Cheryl Shops

There is talk that, for spring, shoes are getting lower. On the table: everything from sturdy flats to kitten heels, ladylike pointed toes and sensibly streamlined shapes. This makes me depressed. True, there is a time and a place for flats, and I've been known to wear a dainty shoe when the occasion calls for it. However, with platforms being all the rage the last few seasons, I've become hopelessly addicted to them. I'm five foot seven in bare feet, and a good pair of platforms pushes me close to, if not above, a commanding six feet. Not to mention that all that extra height elongates the legs (key, considering the skinny jeans and other leg-focused silhouettes that have been in fashion the last few seasons) and shaves off pounds. So until platforms are hopelessly out of style and you can no longer find them in stores, I'm going to continue to buy them. In other words, you can pry my platform shoes out of my cold, dead hands. One style that's been on my radar for awhile is, believe it or not, Jessica Simpson's Dany sandals. They are, to be honest, slightly ridiculous. And yet the 5.8-inch heel beckons. That's right--these give you nearly 6 inches of added height. Thanks to the 3-inch platform, they are reportedly quite comfortable and walkable. (Okay, they're not like a pair of Birkenstocks or anything, but you get the point.) The Dany is thankfully back in stock on the Jessica Simpson website; in addition to the standard black and tan, it's now available in a crackled metallic silver and a superhot stamped snakeskin pattern, which I've pictured here. The best part about the Dany, however, is the price: a mere $98, which makes them an affordable treat. I plan on wearing mine all winter with tights--the platform will, at least, keep me high above the snowdrifts.