Wedge Heeled Trainers: Miracle or Disaster?

(CHISM in Camel, £70 at Aldo.)

Can't decide whether to wear something that you don't fall over in, or lengthen your legs with your heels? You can have both now, but is the end result really as great as it sounds?

None of us can deny the fact that these trainers with their "hidden" heel are becoming more and more popular. After starting off as something I thought was just a passing phase, the craze has spread until it is hard to find a shop which doesn't sell them!

Despite the way in which they are being sold, I have to say I honestly haven't seen too many people wearing them. Why is that? Has it got something to with their design? Their bulkiness? Have people seen them so much in shops that they would oversee them if they had their own pair? Or has the trend just not really set in properly yet?

In an attempt to try and analyse these new shoes as closely as possible, I have trudged through the high street and tried on a pair from almost every shop. In the end, after various deliberations, I decided to choose this pair as our prime example.

(Aerobic Wedge Heel Trainers, £70 at Topshop.)

The Pluses: 

The shoes have wonderful "hidden" heels that make you look taller without anyone noticing much - although to any fashionista this will be obvious.

They are a lovely twist on the traditional wedge heels, both comfortable and fashionable.

You can wear them with anything - literally, jeans, skirts, dresses... That is, until you get bored of them. 

Balance. In these shoes it is very hard to stumble and/or fall, and if you are wearing these in places like the Tube or Metro, we all know that doing this is not good, especially when you are half-running to catch the bus/train. Even as an experienced heel-wearer, we all have those moments when we can't help but lose our balance. With satisfaction, I can tell you that these wedges are very, very stable.

The trainer aspect of the shoes - these are heels you can actually run in, folks! They have a good rubber sole - although to call it "bouncy" would be an exaggeration. 

The Minuses:

There's next to nothing, apart from one glaring thing I could not get over:

See the strange shape of the back of the shoe, where the heel is? In my opinion that just looks like you have broken your ankle. However, you do have to take into consideration that no one will bend down onto the ground and look at your shoe from the side - probably, but from a perfectionist's point of view I couldn't let it go. 

They do look a bit clumpy, but if you're digging that look, then they are absolutely perfect.

Verdict:

Let the money-spending begin! Though it is partly a matter of taste, these shoes are definitely in. Get them before they go out again - or you might prefer to wait and see what Spring brings with it. Either way, we definitely liked them. And so did people like Rihanna, Beyonce, Alicia Keys and many others.