Modern Living: The Elevated Look

Generations of American males surreptitiously added inches to their height by wearing Adler elevators—ordinary-looking shoes that contained hidden built-in platforms. Now, inspired by the fancy footwear of rock stars like the Temptations and the Rolling Stones, the Elevated Look has come out into the open. In increasing numbers, men are boldly tiptoeing around in lavishly patterned, attention-getting shoes that have three-quarter-inch platform soles and heels as much as five inches tall. They resemble the wedgies worn by the screaming queen of a King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, and to conservative eyes they seem grotesque, if not downright decadent.

Unlike the elevators, the new high-risers are not intended primarily for the short. "They ought to stay away from the extreme height," advises Bob Smith of Richards shoe store in Hollywood,

Calif., "because it's too obvious. It makes them look as though they're consciously trying to be taller." That has not deterred droves of style-conscious short men from buying high heels. But there is equal appeal, strangely enough, to those of average height and taller —even towering basketball players like 7-ft. 1-in. Wilt Chamberlain wear the shoes because they are both fashionable and seem to provide the buildup that comes from looking down at the world. "When I take off my heels," says Chicagoan Kenneth Jarrett, a near six-footer, "I feel like half a man."

High-rise shoes run the gamut of style, color and height. In Manhattan's

Arrowsmith shoetique both the prices (which range to $65) and the heels are high. Hip young customers spend $46 for navy blue lace-ups with silver piping and big silver stars on the sides, or $47 for strap shoes with 2-in. heels that look exactly like the Mary Janes worn by Shirley Temple and generations of other little girls. One elderly Arrowsmith customer plunked down $65 for knee-high fire-engine-red boots with floppy tops and 2-in. heels. He turned out to be a lion tamer.

In L.A., high heels have been around for about two years and even conservative businessmen are walking tall. So that more of them can be lured into the high styles, bold color combinations have given way to uplifted versions of such classics as wingtips and saddle oxfords—solid-colored in blues, grays, beige and burgundy.

The new high-heel wearer soon learns what most women already know: heels may look good, but they are not easy to wear—at least initially. Men must take shorter steps than most of them are used to and be careful not to stumble while climbing steps or catch their heels riding escalators. "It's a whole new trip," says Maurice Boucher of L.A.'s Vibrations Boot Parlor. "Men have never had to think about changing their style of walking or sitting or even driving a car." To ease the transition, many store owners recommend that their customers wear a 2-in. heel before stepping up to anything higher.