7 years ago by
Yesterday, I was in my walk-in closet trying to imagine its future.
I’ve never had a closet this big before, but even so, it’s already full.
So I closed my eyes, took a big breath, and sent up a prayer to the god of things and said namaste to my high heels – time for you to retire to the back room.
What else is in the back room?
My coats, fur boots, gala gowns.
And now, my high heels.
My closet is big but not giant, and I like that. It forces me to really think about how much I need, what I actually wear, what makes me happy, and what I get attached to even when I don’t really need it anymore.
My closet is my therapist, actually. And yesterday, I had a big moment of personal discovery.
I don’t need my high heels anymore.
Or rather, I don’t need to have (hold on, I’ll be right back, I have to count) twenty-five pairs of heels staring at me with their pointy tips every morning. In my new life, I know when I’ll need to wear heels. It’s at very specific times, think about it. A party, a trip, an important meeting. A dinner with my fiancé, a nice restaurant with girlfriends. A photo shoot.
So I looked at the shoes that make me happy every day – my sandals, flats, and shoes with small, easy heels – open, chic, friendly shoes.
And they were all piled together with no breathing room while my high heels were very well organized on the upper shelves like a micro-army ready for combat, looking with an arrogant superiority at my other shoes.
While, actually… Poor heels. They’re more like an army in retreat, still stuck on their former splendor, but well aware it’s been months since they’ve been called to duty.
It was almost getting painful to have to look at them every day. Of course I love them, my Manolos in every color, my rhinestone Miu Mius, my timeless Gianvitos. But they also take me back a few years, to when I was…
Another version of myself, maybe.
I had thrown myself into heels passionately. I liked how tall they made me, I liked how they could transform any outfit, from boyfriend jeans to a gorgeous dress, into a statement. I liked feeling like an urban warrior, kneeling down in my stilettos to take a photo. I liked that they were my fashion week kit, like a fashion toolbox.
Most of all, I liked the femininity of them. After a few years of wearing strange heels of every bizarre shape (remember the Prada chandelier heels? That was definitely another time) that happened to be in style at the time, I had a moment of clarity (“The emperor has no clothes!!!” = “These heels are ridiculous!!!”) and decided to stick with classic, timeless styles that still make me happy when I wear them today.
Pumps with a well cut pair of jeans, and you’ve got everyone melting. That’s still my number one piece of advice when my friends call me in desperation: “What am I supposed to wear for this first date??” “Jeans and heels.” There’s nothing simpler or more feminine and nothing else can give you that look of soft confidence.
If you know how to walk in heels, of course, that’s the most important, crucial, vital part. What people see (particularly that person you’re hoping to charm (ok, knock out) on the first date) isn’t your shoes. It’s your self-assured gliding walk. It’s your long legs and your butt, miraculously rounded by the heels. High heels are a whole attitude.
I threw myself into high heels passionately, and they reflected who I was. A girl who wanted to become a woman. Who wanted to belong to a certain world. Who wanted, excuse the cheesy expression, to go onward and upward.
But fashion changed, us along with it, and I started to breathe. My heels still proudly lined up in my closet slowly started to gather dust. My spring closet cleaning saw me able to say goodbye to pairs of heels that had accompanied me in big moments in life, but that now looked like an old, yellowed photo album.
My first Zara heels that were consecrated when Carine Roitfeld said: “I love those shoes!!!”
My first Prada heels I was given right after the show, that got photographed like crazy by street style photographers. They were prototypes and horrible to walk in, but they carried that feeling of pride I had for being part of that world.
My Louboutins from the day I got my CFDA Award. So crazy high!
My everyday Chloé heels that made me feel invincible at so many fashion weeks (and god, how I needed that, I felt so vulnerable…)
My first Manolos, from when I finally understood my personal style. I still have those.
And yesterday, just like that, I decided my priorities had changed. I decided I was ready to let go of the person I used to be. That what I’d been seeking all these years, going through so many highs (haha) and lows – the idea of calming down, finding myself, living a life that fit who I was – I’d finally gotten there.
