The Ankle Straps
Manolo says, one of the Manolo’s commenting internet friends has asked the Manolo the question.
A question asking for visual analysis. These shoes have the dainty ankle strap. On “What Not to Wear”, the style gurus are always saying ankle straps shorten the line of the leg. Do you agree? Can only the willowy six-footer teenage model pull off the ankle strap? What sayeth the wise one?
The Manolo sayeth, do not get the Manolo started on the frumpity What Not To Wear peoples.
All the Manolo will say, is that in this case they are wrong. Unless you have the excessively stout legs and the 18″ inseam, the line of the leg is not appreciably shortened by the ankle strap shoes.
Naturally, the readers of the Manolo are far wiser than any television hosts, and had already given the response. Here is the Manolo’s close internet friend the La BellaDonna answering the comment with great perspicacity.
La BellaDonna, she assures the Good Peasant Stock (who is undoubtedly a relative! How delightful!) that for the dancing the night away, not to mention the transversing the icy sidewalks of the city, the merits of the ankle strap far outweigh the possibility of the shortening of the leg. Yes, it is true; the fashion mavens, they often screech that the ankle-strap, it shortens the leg, but there are the many factors to consider: it may lengthen the life during the night of the dancing! Plus, there is the limit to how much the leg it can be shortened, after all. A foot? Two feet? Will it make the leg seem a yard shorter? Unlikely. There is also the matter of the length of the skirt, the colour of the shoe with the ankle strap, and the hose worn with same. Yes, La BellaDonna, she advocates wearing the hose (or even The Tights) in the winter, as opposed to flashing the bumps of the goose. The black ankle strap worn with the black tights, it will not shorten the leg. The gold ankle strap, peeking out in flashes under the flying long skirt, it will not shorten the leg. The leg-coloured ankle-strap, it will not shorten the leg. La BellaDonna, who is sadly short of leg and long of torso, yet fond of the ankle strap shoe herself, suggests that you try the ankle strap shoe on with the proposed garment, and observe the overall effect. (La BellaDonna also notes that the fashion mavens who dispense the ukases do not always dress in the manner worth emulating, and that one’s own judgment, ultimately, is the best.)
This it is so true.
And to illustrate the point, here is the gorgeous ankle strap shoe from the Giorgio Armani.
Shorten the leg? Ha! The Manolo laughs!
How could you possibly look anything other superbly elegant in this most beautiful ankle straped shoe?
January 8th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Plus, let us not forget that wearing opaque tights of the same color as the ankelstrap shoe always creates a seamless line. There is no shoe superior to the anklestrap!
January 8th, 2007 at 11:00 am
I tend to agree with Stacy London with regard to her assertions about ill-fitting clothing. A beautiful garment can look terrible if it fits poorly. That is a certainty.
But “NO ANKLE STRAPS, EVER” is quite clearly a gross overgeneralization. They are lovely, practical and appropriate for most ages and leg types.
Thanks to Manolo and La Bella Donna!
January 8th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Agreed. The heels of my feet are so narrow that I will walk right out of pumps without an ankle strap. At best, they clatter around on my feet like flip-flops, which is not elegant.
January 8th, 2007 at 11:20 am
LOVE those Armani pumps! Oooo-la-la!
January 8th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Also agree! If you have a beautiful slim ankle, one of the few things I actually have that’s slim, that leads to a nice curvy leg, an ankle strap can be quite graceful. Skirts cut to just below the knee and above the curve of the calf (you know the spot) look great with ankle straps.
January 8th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I have the legs of a piano. The current term of Cankle seems to hit the nail on the head.
But even I can wear an ankle strap, provided it is the higher hitting kind, such as on the shoes pictured above. Mary Jane also can do, with caution. The only style that is just to awful for words is that middle range. Riding below the ankle bone, hitting just below where the foot bends in the front is sudden death. I go from 30 something hipster to Brighton Beach Matron in seconds.
January 8th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
My mother had great legs, great shoes, and was married to a man (my dad, imagine that) who loved legs and great shoes. She told me at a young age that ankle straps were always dead sexy, that men loved them, and to always wear them. She was right! What Not to Wear are killjoys.
January 8th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
I was told by an eastern friend of mine that men love ankle straps for one big reason… they are analogous to the ankle chains worn by the harem beauties… a subconscious domination them, perhaps ;)
January 8th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
sorry, theme
January 8th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Many thanks to La Bella Donna for her wise remarks regarding hosiery. In the northern climates, the lack of hosiery as the temperatures drop below zero, and the commensurate blue tinge on the skin, make a subtle nude hosiery, or a properly coordinated tight a much more attractive option, I feel, particularly for those fair skinned persons who are more inclined to the bright white complexion and blue tinges. Again, many thanks LBD!
January 8th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
The ankle strap draws the focus of the eye to the ankle, making it look dainty and sexy with no discernable effect on the look of the leg’s length. My sexiest shoes are ankle strap shoes! I think they should’ve consulted with MB before ever uttering such words!
