The girls looked like rabbits trapped in the headlights; their faces taut and unsmiling, their eyes wide with fear and apprehension. Were they about to undertake a parachute jump? Abseil down a 1,000ft mountain?
None of the above. They were trying to negotiate the catwalk at Prada during this week’s Milan fashion shows in shoes that were virtually impossible to walk in.
At least two models tripped and fell on to the concrete floor; others wobbled and stumbled, clearly in agony, and all the while their minds were fixated on just one thing: reaching the sanctuary and safety of the backstage area without suffering a similar fate.
The platforms had heels that were at least five inches high, balanced platform soles that were almost as tall, and were often kept on the feet with the flimsiest of straps.
The designer, Miuccia Prada, meanwhile, greeted well-wishers and foreign press after the show wearing a comfortable pair of flat shoes that were as practical as the simple green sweater and white shirt she wore.
Athletes would not be sent out on the track with running shoes that were not perfectly suitable for the task. So why expect professional models – some of whom are barely out of their teens and with little experience of walking on a catwalk – to perform in shoes that would make the average girl in the street run a mile?
Throughout the day, the “Prada takes a tumble” factor – was the talk of the front rows.
Several fashion experts admitted they had found it difficult to concentrate on the clothes because of a grim fascination with the faltering footsteps in the gravity-defying shoes.
Back on the street and in everyday life, of course, we look for more practical style. Shoes that look sexy but don’t kill our feet and twist our ankles. These shoes are available for us – just don’t look on the catwalks for them.
Try this site for ideas: Most Comfortable Shoes