I didn’t need to pretend anymore, keeping them close by “just in case.” And admitting I no longer needed “armor” didn’t mean I had given up my ambitions or what I believe in or who I am – it just meant it was time to do things differently.
So my heels can go in the back room, waiting patiently for the occasions when I have the immense joy to get them out. Besides, when I buy a new pair, I have a tradition of leaving them on my desk to be admired for a few weeks.
That way, I can give my everyday friends a real life – my sandals, ballerina flats, slippers, sneakers, my real life shoes. I can let them breathe and give them their own space in my brain closet. I can honor them, and show them they are precious and loved.
Just like my other new everyday friends. My light blouses, evening jackets, and day dresses.
And when the time is right, all I have to do is slide open a door to find all my high heels, my precious allies. Our clothing says so much about us, and that’s why I will always love fashion.
We’re always the same, even when we become someone else, don’t you think?
Translated by Andrea Perdue
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On ne recommence pas sa vie, on là poursuit seulement :-) Bon j’en suis exactement au même point que toi par rapport aux talons. Question de mode, surement mais aussi de pragmatisme. Pourquoi se faire mal ? Je pense aussi (et ça c’est moins glamour) qu’en vieillissant le pied s’affaisse et qu’on supporte de moins en moins le pointu. Et puis moins de chose à prouver aussi, juste le besoin d’être soi. Ce matin, j’ai croisé au Troca, une fille en slim, haute perchée et je ne sais pas pourquoi, je me suis dit “la pauvre, qu’a t-elle a prouver, quel job l’oblige à se contraindre ainsi ?”, c’est fou, mais j’ai eu de la peine pour elle. Ok ok on est vachement plus “bombasse” avec des talons mais franchement a t-on vraiment envie d’être “bombasse” ?? Ma réponse aujourd’hui est NON.
I feel you! I recently banished my heels to the upper shelves of my closet. I love the freedom of movement and comfort of flats, and my sneakers have totally spoiled my feet. Heels will always have a place in my life just not as much as they use to.
I kow exactly what you mean! I’ve never had that many heel but it’s mostly because I often think practicly. I know that I won’t wear them that often since I can’t wear them at my current job and they’re just not that comfortable. For me high heels are shoes for special occassions but it’s enough to own a few of them.
Norina
I felt the same way a few weekends ago, while getting ready for a wedding. Most of the heels I have are classics, I don’t have the patience for the crazy shoes anymore. Sky high patent platform Gucci? No thanks. My 85mm Manolos fit every situation.
Bien dit comme d’habitude ! C’est marrant moi aussi je me faisais la réflexion que mon armoire ne me correspond pas trop en ce moment. Mais c’est tellement un “first world problem” que je ne sais pas quelle attitude adopter : tout changer ou en prendre mon parti ? J’ai aussi écouté’ le podcast de Leandra Medine où elle disait rencontrer le même problème…c’est dans l’air du temps et ça le fait du bien de lire et entendre que je ne suis pas isolée. Merci !
Yes, we’re always ourselves. Whoever that person even is?! :)
As for heels then I can only say that I’d love to wear them but my feet can’t stand them. It doesn’t matter how comfy they are, my toes can’t take the height any more.And I’ve never even worn really high heels, just the sensible kind.
It’s sad as you’re right: heels and jeans make you look wonderful. And some dresses just cry out for heels. I would wear heels every day…
But oh, well. It’s not worth dwelling on either. I try to find something with a little heal and go for that.
https://sofaundermapletree.wordpress.com
I can feel you so so much, because I´m never wearing any Heels. I can´t walk in Heels and my Feet are always hurting so much. There are so many nice Flats out there, so I don´t need to wear such uncomfortable shoes ;)
XoXo from Germany
Neele vom Fashionblog Justafewthings.de
J’aime mes talons aiguilles. Je les maîtrise. 10 cm minimum. Je ne les porte qu’au boulot. Ou à l’occasion. Je suis motarde, donc c’est évidemment impossible en déplacement :)
Récemment, j’ai eu envie de me re approprier mon corps. Le vrai. Celui à plat. Sans talon.