January 8th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Oh what a relief! I occasionally pause at “What not to wear” when I’m flipping through channels, and I almost always end up regretting it. Those two are too catty (which seems mean when they’re talking to/about normal people who are already a little tense about being in the spotlight) and while I admit I am no fashion expert, I often find myself saying (out loud, which is embarrassing when no one else is home) “Wait, is that right? That can’t be right.”
Plus, ankle straps are adorable and I know now they are also practical. Yay!
January 8th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Huzzah for the ankle strap shoes! I am short, and I have worn ankle strap shoes for years. I had never even considered that they might shorten the line of my legs. I’ve always thought they look beautiful and besides, they are easier for me to walk in, as the ankle strap has a bit of a stabilizing effect on the heels.
January 9th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Yeah, I have pretty long legs so I just assumed it was safe to say I was one who Stacey would approve of the ankle straps. Good thing too, because I have a beautiful pair of red pumps from Banana Republic a few years ago with straps.
January 9th, 2007 at 4:09 am
I agree that “No Ankle Straps Ever” is an overgeneralization. BUT let us remember that most people do not have the fashion expertise to figure out exceptions to a rule like this, especially the fashion victims on the show. I applaud Stacey and Clinton for being fashion crusaders for real life women. They make a huge difference in people’s lives by helping those on the show- and their viewers.
Back to the ankle straps, though: I own a pair of Gucci ankle straps and they are probably the only ones I have found that I thought were flattering to my legs. I have awesome legs, but I really feel that ankle straps are not the most flattering. They are absolutely correct 97% of the time, and are right to warn people against them.
P.S. Stacey London is no typical TV stylist - she worked at Vogue.
January 9th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
The rule of thumb is good for most women but I think the wording is off; ankle straps do not “shorten” the leg per se but rather, they interrupt or break the line which is why one can get away with it if wearing hose of the same colour. Ankle straps draw attention to the ankle and w/ thin ones, making the ankles look much thicker.
Ballet dancers en pointe from the 80s and beyond typically do NOT wear ribbons less than 3/4 inch thick (1/2 inch ribbons are reserved for younger girls and make those w/ an adult-sized ankle look excessively thick) and it is a common practise to “pancake” them so that the shine from the ribbon and the shoe become matte and blend in w/ their tights, effectively creating a seamless line. Even with jazz/broadway dancers, kickliners (i.e. rockettes), or ballroom dancers, they typically wear flesh-coloured shoes that match their skintone/tights/pants AND when there are straps (such as the t-strap), it’s quite low, not above the ankle bone as most non-dancing shoes are.
January 9th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Of course ankle straps, on the right pair of shoes, and worn with the right kind of outfit are great! Ankle WRAPS on the other hand are hideous. There’s nothing that cries fashion victim more than women who wear heels with laces that wrap all up their legs. The results looks like packed sausage or roman gladiator. I can only think of one other shoe more foul: The dripping-goo-bejeweled-thong-heel. shudder.
January 9th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
^ n, you described what many ballet dancers experience when they saw their first ballerina barbies. For the record, you’d be laughed out the studio if you wore ribbons up to your knees.
January 19th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
*Blush!* La BellaDonna, who has been very much under the weather, is suddenly feeling much better! Muchas besos to the Manolo and his readers!
Hola to the Dillene! La BellaDonna, she has the long narrow feets like the chisels, with the even narrower heel, and is very familiar with the pa-TWHAP! of walking out of the standard pump!
Hola to the Shoelegacy! La BellaDonna, she would be one of the peoples with the fluorescing pale skin; there is no colour of “nude” hose which matches her legs, so she is very happy to wear the black tights virtually at all times.
Hah! And just to prove that she too is as fallible as the next, La BellaDonna, she happily will tie the ribbons of her shoes around her ankles! (See Hola to the Dillene, above.) Because La BellaDonna’s feets are narrow, she walks out of pumps and flats, to the peril of life and limb. La BellaDonna therefore takes her shoes to the cobbler, and has him set three pairs of eyelets along the vamps of each shoe. She then threads the eyelets with clear elastic, gilded ribbons, or whatever best suits her outfit and desire at the time. Thus proving that none of us are without flaws, and it is good that in this world, there is the chocolate, the vanilla, and the tutti-frutti, as tastes differ. La BellaDonna, she does not think that this makes her the “fashion victim,” as she makes these alterations to her shoes when no one else does so. In fact, she makes these alterations so as to not become a victim of her fashion! La BellaDonna, she chooses her clothes and her shoes to suit her life, her activities, her needs and her physical limitations, rather than the vagaries of fashion or the opinions of others.
Hola to the Lilly Gibbs! La BellaDonna, she has watched both the British and American versions of the shows. While sometimes she thinks the British transformations they are less cookie-cutter in their outcome, she infinitely prefers the approach of the Stacy and the Clinton, whom she finds less offensive, and more entertaining generally (and often less unkind than the British, which will doubtless horrify the Elinoire). La BellaDonna believes that the Stacy and the Clinton do their best work when the clothes reflect the person actually being made over, rather than when the end result it is a safe and generic “middle ground” (which it too often has been).