I first saw a post regarding a concept shoe with convertible heels on Book of Joe back in 2005, and now it looks like an easier to operate variation of the same idea has actually come to pass. Say hello to CAMiLEON, a company which produces women’s shoes with heels that can adjust from a pratical walking height of 1½” to a sassy 3¼”.
CAMiLEON’s heels contain “mechanisms that hold it into place for both the high heel and low heel positions and a stainless steel rod, which runs through the entire length of the heel. The portion of our heel that is stowed underneath the arch region of the shoe, when in the low heel position, is actually made out of aluminum. Additionally, every heel is coated with 6 coats of paint, resulting in a beautiful high-gloss finish. While essentially every other brand of high heel shoe attaches its heel to the shoe with nails, or nails and glue, we attach every heel with four screws.”
I took a look at some of the styles offered on their site, and I have to tell you that I like what I see. The Mary Jane shown in the conversion process is actually one of my favorite styles, and I also like the Mariella shown below. I love the idea of a lower heel for daytime that can convert into a dressier heel for evening.
Here’s how you convert the shoes from flats to heels:
Step 1
Secure one hand around the top of the heel, while the other hand pulls straight down on the lower half of the heel to disengage it from its upright locked position.
Step 2
Push forward on the lower portion of the heel until it stops moving and is stowed directly under the arch region of the shoe.
Step 3
Push straight backward on the tip of the stowed heel until it is recessed slightly into the upper heel cavity and secured in its locked position.
Done!Once the adjustment has been made from a high-to-low heel position, the upper edge of the stowed heel should no longer be visible. To restore the heel back into its full high heel position, simply reverse the previous steps.
How slick is that? For the price, you are essentially getting two pairs of shoes. Make no mistake about it, they are not inexpensive. But if you regularly go straight from work to evenings out, you might love not having to lug along another pair of shoes.
Here’s the secret mechanism…
Maintenance on the heels appears to be similar to regular dress shoes, with the exception of the unique U-shaped lower heel tip:
Our low heel tips, which are U-shaped, are unique to the design of our shoes and, once worn, additional new low-heel tips can be replaced by simply purchasing a pair of replacement heel tips for $3.00 and bringing them along with the shoes to a shoe repair professional.
If you don’t want to order online, there are a few brick and mortar retailers carrying the brand across the country. I’m trying to figure out why there are none in Texas!
I do have to wonder how well the shoes will hold up over time and whether the mechanism might eventually fail, for instance when dancing. Maybe I will get a pair and find out. 😉
via Daily Candy