Sky-high heels are the official footwear of the recession

Recessions bring many things to the style world: banal Jeanne Beker exposés of high fashion’s cautious ventures into luxury, and such new memes as “recessionista” and “staycation.” But according to the Bata Shoe Museum’s senior curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack, recessions also bring a proliferation of sky-high footwear. A New York Times slide show showcases various gravity-defying soles on display at the Bata Shoe Museum, including Salvatore Ferragamo five-and-three-quarter-inch sandals from 1938 and OPEC crisis–era six-inch Louis Azzaro peep-toe slingbacks. As Semmelhack explains to the Times, “These little trifles can elevate one’s mood.” Perhaps this season’s brogue trend, therefore, is a sign of economic optimism.

• On the heels of a recession [New York Times]