11 July 2007

I've found my tipping point


Because I shortsightedly decided to wear my new stilettos to work today, a day on which I knew there was an 80% chance of rain and a 100% chance of not-yet-broken-in-edness, I readily admit I deserve every bit of the discomfort I experienced at lunch and likely will experience again on my way home tonight.

Unlike most high-heel complaints I hear and read about, these from Report aren't too tight, too stiff, too back-pain inducing or too tippy. What they are, however, are really really tall.

So tall, in fact, that even I, a woman seasoned in long walks in tall heels, feel myself praying with each careful step that I don't end up with a face-ful of sidewalk.

"But you wear those other heels all the time without incident, so I don't get it -- why are these worse?" a male colleague asked me as I teetered from my desk to the coffeemaker earlier this afternoon.

"Yes, that's true, those shoes (which come in at 4.25 inches) make me taller, but because the front edge is lifted up by a .5-inch bed, the net-incline is that of a no-prbolem 3.75-incher, making these (pointing downward) officially the steepest shoes I've ever worn."

And while I would never have guessed a mere quarter-inch could make the difference between walking without a care and literally holding my hands out tight-rope style, staring straight down at the ground for errant pebbles, wrappers or shadows that might derail my fragile balance, believe me, it does.

Today, I learned that just like I know not to spoon more than four helpings of red pepper paste onto my Sichuan chicken, just like I know not to watch more than 30 seconds of "Everybody Loves Raymond," and just like I know never EVER to give Monte the same treat two days in a row, I now know I have a tipping point when it comes to a shoe's net-incline.

Let's just hope that remains a figurative description.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you can't handle that shoe, I'm definitely not getting it. That's $42 back in my bank account.

Anonymous said...

so....after all that i'm still thinking about these shoes. would you recommend against buying them? maybe i should spend $129 somewhere else, on fabulous black heels that are a little more wearable? any suggestions?

Johanna said...

barbie feet-

I would recommend "training" at home first. Like anything, practice makes perfect. I made the stupid mistake of thinking I could just walk 5 blocks to work, 5 blocks home and in and around rain puddles on my first try.

I think they're beautiful, and I got TONS of compliments on them. I think I still would go for them, but just realize you would need to break 'em in before you give 'em an entire day's responsibility.

good luck!
J