High heels come with dust bags for a reason
Because dust is what my heels have been collecting. Part one of my 21 day human experiment of wearing only high heels
Every spring, I have this deluded vision of myself frolicking about in heels when the summer comes, only to find them dust-covered come fall. This summer, however, I woke up to the dust bunnies already mid-August, which meant there was still time for reparations.
I’ve bought heels significantly less over the last decade. In my youth, high heels were still a thing. I’m not saying people wore them, but runway shows featured them exclusively. So I’d buy them, not wear them, and still buy more. And these weren’t sensible heels. I used to have two versions of myself: this dream version, that I shopped for, and this reality version that was in charge of wearing them. But I wasn’t willing to spend money on the reality version.
Phoebe Philo being pregnant in 2012 (The furry flats were in spring 2013, the story tells it’s because she wanted to be cozy) changed it for all of us. I don’t adapt that quickly, so it took me until fall 2015, when Céline had these white sneakers, to realize you could also pay money for flat shoes. I don’t know if I’d have two pairs of Bottega Veneta boots without this game-changing revelation.
Despite my accepting I could wear flat shoes, I’m still eternally drawn to heels. When I think about my style as a whole, the heels are in there. Because they are part of my style, I’m not getting rid of them (I just plan use, that doesn’t happen). And because I don’t wear them, it creates a disconnect between my real style and the imaginary. I’m also really into wearing all of my clothes, which includes my shoes, so having some dust collectors is upsetting.
Welcome to day 0 of wearing exclusively high heels. I’ve packed away all my other shoes, so that I don’t accidentally wear them. Nothing will normalize heels like wearing them to take out the trash. I also really love the look of wearing heels with something very casual.
So let’s get into what shoes I’m working with for the next 21 days. I’d say this is a culmination of many years of trial and error. They are all my size, they fit me quite well, and none of them are that uncomfortable. I’ve rated these in the order of most worn to least worn.
Margiela tabi
Heel height: 7,5cm
Worn times: over 30, less than 100
Bought 2016 at Margiela staff sale
I’ve only ever had these tabis. The leather is soft and sock-like. I’ve heard that the patent leather ones fit very differently. Because of the round heel that isn’t that high, I can walk at almost normal speed in these. I’ve worn them to occasions where I need to stand, and I can sustain a little standing in them. They originally came with a stacked heel, which, aesthetically, I do not care for. Some tabis come with leather-covered heels, and I prefer that. I wrapped masking tape around the heels to cover the stack heel. I think pretty Margiela appropriate.
I’ve worn these a lot. I’ve worn them with the hooks open and with the hooks closed. Aesthetically, even with the split toe, or maybe because of it, I see these as kind of a base layer shoe. That they don’t say anything, they can be worn with everything. Kinda like a nude bodysuit. In this experiment, these are my taking out the trash heels, when I’m in a hurry heels, and when I want to give up heels. I don’t have to try to wear these, as I already wear them.
Ann Demeulemeester mules
Heel height 11cm
Bought 2013 from a friend who was packing away her flea market table
Worn times 10ish
These are my favourites. I’ve actually attended standing events in these. The leather is soft. They are a bit strange to say the least, but I love white heels. I’ve had other Demeulemeester heels as well, but ones were slightly small, so I sold them, and the other were perfect, but broke a zipper.
Bottega Veneta Bold Mule
Heel height: 11cm, minus platform 3cm = 8cm
Bought in 2023 at Vestiare Collective
Worn times, maybe 3
This model also comes as an ankle boot and an over-knee boot. And they come in white. I have some fetish for white shoes, so I wanted to challenge myself to not get the white. Someone might question whether I’d have worn this more if they were white. This was an extremely meditated purchase. I stalked these for very long until I managed to lowball them. They are very comfortable, but very hard and clunky at the same time. Very bad for uneven surfaces, like cobblestones. These are the only heels I have, that I have actual arch support in. The heel isn’t that high; it’s mostly because of the platform.
Bottega Veneta Lido Mule
Heel height: 11cm
Bought 2019 at Florence BV store
Worn times, maybe 2
These are a bit loose for me, and for a mule, that’s bad. They start to twist when I wear them. I got a pair of gel pads to help them stay on for this project, and they actually help. I got these when they first came out, thinking I have these fab rare shoes, but then they turned them into the most basic carryover and still sell them to this day. They also come in a really cute baby lilac colour, which wasn’t yet available when I got these. And I can’t justify getting those, too, when I don’t even wear these.
Balenciaga Knife ankle boot (mid heel version)
Heel height: 9cm
Bought 2023 at Vestiaire Collective
Worn times, maybe 3
These look obviously cooler with the higher heel, but I knew I wouldn’t wear those. And thank god, because even these are surprisingly uncomfortable with the mid-height heel. Had I tried these on, I might have taken a size bigger, for a looser-fitting toe. But it might not have made a difference, and it might have resulted in the ankle being too loose. I usually enjoy no platform, you get better contact with the grown, but somehow these are really wobbly. I belong to the church of leopard is a type of neutral, despite these being the only leopard thing I own. The heel caps are very small, so I’ve had to step carefully. If I step slanted a few times, the default landing is slanted after that.
Margiela f/w 2014 ankle boot
Heel height: 8,5cm
Worn times, maybe 4
Bought 2016 at Margiela staff sale
Despite these being almost identical to the tabis, these are very uncomfortable. I guess it is the type of leather; these are not soft at all. Because of that, perhaps my foot doesn’t settle as well. Or then it’s the staggering 1cm difference in heel height.
Ugh, I gotta say, writing out and even thinking how many times I’ve worn these felt crazy. Even though I know I don’t wear them, I still thought I’d worn them more. And the crazy thing is, there are only so many days in the summer when some of these can be worn, so the more shoes you have, the less time you will have to wear them. I’ll report back next week on how it’s going. Until then, at least vacuum those dust bunnies from your heels.