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"  I&amp;#039;ve always loved a cha-cha heel. The higher the better. The more festooned the merrier. So when, in 2007, Yves Saint Laurent launched the Tribute\u2014an ambitious, 5.5-inch stiletto with an ample platform that offered the comfort of a much lesser heel\u2014I bought in bulk. My first pair were a burnished tobacco, which took me to a willowy five foot nine. I subsequently purchased a variety of versions: PVC, scuba, patent, gold crackle, later branching out to Miu Miu&amp;#039;s corked pythons, leopard Louboutins, and T-strap Guccis. Over the next five years I rounded out my prettily refined ensembles with these decadently constructed statement shoes. When classic pumps started creeping back into the mix two seasons ago, I vowed to ignore their relevance. I was going to keep cha-cha-ing. This was my signature look ... and then it wasn&amp;#039;t. Sometime in the spring, all of my go-to shoes suddenly became outr\u00E9. Every cigarette pant and pencil skirt needed a pointy-toe pump. But it wasn&amp;#039;t just that platforms didn&amp;#039;t look right to me; they didn&amp;#039;t feel right either. With my one-year-old daughter, Tess, perched on one hip, teetering about in sky-high shoes wasn&amp;#039;t just uncomfortable, it was hazardous. I promptly fished through my reserves and unearthed a pair of Prada ring-lizard pumps from the early naughties. They proved to be just the right shape and feel\u2014complementing the tailored look, not trumping it. I needed a more sensible shoe that still felt chic. &amp;quot;After the past few years of heavy shoes, the ladylike pump is now fresh and appealing,&amp;quot; says designer Nicholas Kirkwood. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a palette cleanser,&amp;quot; adds Ana Maria Pimentel, fashion director for women&amp;#039;s accessories at Neiman Marcus. But while I may have moved into single-sole mania, not everyone is with me. A-list celebrities who love the platform&amp;#039;s leg-lengthening properties still trot it out for every red-carpet outing. Brands like Pierre Hardy, Jimmy Choo, and Brian Atwood continue to conjure it. And the runways were rife with them. Miuccia Prada topped off her head-to-toe go-go graphic prints with equally outrageous embellished platforms. Dolce &amp;amp;amp; Gabbana trussed up their baroque princesses with ornate Marie Antoinette versions. Remarkably, YSL&amp;#039;s Tribute remains a best seller. For my part, I&amp;#039;ve packed my platforms for eBay resale. In their stead I&amp;#039;m phasing in Manolo Blahnik&amp;#039;s classic BB pump with an ankle-strap and this Nicholas Kirkwood gold-tipped heel (at left). Their femme fatale appeal is just the thing to offset my Stella McCartney pantsuit, Calvin sheath dress, and fisherman sweater\u2014cropped leather pant combo. Ultimately, I&amp;#039;ll come off a little more polished and a little more ladylike, but a whole lot shorter. Pictured above: Nicholas Kirkwood shoe, $695, shopBAZAAR.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a1036/pumps-over-platform-shoes-1112/>