Public safety for feet: Shoes-ing style over warmth

The consistently freezing temperatures this winter have kept many Chicagoans inside.  But one friend of women has not been deterred by the cold and wet weather -- the high heel.

Despite the snow storm and ice Tuesday morning, high heels came striding out in numbers, trudging stylishly through the puddles and slippery surfaces of the city's streets.

But why?

"I'm still wearing heels and it was snowing like crazy this morning," said Jillian Radke, a self-described shoe lover. "I think you should still look cute even though the weather's bad."

Many women share this view.  The month of February has seen temperatures drop into single digits and even below zero, but women have not allowed the cold to alter their style.  And shoe stores like Akira on State Street are profiting because of it.

"We've sold more high-heeled boots than anything else in the store," said Alison Barritt, manager of Akira. Barritt said 75 percent of the store's sales this winter were from high-heeled boots.

But foot fashion comes with a price tag.

"We've seen a higher percentage of shoe-related incidents among women this winter," said Dr. Neal Frankel, a podiatrist at A Foot and Ankle Centre in the Loop.

Frankel said he has seen more twists, fractures and frost bite of the feet-all caused by wearing high heels.

"Last week we had a few patients with significant frostbite," Frankel said.  "It's because they were wearing nylons and the high heeled shoes themselves are really thin and their toes are cramped, so there's a lack of circulation that led to frostbite."

Frankel said it takes just five minutes for a woman in high-heeled shoes to get frostbite if she's standing outside in weather below zero. Add damp conditions to the mix and it could happen even faster.

But not even a frostbite or fracture warning can stop some women from going out in their heels. "Women still want a sexy, sassy boot because they have to wear it all the time," Barritt said.

It seems that the high heeled fashion that Catherine de' Medici unveiled when she wed the Duke of Orleans in 1533 not only transcends centuries, but also seasons.

 "Last night I went out in heels and kept slipping and tripping," Radke said. "But I'm not going to stop wearing my high heels -- they make you feel so confident."