Christy DeSmith [2]The towering, and fairly dangerous, espadrille platform shoe is being passed off as the season’s must-have accessory. This is partially because it so nicely complements another, presently gangbusters, fad—the skinny jean. Platforms function much like high heels, elongating the leg and making it appear slimmer than it actually is (thus buttressing a woman’s confidence as she wears those tight, tight pants). As an added benefit, the thick, solid heel of the platform works as a safety feature of sorts; it is far less likely to catch on the wearer’s pant leg, and so prevents the embarrassing and all-too-common phenomenon of the face plant.

When kicking around town a couple of weeks back, we encountered scads of platforms adorning the boutique and department-store displays. However, we saw fewer of the towering shoes in action on the streets. More common were sensible heels and myriad variants of sandals and ballet flats. While skimmers don’t do the elongating work of platforms, they show much-needed mercy to their peripatetic wearers. Ballet flats, in particular, don’t get much attention from fashion mags, but are a robust trend (now several seasons strong) unto them selves. Thankfully for our feet, they’re also widely available for purchase.

Read Christy DeSmith’s fashion blog [5].