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Fashionistas Debate — Heels or Flats for Fashion Week?

By Della Hasselle | September 10, 2011 5:03pm

LINCOLN CENTER — Some fashionistas were on the fence about what footwear to wear during the New York Fashion Week season, and were juggling the age-old question — comfort or glamor?

Hot heels were all the rage for some strutting spectators, hands down. Wedges and stilettos were very popular, and it seemed that the higher the heel the better. Some even mixed the heel styles, going for a bootie — a half-heel, half-boot medley that often has an open back and strikingly high stiletto to teeter upon.

Other fashionistas, however, went for comfort. The no–fuss flat is like heaven for some spectators, who claim that the on-the-go lifestyle at Fashion Week is just too hectic for the high maintenance of heels.

"I love high heels, but flats [are] the best when you have to walk a lot," Veronica Viellerobe, a 50-year-old Parisian who works for Lacoste.

"Flats can be very fashionable," she also pointed out. "Flats [are] a big thing in Paris."

Other fashionistas swore by the heel, however, claiming that nothing like it can match the sense of style it gives to an everyday outfit.

"Heels give a woman a sense of femininity," fashion designer Charu Vyas said in front of the tents.

"There's something in her walk that changes.  It feels like she's a bit less in control, so it kind of gives it this air of damsel in distress."

Some women said that even when they do wear heels, they always have a pair of more comfortable shoes for emergencies.

"My tip is to always have flats in your bag for backup," Lacoste employee Cara Pirozzi said, sporting animal print heels from J.Crew.

"You never know if you're going to get stuck in torrential downpour, have to run somewhere, or go down those subway stairs. I mean, it just can't happen in these heels."

Get all your fashion news from the Fashion 2011 page.