Parce que j’étais arrivée au stade ou mon regard sur moi meme n’était pas conciliant avec une silouhette à plat.
Je n’aimais plus mes cuisses sans talons. Ni mon allure. Je ne me sentais même plus féminine.
Et je savais que c’était parfaitement ridicule. Je fais du 36. Soyons sérieux une seconde.
Donc aujourd’hui je me force. Je cherche des tenues chics à plat. J’essaye de forcer mon estime de moi, mon indulgence face à mon corps normal qui n’a pas besoin d’un 10 centimètres pour etre vu et briller ….
I know this is ostensibly a post about shoes, but I cried when I got to the line about feeling vulnerable at the shows. For a woman in her mid-thirties, with a fair amount of professional and personal success, I often worry that I should be past the point of feeling vulnerable. Thank you for the reminder that it’s simply part of living a big, full, ambitious life. But thank you also for having the courage to push past it, build a life that fits you properly, and show us all how chic comfort can be. xoxo
I can completely relate…in another way. I love the way they look and feel but I’ve never felt at “home” in heels. Always felt like an imposter. I’m just too practical. I love fashion but not above being comfortable in my own outfit. http://twopurplebeans.blogspot.ca/2011/07/i-want-desperately-to-wear-heels.html?m=1
Best: perspective on the ever changing face of personal taste
Worst: use of the word Namaste in a sentence.
But I always love your posts and this is no exception. ;)
I love the last sentence, “We are always the same, even when we become someone else”. That is a great way to put into words those life transitions, those moments where life will never be the same but you know it’s time to embrace a new reality and take with you all those memories that make you who you are. It’s nice to acknowledge and be mindful of those moments, and here they are represented by heels, but ofcourse it is deeper than that. We all have our heels ? that we eventually put aside for awhile. Thanks for the lovely words Garance.
This is so well stated. You speak for so many of us. Heels have long been a kind of armor for women.
For me, two things changed to banish heels: my life in the south of France with a new baby was completely different from my professional life in NYC. Heels were ridiculous here; I soon needed run after an ever-faster child and I had no place to go to dress up. Christmas and New Year’s.
The other thing was my body. Bunions throbbed all night (I finally had surgery, which helped a lot, but I can’t stand on my tiptoes anymore and heels are OK only if, as on Christmas, I’m mostly sitting while wearing them). I couldn’t stand more than a couple of minutes with weight on my right foot. The pain in my feet also led to posture problems and back problems. Years of Ecole du Dos and Pilates have mostly remedied that, but I have no intention of messing things up again.
Of course, I wish I’d known then what I know now. Perhaps I would have rebelled earlier against a feminine fashion that is so anti-feminist–how can women accept something that is so bad for their bodies? We do it to please, to meet societal expectations, instead of changing the terms to something better for us.
Recently I had a major clear out in my shoe closet. Mainly highHells had to go.
I do not want to store clothing and shoes I do not wear any longer. I keep only what I love and wear.
Have a beautiful week. Love, Esther
https://lifestyle-tale.com
I don’t know why but this post made me so weepy. I can’t really express how it made me feel but the way you write touches me…how heels make us feel…empowering us…lifting us up but also enslaving us…I live in NYC and am from the South so the pressure is very intense. I get confused about my identity because some days, I’m like Claire in House of Cards and others I just want to be Mara Hoffman all bright, light and easy. I’m really proud of you for being honest with yourself and thank you for opening a door for me to be more honest with myself. We love you, Garance.
I am with you. Last winter I sold all my (few) heels.
I am 38 and I never used them, I live in the country, so… I let go that vision of myself.
SO LIBERATING.
Love this idea! Letting go of a version of yourself… so… self-caring! (Fully acknowledge how cheesy that sounds). Every time I try to empty my closet I get stuck. I cannot let go!
