Platform Shoes and Boots

Why They Keep Coming Back: Platforms have made a footprint on almost every decade of the last century — arguably no more so than in the 70s, when they graced the feet of Stevie Nicks wannabes and hustled the night away under disco balls. “For a heel, they’re easy to walk in, and they have a slightly funky edge,” says Finney. Adds Trina Turk, a fashion designer in Los Angeles, “Hey, it’s a powerful feeling to be taller!”

Keep Them If: The shoe is sophisticated (you don’t want to look like a mall-prowling teen) and at least somewhat practical. “A four-inch heel and a one-inch front platform is the max,” says fashion designer Nicole Miller. Any higher will look a little RuPaul — and be tough to walk in.

Toss Them If: “Anything about them is too extreme — like design, material, or thickness of heel,” says Carson Kressley, the host of Lifetime’s How to Look Good Naked. In that case, what goes around definitely won’t be coming around again.