Closet Anthropology: the clear heel

I'm watching a movie that stars Marilyn Monroe, and suddenly she's parading around in a pair of what look like vintage-style stripper heels. Of course, I do a double take. Monroe's image brings to mind style and class, but the same cannot be said today about this type of shoe.

Finding information regarding the exact history of stripper heels is hard [apparently the subject has yet to fascinate historians]. Nonetheless, it seems that what we now consider footwear fit primarily for ladies of the night emerged as a trend in erotic industries as recently as the mid 90s. Before that - say, in the day of Marilyn - it was perfectly possible to sport a pair of clear heels and look inconspicuous, even chic.

Judging from last year's Milan runways, as well as celebrity footwear trends, the clear heel is working it's way back towards a better reputation. Beyonce is pictured below as she shops in Milan last week, wearing a formidable pair.

Generally, I feel that details make the difference between a trashy and a tasteful design. However, in this case the association is so ingrained it would be quite a challenge to redeem clear heels.

What do you think; can clear heels be anything more than the stripper uniform ever again? Does being worn by celebrities make the trend classier, or the stars look trashier?

Lady Gaga Blowup Doll

Let's not pretend to be surprised. She has single-handedly brought latex into the mainstream and she sings about wanting "a ride on your disco stick." She made the job easy for Pipedream Products, the company marketing a Lady Gaga sex doll with zero effort necessary from their ad department.

They are calling the doll Lady Gag Gag and using lines directly from all of her hit singles to market it. Even her ambiguous sexuality is worked in through her description as a "drag queen".

This is undeniably another step in the wild pop-culture ride that is Lady Gaga. For those who have wondered how she would top herself next, here's a response.  The site selling them predicts: "This is going to be one of those boxes people are going to collect and display proudly for friends to come over and talk about." Although the doll is an addition to their line up of celebrity blow-ups [which includes versions of Beyonce, Lindsey Lohan, and Christina Aguilera], this might become a reflection of the transformative power of Gaga. She brings the absurd out from the fringes and shadows, and shoves it right in the face of mainstream consumers. Her magic is that instead of turning away, we eat it right up.