Je n’ai porte que des chaussures/bottes et bottines a talons plus ou moins hauts jusque dans les annees 80 lorsque je vivais a Paris.
Apres plusieurs decades en Amerique, mon style de chaussures a change selon les villes dans lesquelles j’ai vecu pour faire place au confort absolu maintenant que je vis dans le sud de la Floride. Quelle liberte ! :-)
“Apres plusieurs decennies…..” :-)))
Magnifiquement exprimé!vous avez gagné en qualité d’écriture,c’est de mieux en mieux cerné, défini et de plus en plus profond.Bravo et merci ?
Je trouve ton analyse tellement juste Garance ! Je pourrais écrire un commentaire aussi long que ton article, mais il conterait à peu de choses près la même histoire. C’est fascinant tout ce que le vêtement dit de nous.
c’est un peu dommage, les liens que tu mets pour montrer tes chaussures particulières nous amènent à une page avec trois millions d’articles et on ne sait pas lequel a les chaussures dont tu parles. Du coup on chercher un peu, mais on trouve pas donc on repart sur l’article pour finir la lecture, mais on retombe sur un lien, et comme on est curieuse, ben on essaie encore. Et rebelote. Au final, j’ai vu zéro chaussures qui ont marqué les moments, et je trouve ça trop dommage!!!!
It always feels a little rebellious to love fashion and not buy into heels. I’ve never wear heels, but I keep some for when I have to wear them as a bridesmaid, etc. I think they look beautiful on others, but they cause me so much pain! It brings me joy to walk and bike around easily. At 2 am, I comfortably stroll to my train without hobbling. I love that fashion provides comfortable and chic alternatives now!
With my 14 month old son, 90th percentile for size, I only wear sneakers really; it’s so hard to carry a heavy baby in any height of heel! But I do love seeing my heels in the closet. Not really practical to have them take that space though. Maybe I’ll move them up high…
I love the way you express what some of us are feeling. I like heels, the way the look but also not a big fan anymore. I mean, for special occasions or depending on the person, but I love my every day shoes. I also decided that if I buy shoes, one old pair has to go. I feel so liberated with not too many pairs of shoes and with a simple but beautiful closet with pieces that I love and wear. Bravo, Garance, you did it again!
High heels! I love them, and can walk in them, but because I’m tiny (5″), I feel uncomfortable without them, and for that reason, I hate them!
Why do I care that people are always towering over me?! *sighs* I am in the property & construction industry and somehow I’ve allowed my height (or lack of it) make me feel like a child if without the extra 3-4 inches! Ridiculous, no?! I mean there’s only maybe been 3 or 4 times in my entire career where I’m at meetings with my ever so comfortable flats, but it’s like I don’t feel credible without my heels.
Writing this comment I now feel silly. I know I shouldn’t care about such things, but hey, that and the heel thing – obviously something I need to deal with! Lol Loved your post Garance. Has almost made me feel “fuck it, I’ll wear my flats and nobody will think anything of it” then I wrote this post !! Haha xxx
I have about three pairs of proper heels in my closet, the rest are in storage because a) I just don’t wear them and b) my closet is tiny. But, like you, I did have a fetish sort of thing with them, being able to look at them as I walked into the closet – I’d fantasize about wearing them when in reality I wore them rarely. Back then they had meaning because my life was (is) so casual and I dreamt of reasons to walk around in them, reasons that rarely materialized…
I’m more realistic and quit buying things that I’d rarely wear. I live close to you and we both know how casual SM/Venice/MdR is, not that the East side is so much more dressy, it ain’t. I find that most of the girls wearing heels during the day in our neighborhood are tourists or blog chicks taking photos, it’s a big thing to take a photo on Winward and Pacific (or anywhere on Abbot Kinney – the new Robertson Blvd.) and throw it on your fashion blog.
Quel article pertinent !
