Tortured for Fashion

New York's fashion week began yesterday and continues through the 16th. Naturally it couldn't simply be "fashion week" it has to be "Mercedes Benz Fashion Week." It will be interesting to see some of the new designs and what the top designers believe we should be wearing.

One thing you can count on is the women being in heels for the week. There is something magical and sexy about the way heels show off a woman's legs. But sexy and fashionable come with a price and for many women, that price is pain.

Certainly some women actually feel more comfortable in heels than they do in flats, but I bet its not many. Why do we insist on slipping our feet into shoes in which it is hard to walk, forget about running and that cause many of us nothing but pain? The look, there is just no way to get that sexy look in a pair of flats. It simply has to be heels.

Heels like the Dolce Vita Sali pictured here. The Sali has a 3/4 of an inch platform and 5 1/4 inch heels to push the average women to a height of about 6 feet. Spending a few hours or a long day perched on those heels isn't a lot of fun but they look great so pop a couple of Advils and get on with the show.

If you are going to be spending a lot of time in heels, you can even enroll in a fitness class for them. This class is naturally done in heels and helps you to improve your balance and to walk with confidence.

One woman who is making a living out of teaching women how to strut in heels is Nicole Damaris. The 29-year-old invented a workout class four years ago that is done entirely in heels, after growing tired of watching women bumble about in stilettos. “”The class focuses on balance, core strength and posture,” said Damaris, from the studios of her Chelsea-based company NDG Fit. “It allows for a woman to walk properly in her shoes.” The class enlists yoga, kickboxing, squatting and a minimum three-inch heel to develop the core strength of clients. With heels as the focus, at least three to four models attend classes each week, according to Damaris, and there is always a spike in attendance leading up to New York’s biannual Fashion Week. “Their whole thing is about being graceful while walking,” she said. For those clients, Damaris concentrates more on balance than the weight-loss benefits of the class.

You can read more about the challenges of heels and New York's fashion week here.