At Prada, Milano
Remember that last Prada show where the girls kept falling down?
I was wondering if anyone got the shot - the hand on the right is me catching one of the girls as she fell.
The young lady in this photo had already fallen three times before she reached me and fell again about five steps past me. I have never seen a more terrified girl on the runway - it was very difficult to watch. Finally she took the shoes off and walked in bare feet the rest of the way. A lot of people had thought that the reason the girls kept falling was because the heels were too high. Actually, it was the little cotton socks that were inside the shoes. The girls couldn't keep their heels in the shoes correctly. If you think Lara Stone looks stern in her everyday life, she looked five times more serious trying to make it around the maze/catwalk in those shoes.
Did Miuccia ever explain her side of why the girls kept slipping? Maybe the samples were late and they were not able to check them correctly?
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post a commentfashion can be painful....
I read an article about this... it was the socks that caused the girls to slip. For production, Miuccia said that she would have the socks sewn into the shoes.
Whe I saw the video, I was totally scared. Poor girls ! How could they possibly walk with those shoes... I didn't notice there were socks inside, but it can be one of the reason. The floor seemed also very slippery !
reminds me of a medieval court where "lower" lives are used as freak attractions for the amusement of royalty. those heels are way too high (despite the presumption that the socks are causing the slippages)... i find it hard to see the distinction between chinese foot binding and practices such as stilettos. sorry sart, the photo is a bit poignant and caused a visceral reaction in me.
Painful! Looks just like the moment when Barbaro's ankle snapped.
God bless you, Scott. You are a real and intelligent human being.
What a shame! I know Miuccia and she is a stickler for details. This had to be so embarassing for her!
the picture is amazing. Her arms are so tiny....
i think she wanted them to fall down. considering the costs of a fashion show, i don't think it's just hazard.
harvardDental, you seriuosly saw that miuccia said that??? It can be so funny when the little sock starts stinking and being grey... hahaha
This was a horrifying show to watch. Poor things!
I also saw an article where someone from Prada gave an explanation, yes there was something about sewing the socks to the shoes. It is true they might stink but then again these shoes you would only wear for a few hours at a time, I hope. Jorge from W Palm Beach
ridiculous...the height of the heels and the fact that they were forced to wear them.
strikes me as a nice commentary on the excesses of fashion in recent years...and how they seem asinine in the face of a now faltering world economy.
the model in the picture looks like a fragile little bird
poor girl.
There is no way that I can be convinced that the size of those heels had nothing to do with it. I don't want to go into a rant about corsets/foot bondage/high heels being a form of oppression for women because I think they can be a form of power and liberation at the same time.
But I think anyone who chooses to wear these shoes should reflect quite seriously about the implications beyond fashion and beauty. Not just practicality (broken ankles), but perhaps WHY they believe high heels are beautiful and how their tastes are shaped.
That said, today I am wearing high heels for the first time in about 4 years.
while i always applaud designers taking risks, situations like this only detract from what should be the focus - amazing clothes! everyone just sits there cringing....
Poor thing, I was afraid she twisted (or worse) her ankle. That’s looks very painful.
oooo! ouch!
yikes.
Yikes. I am cringing just reading how many times she fell. Poor girl. Glad no one got seriously hurt!
Of course, you're wearing a great shirt and jacket. Very chivalrous of you to watch to catch these girls.. although I don't know how anyone wouldn't be scared for them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA&feature=related
here you are on youtube then also ;o) nice catch
Aiya, I feel sorry for her.
It's an interesting reason for why the models kept falling and certainly true in my experience. Unless the shoes have ankle straps, they just don't stay on properly when you wear thin little socks with them.
It's nice to see/hear this story told by someone with a brain, heart and love of fashion. Seems that most of the reports of it relied exclusivly on one of these. This all said, she looks like a tiny, wounded animal...and I do find the image of two strong male hands having to help her up (apparently for the third time) a little disturbing. Contrast this with the vibrant-looking Italian student below... Stephanie
Love your blog. And thought you would want to see this shot of the fall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA&eurl=http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DELA,DELA:2006-04,DELA:en&q=pradaiurl=http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/iXuJS-ghQPo/hqdefault.jpg
Thank you for helping out my fellow COUNTRY girl.
