The Allure of Mules

The mule has long been associated with female
glamor and sex appeal, so it is no wonder that
the shoe is a popular choice to wear with the
soft, wispy fashions for spring.

A kind of backless slipper, the mule or slide
takes much of its appeal from the fact that it
leaves the foot half undressed. "Once a
heel was added to the slipper, the naked back
of a woman's foot was placed on a pedestal and
exposed as highly erotic," says Linda O'Keeffe,
author of "Shoes: A Celebration of Pumps, Sandals,
Slippers & More"
($11.95, Workman Publishing).

The design of these shoes not only allows a woman
to balance coquettishly on her toes, says O'Keeffe,
but also forces her to change her walk into a
sex-kittenish mince. She points to Marilyn Monroe
strutting about in mules in "The Seven Year Itch."
A delightful mule in teal with a silver buckle was
one of the highlights in Calvin Klein's new line of
CK shoes that debuts this spring. And the Candie's
slide, the icon of sexy, casual footwear of the
70s, will re-emerge this spring with a designer
collection created by Nicole Miller, Anna Sui,
Betsey Johnson and Vivienne Tam. Each shoe is
inspired by the original Candie's slide, first
introduced in 1978.

"Today's women are looking for a better selection of
casual shoes," explained Neil Cole, CEO of Candie's Inc.
"Teens want an alternative to their high-tops or
their lug-sole boots and women want shoes that
complement their wardrobes, which are considerably
more casual today than they were fifteen years
ago."

Beverly Hall Lawrence, Polishing the Shoe's Image
A NY author celebrates footwear through the ages.

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