, if I really need something cute for dashing about town, I’ll go for the cheap and disposable version, and pop a more expensive pair in my bag to pop on later.
It’s just like keeping a spare in the boot. You know, if spare tires were made at Jimmy Choo.