She's beautiful!
Although not very appropriate to say but: Great shot. Who was the photographer?
thats crazy..their poor little fragile ankles
It's Katie! Katie Fogarty!
Oh, that was so awful! I can't imagine being there. My heart would have been in my throat. What a cruel shame. I certainly hope it wasn't purposeful, as I've heard some suggest. I wouldn't have ever thought a modern, intelligent woman such as Miuccia would put other women in such a precarious position.
The poor model, sometimes it's amazing what they have to walk in, in some of these catwalk shows...
sorry, but this is the part i hate about femininity the most: high heels. as if it were not bad enough to be expected to wear heels to conform to what most believe is "womanly", we are expected to risk life and limbs in 5 and 6 inch heels? this is just painful and stupid.
Why am I not surprised that it's you, Mr. Schulman, that's lending the helping hand? ;-) Always the gracious and generous gentleman...
Would love to see more candid shots of your exploits behind the slick veneers of the fashion shows. The Gap one was very nice.
PLO
pauvre katie! c'était la faute de miuccia . . . les chaussures étaient trop ridicule
that is sad, i feel so bad for them... i know i wouldn't even stand in front of that many people...
The most iconic fashion fall was in 1993: Naomi Campbell in her Vivienne Westwood´s blue mock croc 10¨ platforms.
Look at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/images/2008/05/27/naomi_fall_365x470.jpg
Kisses from Spain
This made me lose a lot of respect for Miuccia - as both a designer and fellow woman.
Watching the video of the fall was awful.I usually love all aspects of fashion!!
It seems ridiculous that they didn't figure out that this would happen when they did the run-through!
This makes me feel a little sad, for some reason.
I believe Hilary Alexander (London Daily) reported the same thing you mentioned, Sart, that the socks were the main reason for the falling. However she did report also that Miuccia said the shoes were too high and they would be lowered for production.
A great show nonetheless. No one is yet to beat Naomi's Vivienne fall though...
Aren't her arms scary thin? I worry about these models still; the photo seems a commentary on that, as much as the little spoiler socks.
Oh maaaan, that's so embarrassing. her ankle looks like it may have gotten twisted. OUCH! Those heels should have been better executed.
i found the video of her falling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA&feature=related
fashion hurts sometimes
I love the majesctic dignity with which Katie walks after she took off the shoes.
Ah and does anyone remember Naomi Campbell falling down with those incredible Vivienne Westwood heels in 1993? http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/index/polsky/polsky5-28-2.asp
This ugly foot ware concept is injury enough in itself. I too would go bare foot.
what strikes me most, and i think people in fashion are already immune to this (and it's too bad) - is how thin her arms are.
they are mere bones and skin, nothing else. it's frightening.
she looks life a famine survivor.
and what you're worried about is that she fell because of the shoes??
i love fashion, but i just can't grasp this way of thinking.
Was at the Prada store last week where I was shown their catalogue for SS'09 and noticed that the socks were listed as a separate item from the shoes. Not sure if its such a good idea to sew them on the strappies, as they need more toe grip than pumps if they are anything more than 5 inches. The store told me that actual production might feature lower heels, but that's unconfirmed. I was just thinking that socks would be a good idea for pumps which are cut too high around the metatarsals...but anyways. Love the crinkled skirts.
This picture really bothers me--it reminds me of what models have to go through to achieve the desired look of the designers and the fashion industries. Using a live human as a coat hanger or display can have some twisted outcomes.
I have a good friend who was chewed up and spit out by the modeling industry. I'm so glad she's done with it--her many years in the thick of it were quite physically and mentally damaging.
Runway shows can be hard to watch, even when the models aren't in heels like this--their legs are so skinny and they hit the catwalk with such force, it sometimes looks like they're going to snap off...
