I Love To Wear Pumps!

In the shoe style game, is a man allowed in these ranks to make his own directional footwear statement by wearing high heels?

I love to wear pumps. I like the extra height it gives. I like how the deep arches change the way you walk, steps become more confident, powerful. I even like the crushing squeeze that it causes on the ball of the feet.

If you knew me back in the early nineties, I’d always twist things up with the occasional debut of a killer high heel that a man could wear. Back then it was a metal heeled eggplant Shelly’s of London or a rust colored patent Red of Dead Red kettle heel Chelsea boot that I burned up the dance floor in from Heaven to Limelight. There was a questionable pair of Mary Janes I had platformed on Second Ave, but that one we can forget.

These days, I’m partial to Rick Owens 4’in suede boots that I’ve been rocking for a couple years, they’re made for men, but the message sits in the gender bending category. My pen thin heel Ann Demeulemeesters gets only the occasional wear because in spite of it’s fierce line, the punishment it doles out is not dissimilar to kind seen depicted in Eric Stanton’s S&M illustrations. In heavy rotation right now is a pair of Rick’s thigh high space wedge that provides the same towering benefits as a stiletto.

I can casually discuss wearing high heels because I feel just that way about them. I like the idea of a man remixing a traditionally female item and making it his own, giving it new purpose. I would equate it to the feeling a woman gets when she dons a tailored pantsuit—she immediately harnesses the strength of the opposite sex. For me, wearing heels isn’t about dressing like a woman (strangely enough I’ve never done that); it’s about incorporating the unexpected item into a man’s wardrobe. It feels modern and new, which I always strive for in all my dressing choices.

And what a time for shoes–surely you’re seeing the radical creations that’s not only shown on the runways but that have converted women in every fashion capital to take to the streets. Alaia, Nina Ricci, Alexander Mcqueen, every designer has got a sky-high program going on. My Ricks have been getting a workout but on my trip to Paris last week, I wanted to push things further by bringing home a pair open-toe pumps from red hot Milan-based designer Alain Quilci. My host Lynda Real and Marc Gysin assumed the shoes was for a client but when I corrected them and said it was for me cried of ‘noooos’ ensued. Lynda thought it was ridiculous that I’d push around town in 6’in rocker stilettos. Then continued to pepper the wound with the offensive, ‘at your age’ adage. I thought the whole conversation was so interesting in that it highlighted how rigidly socialized gender garb is and how hard it can be to see beyond some of the tired uniforms (especially for men). I’ve always thrived on breaking gender rules–who made those rules up in the first place? Who said black and blue don’t match? White after Labor Day is a no no? Or that a man cannot get his thrills or makes his fashion statement in a pair of high heels?