The killer heel rises

Back pain, bunions and the fetishisation of women — Annmarie O’Connor on the real cost of ‘super heels’.

A FUNNY thing happened in 2008. Heel heights started to grow — higher and higher. Not content with mastering the 4.1-inch Manolo Blahnik Hangisi or the 5.5 inch YSL Tribtoo, die-hard fashionistas took example from celebrities like Posh and Paltrow who began working the red carpet in 6- and 7-inch obelisks.

As retail sales spiked; so did the body count. That same year, the spring/ summer 09 collection previews took multiple victims with models tumbling at Prada and Pucci.