Posh Kicks Off Fragrance Launch on Her Tippy Toes

In a scene reminiscent of the Beatles arriving in America, the Beckhams caused a frenzy at the launch of their signature fragrances at Macy’s. Hundreds of fans waiting for a glimpse of the celebrity-branded British duo brought NY streets to a standstill.  And they weren’t disappointed. Becks dressed to impress, but Victoria stole the limelight with her usual over-the-top “I AM fashion” statement. Victoria pouted and posed in head-to-toe Antonio Berardi, the gent who designed the couple’s purple wedding party outfits in 1999.

Dressing to complement her angular new ‘do, the former Spice Girl edged up her chic gray mini dress in thigh-high PVC-chic boots with gravity defying 5-and-a-half inch platforms - with no heels. Heel-less shoes are an “11″ on the fashion style meter and so fashion forward they confound the laws of physics!

Berardi said he was inspired by Latin American music and 1980s post-modernism, adding: “When you walk, it is almost on tiptoe. You look really dainty.”  Berardi went on to say the radical design will not cause the wearer any pain, “They are perfectly balanced.  When the girls come for fittings, they look a bit daunted, but by the end they say it’s just like wearing a regular shoe. They are graceful and there is a ballerina nature about them. Having a heel is really just psychological.” Riiight. We’re all for breaking the passé rules of fashion - go ahead, wear white shoes after Labor Day - but we’re kind of partial to the “form follows function” principle, which translates to heels being a must for mobility.

Victoria spent the appearance clutching hunky hubby David, who looked every inch the gent in his pinstripe suit. And no wonder, she probably needed him to prop her up. A spokesman for the Paris-based fashion house said: “The shoe has a bigger platform sole which stretches back further than normal and gives support under the arch of the foot. When walking though, you have to put your toe rather than your heel down first and you cannot wear them for very long. They are not dangerous because you would have to lean quite far back before you fell over.”

Recession, what recession?  Totally impractical and not even particularly pretty, the wearer gets to totter around with all her weight balanced on a thickened platform sole for the bargain price of $5,889.  So far, 60 die-hard slaves to fashion have plunked down their exclusive black credit cards for the pricey fetishistic boots.

Blame Marc Jacobs for the burgeoning “look ma, no heels!” trend. It started with his spring/summer ‘08 surreal heels, where the heels were backwards.  Then Berardi and Stella McCartney one-upped him, showing heel-less shoes and boots in their collections. Stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman invested in a black pair of Berardi’s heel-less shoe shortly after they were unveiled in his spring/summer collection in Paris last year. After the kvetching over towering heel heights to no heels at all . . . dear lord, we fear what the mad hatters of fashion will come up with next.  Strips of leather tied to your feet with string?

No Olympic gold medal in balance beam? No worries. These Georgina Goodman ‘Marci’ platform boots give your outfit the perfect style pitch, without the threat of pitching over.  Those we wouldn’t blame you for a feigned wobble or two to get a good-looking hunk to lend you his arm.

Lucy Liu and Nicky Hilton Celebrate in Beverly Hills

“If God had wanted us to wear flat shoes, he wouldn’t have invented Manolo Blahnik”

Sarah Jessica Parker and her TV alter Carrie Bradshaw helped put famed footwear designer Manolo Blahnik on the style map.  Now the latitude and longitude for sophisticated shoes point to the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way.  For his lifetime body of work which spans more than 30 years, Manolo was honored with the Walk of Style Award on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California.

“It’s a great honor for me to have a place in Hollywood - for people here to see what I do,” Blahnik says. “I’ve supplied shoes for millions of movies, but I have designed specifically for only two or three.”

Blahnik collaborated on Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, creating a confectionary scene of delectable shoe eye candy.

But more memorable, of course, is the one-of-a-kind “Something Blue” heels - those famous blue satin pumps with the glitzy pilgrim buckles - that the shoe king designed for the cinematic stroll through the designer-label closet that is the Sex and the City movie. Says event co-chair Peri Ellen Berne:

“Manolo was a natural, really. His designs have been all over the place - on celebrities and the people who covet them. He has an amazing balance between sexy and elegance that make his shoes very distinctive.”

His award predecessors are an impressive group of fashion maestros, including: Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Donatella and Gianni Versace, and Salvatore Ferragamo.

In addition to Dirty Sexy Money star Lucy Liu, who presented Blahnik with his award, 400 guests were on hand to view an exhibition of his classic shoes from Marie Antoinette, the Brit TV show “Absolutely Fabulous,” “Sex and the City,” and sketches of his shoes, including collaborations with designers like John Galliano.

With all the fabulously Manolo-heeled fashionistas in attendance, guests could also see his designs just by glancing down while nibbling on hors d’oeuvres. Bright heels might be the current trend but basic black was the day’s color of choice.

Liu’s Manolos were elegant with a touch of avant-garde - embellished with jewel detail on the side. “Dignity” pop star Hilary Duff rocked a slingback bootie, accessorized with a bright red pedicure that gave her somewhat conservative outfit a vamp-y vibe, while heiress Nicky Hilton was long and leggy in a studded Rocca ankle cuff sandal, very reminiscent of Madonna’s glam rock boots in Desperately Seeking Susan.

Manolo’s Walk of Style Award merely affirms what millions of devotees already know:  he is a high heel god for the sexy and sophisticated glamour gal.

We likey these Anne Klein “Ccianna” heels.  Very ab fab to wear to a SACTM viewing party - but only if there are cosmos, naturally.