Merci Garance ! Je suis votre blog depuis le tout début (c’est mon 1er commentaire), de vos aventures parisiennes aux californiennes, et à chacun de vos billets, vous gardez une lectrice impatiente et émue.
J’ai à peu de chose près votre âge (43) et je suis toujours touchée par votre justesse de ton et l’air du temps de vos articles qui correspondent souvent à mes idées/préoccupations.
Une fois de plus, je suis exactement sur la même longueur que vous sûr sujet des talons. Après 18 ans de vie parisienne en mode wonder woman/manager/monde masculin et un changement de vie radical en Provence depuis 5 ans, mes talons ponctuent des occasions spéciales mais non plus mon quotidien.
Merci Garance de continuer à nous parler beau, sensible et intelligent.
Très “dans l’air du temps” ton post, en tout cas dans l’air de MON temps… fracture de la malléole le 31 Janvier, depuis que je remarche, je ne peux porter que des chaussures plates (first time of my adult life) bref, la découverte du confort, et une autre façon de se mettre en valeur et de s’habiller, pas évidente au début car je suis ronde, (oui je t’assure on peut être ronde ET fashion) mais voilà, je comprends complètement ton point de vue!!! Merci pour ton blog que je suis religieusement, ta philosophie, et l’aura que tu dégages à travers tes lignes.
I’m swinging the other direction! Admittedly I’m in a city and office bound but wearing heels has been personally liberating. I’m forty, and for decades I didn’t allow myself the frivolity and joy of heels. I didn’t acknowledge how beautiful they can be. Nope – I was staunchly practical. I felt that heels (especially ridiculously high ones where you walk like a duck) were traitorous of women. Ok ridiculously high heels are effing ugly IMO, but a beautiful elegant heel? Elevates every time!
Giving myself permission to wear heels allows me or drive my own agenda – I can wear heels and still be a card carrying feminist! – and to indulge in the pleasures of glamour (not to mention what they do for your legs!).
Sure I have plenty of flats. I dart to work in my converse before swapping for something more ‘business formal’ appropriate. But heels wee never my instruments of oppression, and now, I find them liberating.
In the end, empowerment is freedom and freedom is being able to choose without being restricted by social expectation or our own internal judgment.
This post echoes deeply in my soul.
2 years ago I was diagnosed with a spine tumor and after surgery I couldn’t move my legs. Since then I have been fighting to get on my feet again. Today I am walking but I will never be able to wear heels again. It’s one of the parts of my previous life that was the hardest to let go, but at the same time the most empowering to get over. It’s hard to explain but putting comfort before what is considered as “feminity” in my everyday dressing has me feeling strangely more free than before. As if I was enslaving myself to a certain aesthetic in the past, instead of listening to the needs of my body.
I am still in the process of finding my new style but I have to admit this whole “heels free” experience is rich in learnings.
Je souscris à ce qui est dit, mais moi, je n’ai qu’UNE paire de talon-je suis très grande, enfin pour les standards français et de mon âge; je suis toujours la plus grande, je dépasse même mon mari, alors les talons me sont en quelque sorte interdits; mais quand je portes mes sandales à hauts talons, je me sens incroyablement bien… c’est à dire 2 fois par an peut-être! :)
I went through the same thing !
I wonder if it’s a generation thing or something you necessary go through as you get older…
Best,
Pauline
http://thevoyageur.net/
Parisiennes started to wear sandals and flats and I just switched to heels to look like Parisienne, LOL. Come on, ladies, the world need you in heels :-)
After I had my two sons my feet jumped from a 37 to a solid 38…saying goodbye to all the beautiful shoes I had in my 20’s was agonizing. But, now…I find buying heels difficult because they are all so uncomfortable! The last pair I bought was your Zara recommendation…black suede stilletos and they are the closest I can get to comfort.
So sad…because heels are so beautiful! I just wish they would go back to engineering them for real woman who might have to walk a block to catch a cab.
