What goes up must come down when it comes to footwear and now the vertiginous heels of the past few seasons have given way to pretty, practical flats. Tracy Nesdoly reports on the fashion world's economic indicator.
Form and function don't always follow suit when it comes to fashion, particularly when it comes to footwear. Trainer wearers or Birkenstock aficionados sometimes find that the tide of fashion has momentarily flowed towards them and their chosen shoe is suddenly at the cutting edge. However, for the most part, the shoes that set our hearts racing and our credit cards smoking are frivolous rather than utilitarian, while "comfortable shoes" are for smug marrieds and our mothers.
Some of us have spent the past few years teetering around and keeping our balance despite treacherous pavements, while happily looking the world in the eye by virtue of vertiginous heels. For those days when comfort really is key, opt for a platform in which the ratio from heel to toe is less alarming to the knee joints.
But what goes up, we suppose, must come down. Hence this season it appears the kitten heel has taken over from the cougar shoe.
Stella McCartney showed off her mid-heel version in nude, which, we must admit, was still fairly sexy despite the demure proportions; Marc Jacobs showed bow-toed pumps, albeit with more heel than Stella; Rochas showed flat boots; and at Valentino, studs added a little toughness to the pointy-toed patent sweeties. Furthermore, Tamara Mellon, co-founder of the Jimmy Choo label, a brand known for its skyscraper party shoes, is said to be pining for her hi-tops, which are due to come out in May.
Covetable flats at Jimmy Choo? There is no denying it, a sensible shoe revolution is under way.
"There are fewer platforms and more lower heels around, which is good because women are becoming tired of running around in platforms," Erin Mullaney, the buying director for London-based Browns, told the fashion industry bible Women's Wear Daily. She especially pointed out McCartney's focus on the lower heel, which she said "felt dainty and feminine".
It had to happen. Last season, Yves Saint Laurent had a deadly black bandage-wrapped stiletto, with a heel that resembled a shiny black patent pencil. It was gorgeous, tough, edgy and super-high, but utterly impossible, even for practised teeterers, to wear. Models quite literally fell off their platforms: Agyness Deyn tripped during Naomi Campbell's fundraiser fashion show for Haiti and, after a second tumble a few steps later, took off her Burberry platforms and proceeded barefoot. There was a bit of symmetry there - Naomi took a spectacular fall off 23cm Vivienne Westwood heels with a 10cm platform in 1993, when she was at the height of her supermodelling fame. Some models, most notably Abbey Lee Kershaw, refused to wear the "armadillo" alien shoes at the Alexander McQueen show last October.
Kershaw said that "health and safety regulations have got to come into play at some point". So, while YSL was certainly not the only brand to push the limits, the end was clearly nigh.
"There's no smoking gun unfortunately. There's nothing in particular we can point to which explains why trends in footwear happen," said Elizabeth Semmelhack, the senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, one of the world's only museums dedicated solely to soles. "I do see, however, that times of economic stress bring more outrageous footwear - the 1930s for example saw the [return of the] platform for the first time since the 16th century."
The platform in all its wild and wonderful forms, created by Elsa Schiaparelli or Salvatore Ferragamo, held firm until the stiletto took over in the more affluent 1950s. It was back during the oil crisis of the 1970s, and then again during the dotcom bust. So, if you're wondering where the economy is going, watch your feet.
"However, why this occurs I really don't know," said Semmelhack. Having published Heights Of Fashion: A History Of The Elevated Shoe in December 2008, she's still not certain why females have recurrently gone for impossible shoes.
The highest heels seem to be the uniform of times when women are not called upon to work outside the home - as in the 1950s when women returned to the home after manning the factories during the war years of the 1940s. Maybe the platform conforms to some desire for grounding during tumultuous times such as oil crises or economic failures.
If that is the case, the current trend, where sanity seems to have grabbed us by the feet, may well be a very good sign and we might as well relax and save our soles for the next crisis.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Roundup
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Lee%20Sang-yong%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Ma%20Dong-seok%2C%20Sukku%20Son%2C%20Choi%20Gwi-hwa%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E563Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh320%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
STAGE
1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56
2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05
2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05
3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18
4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33
5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5