by JASMINE GARNSWORTHY
Do you sometimes wonder if fashion designers are laughing at us? We have proof.
Hold onto your Havianas, because here’s a new type of footwear that will give you nightmares – or at least a good laugh. Behold: the front heel shoe. No, REALLY, they’re a real thing dreamed up by someone who…..well, WTF.
Take a look:
Front heel shoes.
No wait, it gets better (worse). Take a look at this model try to walk in them:
The front heel, or ‘ Crazy Beautiful‘ as it is formally known, is a collaboration between artist Leanie van der Vyver and Dutch designer René van den Berg. This is what the designers had to say about it:
Humans are playing God by physically and metaphorically perfecting themselves. Beauty is currently at an all time climax, allowing this project to explore what lies beyond perfection.
Scary Beautiful challenges current beauty ideals by inflicting an unexpected new beauty standard.
Yeah OK, whatever. For normal people who like to, you know, WALK in their shoes, here are some awesome options from Mamamia Shopping that tick that box.
Colour-blocking, round-toe ballet flats available at Mamamia.com.au/shop
What’s the most ridiculous fashion trend you just don’t understand?
Comments
32 Comments so far
In the video, I found the way she walks looks like that of a zombie… Anyone else?
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That looked like an intense work out! XxDani
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This is art, they aren’t supposed to be functional. It always stuns me when people fail to see that the extremes of fashion aren’t actually intended to be mass produced and forced on the masses.
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An artistic statement on the ridiculousness of extreme heels and the women who wear them. I went to a wedding not long ago where half the female members of my extended family (the younger half, I might add), brought two pairs of shoes along. The sky-high, unwalkable heels to ‘make their entrance’ in, and another more practical pair to actually wear and walk around in. WTF? To further paraphrase Caitlin Moran: ‘are the fellas doing this kind of thing?’ Kind of says it all, doesn’t it?
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Theyre just pointe ballet shoes with heels.
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It’s a wonder she didn’t break her legs in those things & be permanently crippled! Too bizarre!
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If the new ‘on trend’ look extends to walking like those Star Wars Emperial Walking Robots, then these things will take over.
Seriously, do you even have to say ‘stop it’ to these, as if they will seriously take off. I mean, come now. And anyway, all the power is with the consumer. If you dont like something, dont buy it. Easiest way to make a statement about stupid fashion.
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What a beautiful piece of performance art.
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The video! What is that? Lol. It’s seriously hilarious.
I know I shouldn’t be laughing because the fact is that girls and women are subjected to ridiculous standard of beauty and it’s just getting worse and more extreme. Vagazzling anyone?
I can see the makers have thought long and hard about how can they make something that is just sooo crazy that it will elicit a response from the jaded masses. Like how ridiculous does something have to be before women go enough is enough and we all collectively say so?? The fact that 9 inch heels even exist just shows how gullible women are if they are told by the fashion elite that something is desirable.
I cant help but think – is part of the performance art the girl wearing as little as possible as well? Her crutch is like barely covered.
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Hello,
Just a suggestion (though you can tell me to back off as it is from someone who is a bit lazy), when you do slideshows with items from Mamamia shopping, could you either link it to the page on the shopping site or put the price and/or brand in the caption. I am more likely to impulsively make purchases, if I don’t have to go searching for the price.
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That walk! She looked like she was busting for a crap!
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Watching my 17yo niece totter around on the most ridiculously high and hideous shoes is bad enough! What makes these young girls think they look nice?????
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Stop the world, I want to get off!
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Jasmine, I think you’ve missed the point. This is an art piece. The artists themselves are taking the piss out of the ridiculousness of ‘beauty’.
Sometimes taking things literally means you miss the real lessons that are there to be learned.
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I’m pretty sure she knows this!
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Really? Nothing in the article suggested to me that she does. It reads as if Jasmine believes these shoes were designed for women to actually wear.
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Watching the model walk in it make me dizzy.
This has made me wanna take a good break from the very few modest heels that i reluctantly own.
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I definitely think more fashion designers are incorporating elements of art into their work, but in the case of Scary Beautiful, it is actually an artist commenting on that trend. It’s the extreme of form over function, I actually love that someone’s done this to make a comment on fashion.
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It’s a piece of art, it’s not like these are on sale at Payless. And so what if they were. If someone wants to wear crazy shoes, why should anyone but their podiatrist give a damn?
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Why do we tolerate this stupidity? What’s the difference between now and the times when the Chinese and Japanese women were obliged to bind their feet so that they wouldn’t grow more than 5 cm long? Do we do these stupid things for men or for ourselves or for other women?
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Do any of your shoes come in a size 11
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Fashion taking a concept to the extreme to the point that it becomes a performance about itself? In the real world any clothing or shoes that restrict, confine and limit movement are seriously wrong and I really can’t understand why anyone would inflict that on themselves just to fit into the acceptable, normal etc etc. I have problems with bras too, can’t stand them.
There’s sensible and there’s ludicrous and I think all stilettos belong in the latter. I’d prefer “boring and unflattering” shoes anyday if they enabled me to run somewhere safe and also walk normally without future feet and back problems. Yes cave people would probably think stilettos are crazy and bras too, a bit like how we viewed Chinese foot binding and the women who wear the neck rings? Plus they’d have much better uses for the wood and leather!
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At least you could clear a crowd with those things sticking out from your shins. Take them away and you have pointe shoes.
I would personally love it if you sold shoes with lower heels. Love some of your higher heels, but I’m very unlikely to wear them and I’m a bit tired of ballet flats.
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Stop it, they are ridiculous? Isn’t that exactly what the designers are saying? I’m not usually into art and interpretation and all that malarkey, but I think this is pretty clear cut.
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I ran a charity dance on the weekend as part of Frocktober raising funds for ovarian cancer research. The theme was frock and everyone was encouraged to frock up regardless of gender. Several of the guys did including wearing heels. The comments on Facebook told the real story as their feet were dying. Here is just one of the photos but you can check out the rest on my blog: http://blithemoments.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/rock-your-frock-result.html
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Flats are boring and unflattering. However, most of the heels in the shops (and I mean those sky high chunky platforms) are just as bad. It’s near impossible to find decent and interesting heels in Australia.
So is it because everyone wears flats and there is no market for it or everyone wears flats because there are no decent shoes?
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Maybe people have cottoned on to the fact that heels are crap for you and hurt, so they embrace the flats?
I don’t go near heels with dodgy ankles, and have never felt a need to seem taller, but I agree with you about ballet flats. I refuse to buy them. I don’t get shoes very often as a result though!
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Clearly these aren’t intended to go into production? I’ll admit the video is hilarious, but saying the experimental art work isn’t as good as your items for sale is a bit low.
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I love the fact that she was concerned about her her dress was sitting prior to walking in them…Good lord !
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This is an art installation though, isn’t it? I think a lot of super high shoes worn by women these days are just plain ridiculous and dangerous.
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I wonder if normal stilettos would look that ridiculous to cave people…? I’m certainly not a fan of these shoes but I think they do put a spot light on some of our weird fashion practices…
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They look like ballet pointe shoes gone mad! My knees hurt just watching that video.
I went to the races a few weeks ago and saw a girl wearing those heel-less shoes that were all the rage about a year ago (I think they were Marc Jacobs??). She looked ridiculous as it was pouring with rain and we were basically all crammed in a tent all day, standing up. Her feet would have been so sore by the end of the day. I would have loved to see her negotiate the slippery walkway to the portaloos after a few champagnes in her very unstable ‘designer’ shoes!
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