(PS: You are Sooooo right – the ability to “walk” in them separates the men-from-the-boys! Best walker I ever saw? Angelina Jolie – she was masterful!)
I love where you are right now Garance! I feel had you been just one of those fashion girls who is never wearing something more than once I would have stopped checking in on you. Or only doing so when I really wanted to make myself feel bad. Instead you continue to make me feel good! (Garance and I are so on the same page right now, we are all about timelessness, elegance and being able to move…) Thanks for sharing how you continue to change and grow – it is perfect x
Je me suis perchée pendant des années. J’aimais être grande (gagner quelques centimètre à mon mètre 65), avoir l’impression que j’affinais ma silhouette, que je galbais mes fesses en un instant. Je ne pouvais pas résister devant une paire de chaussures à talons. J’en ai une collection incroyable. Mais elles restent de plus en plus au placard. Elles ne s’abîment pas. Même les soirs de sorties, je les chaussent de moins en moins.
Peur d’être overdressed ?
J’ai encore du mal à sortir dans des endroits chics à plat. Mais j’ai troqué les talons de 10 pour des hauteurs plus raisonnables.
Mais force est de constater (à Paris), que même dans les soirées, 95% des nanas sont en baskets !
Je crois que la mode sera difficile à faire bouger pour se percher à nouveau, quand on a goûter au confort.
Depuis quelques semaines, je me sépare petit à petit de tous ces talons qui dorment. J’ai décidé de ne garder que 5-6 paires, que je continuerai de mettre pour les bonnes occasions, avec un jean pour twister une tenue. Mais inutile de garder sous les yeux des dizaines de paires qui ne sortent jamais et me font perdre du temps avant de choisir une tenue, en les essayant toutes pour finalement finir…. à plat parce que les talons c’est too much !
Je crois donc que nous sommes un dans énième phénomène de mode : la rationalisation de la penderie.
Mais je pense que cela va nous apporter tellement de confort, de temps d’esprit disponible, que cette mode deviendra un vrai mode de vie et sera, pour le coup, pérenne.
Pour finir, je pense aussi que cette acceptation de soi, va de paire avec un équilibre personnel (et dans son couple). Pour ma part, le passage à plat s’est installée après la rencontre de mon homme, qui m’aime telle que je suis – au naturelle aussi – et pas seulement dans des situations de séduction avec artifices.
Je ne dis pas que je ne fais plus d’efforts maintenant que je ne date plus. Je nous fait aussi plaisir en sortant sur des talons de temps en temps (parce que je me sent encore belle et féminine comme ça, et parce que je vois aussi que ça lui plait !), mais j’aime aussi pouvoir galoper de bars en bars sans que ma soirée devienne une séance de torture !
Soyons nous, au naturel, ou presque !
I’m so grateful for the openness and insight in your writing… This piece perfectly articulates a similar change I’m feeling in my life as I move back to NYC after an extended retreat.. Thank you!!
inestimable. Je suis ravi de lire tout votre contenu. Nous tenir au courant des dernières tendances. Merci d’avoir partagé
Love heels. Cannot live without them.
Wearing them makes any look much better. There is nothing like it ….
awesome blog perfect content with the right amount of humor
Sometimes, your feet and ankles make the decision for you! I speak as one who has had two Achilles’ tendon injuries, including surgery with a VERY long rehab. I’ve read many a fashion editor say the same thing:There comes a point when foot and ankle injuries force you to sideline your high heels and resort to the flats in your closet. Then, you have the realization that you really kind of LIKE the flats…they’re comfy, cute and…doesn’t Sophia Coppola wear only flats???
This is such a lovely post… Thanks :-)
It was so strange opening my email this morning to find your post as only this weekend, I had been through the same thing. I know how absolutely chic a great pair of heals makes me feel (especially with a pair of jeans) but I felt quite liberated and and strangely comfortable ….and excited with putting them in last shoe corner in my wardrobe. Instead I have also allowed my favourite takkies (sneakers in South Africa) to have precious room to breathe sitting along side my loafers, mocassins and dainty sandles along with a little space more that special pair of flats I’m still to find. They take pride of place in my wardrobe and they don’t have me running for the hills when I walk into my wardrobe. In actual fact, it’s a new creative process learning which flats to pair with what……WHAT FUN, I can’t wait.
