Tall tale but true

Okay, so at 5 foot six-and-a-half, I’m not the tallest kid on the block. And I don’t have any issues with it, because, frankly, some lovers like a bit of a pocket rocket. But there are times, I must admit, where I do like to stand a little taller: at the Big Day Out, for example so as to see over the heads of the somewhat taller groovers in the audience in front of me. So it was with delight that I came across a new shoe brand that keeps the criteria of comfort and great style in check, but also delivers several extra inches in height to the wearer.

Altura gets its name from the Latin for height (think: ‘alto’ in Italian; ‘altitude’ in English) so it’s the perfect brand name for a shoe that lends the end wearer extra height. We’re not talking those clunky kind of shoes Tom Cruise can be seen wearing in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’any time he was within a foot of towering co-star Nicole Kidman. But quality and attractive footwear with hidden height increases of an average of 8cm, depending on the selected style.

The label’s full name is Altura JNK, after its designer Jennen Ngiau-Keng who insists his ‘designer elevator’ shoes are the only products of their kind in Australia.

“My designs are a secret,” says Ngiau-Keng. “The height increase lies in the internal build-up of the shoe, and so it is well hidden.”

Shoes, like the cool black and white stripe ‘Blates’, pictured, retail at around $170 and are available through the online boutique www.taller.com.au with free shipping Australia-wide, or at the first Taller boutique which has just opened at 91 Johnston Street, Collingwood, Melbourne.