That's what I was thinking...why didn't they work this out at the rehearsal?
Just try doing anything in your everyday life wearing 4 inches heels.
I consider the current trend of very high heels just a way of keeping women in a precarious and feeble position.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA
here is a link of the entire scene, Sart.
What a picture! Thanks for the short story!
Socks sewed into shoes? And how can we wash them?
I couldn't watch the whole video of this accident. It's too horrible. I don't like Prada anyway.
But some girl takes off her shoes.
That was most dramatic moment in this PRADA show.
As a PR, Very urban resortic.
oh sart, the point here, is not lara stone, or miuccia being superficial, is you: you are our hero!!!!
Yes, it was the socks. Notice how she took them off as well, after taking off the shoes... They look like satin silk, very slippery. However, it's impossible to walk naturally in such heels.
Carine said "Miuccia said she can walk in them, so I guess we will try and make it as well".
It was a gorgeous collection, however.
Seriously,
that man on the left can close his fingers all around her upper arm :S
I've seen the clip on youtube (thanks, anonymous 5:45am) and it was you, Scott, who prevented the girl from falling on the floor, not the other man in the picture. It's because she fell to your side when she got help from that other man. And then you gave her your hand...
Poor thing. She really looked terrified!
Fashion should be about good things that elevate our spirits--beauty, self-expression, elegance, joy of life, and creativity. But this incident gives us a peek at an ugly side to fashion. Why wasn't the show stopped the moment it became clear that it was not safe for the models? If a model falls, shouldn't there at least be a pause to do a safety check?
This picture is worth a thousand words, none of which would be approved as comment by you, I am sure.
(And that you chose not to post the above comment says a lot as well.)
How skinny models are really doesn't concern me (call me a monster if you must).
I still found it quite fascinating how EASY it was, for two men grabbing at a falling model, to support her entire weight and get her up.
Oh, SNAP! (no pun intended...)I just posted about this as well. I actually can't stand those 6/7 inch heels from an aesthetic point of view but from a practical point of view they are truly ridiculous. What was Miuccia thinking!
This comment has been removed by the author.
This picture is embedded in my mind, I remember seeing it in the latest issue of WWD Collections.
watch the sart lend a helping hand to Katie Fogarty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA
My feet slip around in even 3" heeled sandals when I'm wearing stockings, so in this case, it must have definitely been the combination of the socks and all that extra height.
The socks might just need some rubber pads on the bottom, to give some grip --as is often the case with childrens' socks! I also find those rubbery jel comfort pads have the added benefit of providing grip.
crazy....
So poor gril...
You're right...
and that socks are ridiculous and so ugly!
I'm surprised it took her so long to take the shoes off. If I were her (which obviously, I'm not) I would've ripped those shoes off at the first sign of slippage. It had to be clear from the first step she took that there was no way she was going to make it down the entire runway. I understand all of the implications with doing that, but given the outcome I think it would've been better.
Watching the video made me yell out loud - it looks so painful! Poor thing.
Oh Sart!
You are a sweetheart, Thank gad you were there to catch her!
If only we all had a strapping gentleman on hand to help us up when we fell...
Yeah I think this is the perfect example of when fashion goes just a little bit too far
It's not so much the shoes that are a worry here, although how anyone could think the models could walk in them with cotton socks on beggars belief.
I know there has been quite a fuss about what I am about to refer to but seriously, she is way too thin. Her arms look like a sickly child's.
People keep commenting on the size of the heel, and wondering at it. I think it became popular because models have to be so tall, they must have huge feet! Obviously you can loose as much weight as you want but your feet don't really shrink lengthwise. The high heels only work on people with big feet. 4 inches is plenty high for someone with my size feet. Also, I think some women must find it empowering to be taller than males. I think it looks stupid and it puts me in mind of the time in fashion history when it was stylish to wear 24 inch heels that were impossible to walk in on the cobblestone streets that were the only kind back them. Women were forced to lean on their husbands/servants or stay home.
perfect cuff length showing. sart is on the ball for the defining moments.
thankfully nobody broke or twisted an ankle!
