Latest fashion fad – high heels for men!

Men have invaded women’s wardrobe a little further – as high heels for males is the newest couture craze.

Gender-bending stiletto styles and pointy, rock-star-esque heeled boots are apparently the favourites.

Also, there are "Status shoes," worn by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and French prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy, with visible heels of 1 1/4 inch and a hidden 1 ½-inch lift inside the shoe.

According to Times Online, men were seen wearing heels in the audience at the Fashion Week collections of Gareth Pugh and Rick Owens in Paris, Rodarte in New York and Pam Hogg in London.

British designer Gareth Pugh among others has been spotted sporting women’s heels.

Also, American designer Marc Jacobs admitted he has kept women's heels in his collection.

“If I put heels in a collection I always try them on and walk around the studios in them during the fittings, which take up to 36 hours. It raises a laugh with the team for about five minutes because they’ve seen me do it so many times," the New York Daily News quoted Jacobs, as saying.

He added: "But that’s not why I do it. I do it because I want to show that I’m not some misogynist designer designing these torturous shoes for women. The heels are there as a choice and if you want to wear them all the time, some of the time or never, it’s your choice.”

First Published: May 27, 2010 18:30 IST