Quelle justesse dans la description de ce que l’on ressent du haut de ses escarpins ! Mais pour ma part je hume l’air du temps et sonde mon humeur chaque jour pour déterminer si c’est un jour avec ou un jour sans! Mes chaussures doivent être non seulement en adéquation avec ma tenue mais aussi (et surtout !) en adéquation avec ma tête. Alors seulement, que ce soit à plat ou perchée sur 12 cm, je suis prête à fièrement affronter le monde!
Vive le flats!!! I realized a few months ago that heels were not for me, not anymore I guess. I’ve been living in Germany for six years and even though all this time I thought this was temporary and I would go back to my heels life in Madrid eventually it looks like I’m stuck here. And since I’m all for being comfortable, I have embraced the new sneakers all the time me. I’m just not the girl who lived in Madrid anymore. I’m the woman who lives in a tiny German town who walks to the office and prefers spending her money in travelling rather than clothes!
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
You are where you are because you did what you did—and you know it. No shame in being ambitious.
C’est ce qui s’appelle prendre de la hauteur ;-)
It’s absolutely ok to go through different stages and I’m glad you’re embracing it instead of fighting back like most of us do.
Coucou Garance
J’avais juste une petite question : est ce que tu continues à écrire tes articles en français ? Ou tu les rédiges d’abord en anglais ? Je me demande souvent comment tu interagis avec les langues dans ton quotidien! (Pourquoi pas un petit article ?;) s’il n’existe pas déjà … j’en ai loupé quelques uns).
Tant que j’y suis, au mois de mai on a fait le mare à monti avec ma soeur Eugénie et nous nous sommes donc arrêtees à Girolata…quel endroit magnifique ! Et quelle surprise d’apprendre à posteriori que tu as grandi la bas. Nous suivons tes aventures depuis un bout de temes maintenant .. quel chemin parcouru depuis ce petit village perdu jusque LÀ.
Pour finir, merci pour tes articles et la justesse avec laquelle tu nous parles, comme je le lisais sur d’autres commentaires, si intime et pourtant si universelle ! Ça touche toujours une petite corde sensible quelque part.
Je te souhaite une bonne soirée
Clarisse
j’aime les talons, mais j’aime aussi me sentir libre, de pouvoir courir après un bus, d’accélérer le pas si j’en ai envie, de me sentir à l’aise, de ne pas avoir mal au dos, ou ailleurs, alors les talons au quotidien, non.
très joli billet.
I can totally understand what you mean. I recently moved from Rome to Berlin and while packing and (worst) unpacking all my stuff, I realized how many unnecessarry things I have. Most of all, I did say good bye to my car so, most of the time I am more confortable on flats than on heels. But they are still all perfectly in line in my closet, even if I use them once in a while! Reading your post I understand that maybe it’s time to clean up and re-organize my stuff!
Well Garance,
you have finally become a woman…full grown. It is the comfort of being in our own skin that makes us the sexy creatures we are. I retired my heels long ago, BUT, like you, I still have a space for them when a pair or two need to come out…though that isn’t very often these days, even on a date. My flats, tennies, and 2 inchers are exactly who I am…who I have always been. Funny how we come full circle when we realize who we are and don’t care to pretend to be something we are not. My heels are for “playing dress-up”. But that is part of their charm. Who doesn’t like to “play” every once in a while?
After spending my 20s feeling self-righteous about not wearing heels (Cool Girl Inc) i inched into them in my 30s. It was a revelation to play with my identity. They were part of my evolution from girl to woman because of how they amplify the female form and emphasis sexuality. When you do that you have to take ownership of your sexuality and how you engage with the world.
In my 40s they represent glamour and fun. And I hope they always will.