Socks in frightfully high heels. Fashion can be so ridiculous sometimes.
oh !!
la pauvre chérie
Is everyone forgetting this is their profession? They chose to wear the heels and were probably quite happy (at the start) to do so!
ah, you seem like such a beautiful-hearted person, it's refreshing to see
The other person who help her is THE bigesst men in fashion in Russian, Leonid owner of the bigest imperia in Russia, called Merccury, with all those amazing shops, and here he is doing a good job!
poor girl...
OK - I am so glad that you bought this up.
When this show was being run, I was in Tokyo and read Suzie Menkes review in the HWT. She basically poo-poo'd it, but not having seen the show I tried to keep an open mind. I raced to my computer to get the pix.
The shoe accidents aside, the collection is gorgeous! I thought it was fresh and included some great new updates on Prada's classic looks. It's wearable, and feminine and terribly modern. I loved it.
If we think back to classic shoe accidents, this is no more shocking than the Vivienne Westwood uber-platforms of the late eighties, early nineties. There were twisted ankles all over the shop!! It's fashion, not lawn bowls!!! If anything, this will just secure the shoes status as a cult classic - I hope they sell truck loads! Viva Muccia!
sorry anonymous 6:28, but that goodness Upton Sinclair didn't have those sentiments. no matter how much these women are being paid, i don't believe they are "happy to wear items that put their limbs at risk nor do i believe that the designers should make the girls wear things that put their safety in danger.
what a distressing moment, but what a beautifully poignant photo.
i think an anonymous poster mentioned this already, but she really is reminiscent of a baby bird being helped up into flight.
ps. i think you're right about it being the socks.
Possibly when designing a greater aspect of whether it works is to test it. Thank goodness common sense prevailed and she removed them before more permanent damage might have been made...forget worrying about any embarassment!!
These super high heels are ridiculous. They look sexy in still photos, but when I see the girls and women walking down the sidewalk on a busy weekday they look incredibly awkward, silly and unattractive. Save them for a party at night where you can lounge, sit, pose, but don't have to walk too much - and always take a cab! Do not walk in these shoes, not only are they dangerous - you look stupid!
MarkLee
"She was a paid member of the Communist party and a women’s right champion during the seventies in Milan." (http://www.ultimateitaly.com/fashion/miuccia-prada.html)
Ha! Whatever happened to those ideals, Miuccia?
the first thing i was thinking after reading the post was: Mr Schuman, you're such a lovely person.
I like it when you post captions to go with your photos, not only does it give the image a sort of depth, it's also amazing to read the thoughts of a professional.
Thank you very much, keep up the great work
OOOOOOUCCCCH!!
These heels don't look out of the ordinary high- come on, we've seen much higher. Socks on an open back leather insole are not a good mix... and that should have been obvious.
tisk tisk.
reat great blog that captures just what people 'do' with fashion.. thumb up!!
what a shame!
i think those heels are not that high, there has been higher ones and models can handle that situation. too bad for the show and so kind from you to help out the girls a bit haha
Sorry, but if my socks are sewn into my shoes, how am i ever going to wash them?
front row at Prada.. lucky!!
Man I feel sorry for those girls. Is it harder for them to get work after that? And what an embarassment for the designer. Obviously no one in their right mind would buy those shoes now.
Here it is on You tube. So Sad... Good thing your caught her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA&feature=related
8 inch heels, what else do you expect to happen, unless the girls weren't acrobats
Even if it were the "socks fault", then the height of the heel could be to blame somehow. Don't they test these things out before hitting the catwalk? I, for one, wear heels, although not that high. It's hurts me to see a model in such agony just trying to do her job, and like another poster noted, taking away from the beautiful clothes. The endless debate of form vs. function...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW_DQskHA&feature=related
I think this shows the same girl, and you catching her.
Aw poor girls. Being a model IS hard.
Too bad for those poor women. Doesn't make me want to buy Prada!
Patricia Gray I second that.