Fashion 101: How to Wear Platform Shoes Like a Star
Platform heels are everywhere - on the runway, in magazines and on the red carpet - but can a real woman wear them?
Absolutely, as long as they're worn with the right look , says Lori Bergamotto contributing style editor of Lucky magazine.
Bergamotto visited " Good Morning America" today to give us the lowdown on how to pull off the high-fashion platform look.
First, Bergamotto revealed three foolproof tips for wearing platform shoes.
1. Try a hidden platform heel to elongate your body without all of the distractions.
2. An ankle strap low and close to the ankle works like a belt, cinching you in at your most narrow part.
3. Pairing the heel with a covered-up outfit gives you balance that reads effortless chic.
On "GMA," Bergamotto featured three models with three different platform shoes, starting with the wrong way to wear a platform heel and working her way to the right way.
Tragic Look: With such a bold silhouette as the red and zebra sky-high platform pump, you should try to avoid loud colors and prints that only draw the eye down to your foot. The ankle strap will be big in Spring 2013 but, in this case, the red ankle strap hits too high on the lower shin. The main benefit of a platform shoe is to create an elongating effect, but between the ankle strap, the disruptive silver buckle, and the loud red color, this shoe makes the whole look end with a giant thud.
Middle Look: This black and metallic pointy-toe pump is good, but it's still not quite right for an everyday purchase. For starters, the placement of the metallic gold is a dead giveaway that this is a platform shoe. Also, this pump is very similar to what's seen on the red carpet, so the model's cotton shirt dress is too casual and makes the whole outfit disjointed.
Trendy Look: This Gyal Platform Pump from Aldo ($74.90 at Aldoshoes.com)is a hidden platform, so even though it has virtually the same height as the other shoes, it's covered by the outsole of the shoe and elongates the body. The ankle strap is also lower and closer to the ankle, cinching in the leg. The shoe's coloring blends with the model's skin tone, creating a lengthening effect and a glow. Finally, the long sleeves and longer hemline of the model's dress ($56 at Topshop.com) allow the platform shoes to punctuate the look in a subtly sexy way that reads chic.