“I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot,” said Marilyn Monroe
I couldn’t agree more with this rather remarkable woman. My small frame was the bane of my life in my growing years. How often have I pouted and frowned at the Lord Almighty for not having given me a few extra inches in height?
Well, being of a ”pleasant” disposition,I decided to set matters right all by myself. After casting covetous glances at my mother’s pointy-toed pumps with their glittering stilettos, I began my long and arduous relationship with ”high heels”.There was no looking back, once I savored the confidence and swagger they brought into my life. It was me and my ‘pahaads ‘( mountains)as my girlfriends lovingly called my assorted array of high-heeled shoes.No man or beast could stop me from stepping out without them. Be it the pedestrian-looking platform heels, wedge heels, or kitten heels I tried them all. Then, there were the smart and fashionable court shoes or the slip-on pumps. Also the oh-so-classy pencil heels.
It was much later in the swanky college days, that I feasted my wonder-struck eyes on the huge, mind-boggling array of shoes in the glitzy shops of Sector 17, Chandigarh. That’s when I discovered that there is something called a spool heel.
It’s a decorative type of heel that originated in Europe during the Baroque and Rococo periods. It has an hourglass shape that resembles the spool of an old spinning machine, giving it its name. The other types I acquired were the cone, Cuban, French, flare , block, comma, and square . Not to be left behind were peep toes, mules, corset heels , ankle straps. Espadrilles, sling back, or cork heels.
“Strong women wear their pain like stilettos. No matter how much it hurts, all you see is the beauty of it.” – Harriet Morgan
The tick tick sound on wooden floors was embarrassing for it announced my arrival long before I was sighted! The risky walk through polished floors and gleaming corridors was an art. Garden parties were a nightmare as an army wife for the heels dug their spikes into the damp earth, till I learned which heels were safe to wear. Those days I ruined many chiffon sarees under pointy heels as I struggled to climb modified army vehicles in remote corners of India!
Carine Roitfeld advised” Always wear high heels. Yes, they give you power. You move differently, sit differently, and even speak differently.” The allure of high heels persists.
The obscenely expensive brands I probably will never afford but I read about them in equally glossy magazines and sigh in disbelief. Yes, you know I mean Miu Miu, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Walter Steiger, Alexander McQueen, and many more. The decorative and crazy-looking fantasy heels still lure me, more as pieces of art and wonderment than as something I might ever dream of donning.
The words of a popular Punjabi song ring in my ears
“…Dil fhisalda jave tera haaye ni kasoor ae sara
Ucchi addi heela da ucchi addi heela da.”
I slipped and tottered, I slouched and skidded yet I sashayed and preened. Ah, the joy that brought me is now almost over as I rub my aching calves and pity my tiny feet. Alas, all good things have a time and place. Let’s just say there’s no pleasure without pain . High heels I owe you gratitude for propping me up in life, both literally and metaphorically. I agree with Lola Stark “Keep your head, heels, and standards high “
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