Platforms defy function!

Platform shoes could be the eighth architectural wonder. They are remarkable examples of design but, like most of the seven fabled monuments of the ancient world, surely these extravagant pillars of footwear cannot last.

However exhilarating the shoe's concept, those wearers who equate height with power must finally acknowledge the obvious: Platform defies function. At the recent Paris fashion shows, towering soles topped out at 18cm, with designers such as Christian Lacroix and John Galliano showing all manner of sparkles, tassels and lacings up ... WOW!