If I Bought This for My Wife, Maybe She Could Cut Her Shoe Collection Down to 200...
June 9th, 2007 by Glenn Sacks, MA for Fathers & Families
Maybe this is what to get your wife for her birthday. They're $300 a pair but, given how many other shoe purchases they could eliminate, they're probably worth it.
Bizarre Fashion: Adjustable High-Heel Shoes
Cleveland Leader, 5/22/07
For women, choosing what shoes to wear with an outfit is more than just picking the right color and style, it's also about choosing the right height. Should you wear flats, kitten heels, or taller ones? To solve the dilemma, women have for years been buying up a variety of shoes in bulk, but a new shoe may help ease some of the financial cost involved in having the right shoe for every occasion.
Introducing the world's first adjustable high-heeled shoes. The CAMiLEON Heels can quickly change from a 3-inch heel to a 1-inch heel, using a concealed flip down stainless steel heel. The high heel can clip in discreetly and unnoticeably under the shoe.
The line of CAMiLEON Heels shows currently features 23 designer styles, and is being sold in the United States at about $300 per pair. If you prefer to do your shoe shopping online, you're in luck - you can pick up a pair (or two) from the popular online retailer Zappos.com.
The idea was conceived and developed by Dr. David Handel and his sister Lauren Handel. The shoes are handmade in Italy using the finest, most luxurious Italian leathers.
"For the first time, it offers women the possibility to combine fashion, comfort and convenience - all in one shoe," said Lauren Handel, "The response to our shoes has been thrilling for us and as we hear and read customer testimonials there is a deep sense of gratification for all of the efforts that went in to making our vision a reality."
"We would want for women all over the world who want or need to wear high heels to have all the benefits available to them that an adjustable-height high heel offers," she added.
Instead of wearing shoes more suitable to sports on the way to work, women can get the adjustable heel shoe to walk comfortably to work with the shorter heel, and then flip out the tall one on arrival.
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June 9th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
OK, this is just silly. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it really isn't. Like most women, as I walk on my heals they get worn down, chipped away, scuffed, etc. If it is kept at the 1" height for any length of time (say more than 10 minutes on pavement), imagine what the middle of the heal will look like when put back to the 3" height. And there goes $300 right down the drain. Granted, between the boots, sandals, flats, pumps, heals, and tennies, I probably have over 50 pairs of shoes, but this one "style" is not going to solve anything.
Thanks for the comic relief, Glenn. I needed it today.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Also, while pointy-toed shoes are popular (ow ow ow ow ow), they typically come in the form of high heels, not low heels. I'm trying to think if I've ever seen a low-heeled pointy-toed shoe, but I can't think of one.
A better solution: Zappos.com . (No, I don't work for them. I promise.) http://www.zappos.com . Free shipping, free returns, searchable by style/color/size/heel height (for women). Has shoes for both women and men. You can order, say, 10 types of blue shoes each in three different sizes and keep only the one pair that works - no more buying shoes that "kinda" work and filling up your closet with shoes you never wear as a result. Right now I think they have free overnight shipping. Guys, if you hate going to shoe stores - voila, you are freed! (I'm a woman who hates going to shoe stores, but I'm admittedly atypical.) There are other shoe Websites, but Zappos is the one I've used the most and I've been VERY happy with the site. (Shoebuy.com is another good one; Amazon.com doesn't offer free shipping on its main site but has some inexpensive yet attractive shoes.)
June 13th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Marion, the shoes on that site are still out of my price range. Doesn't matter - I'm not much into shoes anyway. Ebay is still the best deal going for clothing and items many of us would not otherwise be able to afford.