June 5, 200818 yr The Gwyneth Effect: Why sales of super-high heels are soaring By LIZ THOMAS Last updated at 14:40 06 May 2008 Comments (1) Add to My Stories Gwyneth Paltrow's red carpet posturing in high heels has provided a boost for Britain's shoe shops. The star hit the headlines day after day as she tottered from one pair of sky high stilettos to the next - with the net result that sales of vertiginous heels have rocketed. Retailers are dubbing it the "Gwyneth Effect" and have revealed a surge in customer interest in heels as tall as seven inches. Scroll down for more... Doing a Gwyneth: These six-inch Alexander McQueen heels are selling like hot cakes Selfridges reported a 35 per cent increase in sales of super high heels in the past week and that these types of shoes were outselling flats by 5 to 1. Harvey Nichols said that its sales have soared by seven per cent and are expecting the trend to continue with shoppers happy to spend as much £1000 on one pair of teetering heels. "Not for the faint hearted, fetish heels offer the wearer an extreme attention grabbing look, these are definitely taxi shoes," explains Selfridges director of accessories Sebastian Manes. Selfridges and Harvey Nichols both have said they have sold out of the Alexander McQueen £335 shoe with a six-inch heel that the star wore to the London premiere of film Iron Man. Scroll down for more... Challenging: Can you imagine running for the bus in these? Read more... Sex and The City and 7in heels - the pathetic woman's must-haves Ah...that's better: Gwyneth finally puts on some flat shoes So what do those heels (and that very short skirt) tell us about Gwyneth's marriage? The "Gwyneth Effect" has also taken hold of the high street with stores such as Topshop, Berti, Nine West and Debenhams all reporting a jump in shoe sales. The popularity of this type of footwear has prompted Topshop to launch a new arm in September entitled Boutique Shoes, which will offer higher end products. During a recent whirlwind tour to promote her new movie Iron Man, Miss Paltrow visited four countries in four days. She appeared first in Paris wearing seven-inch platforms by little-know designer Pacini. The shoes were so high she had to be assisted down the stairs by her minder. She then flew to Berlin and was snapped in a pair of brogues by Burberry and later the same day she wore a mini-dress with classic black Christian Laboutins. Scroll down for more... Towering: The seven-inch platform boots which kickstarted Gwyneth's shoe parade The star appeared in sky high Giuseppe Zanotti platforms for a trip to Rome before flying to London. She was spotted first wearing five-inch high Givenchy peeptoe boots during the day, and then changed into a pair of five inch Alexander McQueen court shoes for the red carpet. While the fashion conscious may enjoy wearing such high heels because they make legs appear longer and slimmer, experts insist that heels of this size are not practical and should only be worn for a limited period. Dr Chris Steele, the resident doctor of ITV's This Morning, said: "The most likely result of wearing heels of this height is that people will fall over and most likely sprain or break their ankle. "Only stars have minders to help them walk down the stairs or along the red carpet. "Heels that are five, six or seven inches put a lot of pressure on the toes, which can lead to unsightly bunions or bone deformities. "In the longer term repeated use could lead to back and knee problems".
June 6, 200818 yr seh looks so amazingly pretty on those first pics!! and those McQueen shoes are sooo pretty!!
June 6, 200818 yr After she started promoting Iron man she is always strolling around looking absolutely fantastic!! And legs!! Now she's always showing off her legs!!!! :stunned:
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