High-heeled shoes for men appear to be making a comeback, British shoe purveyors say.

ADVERTISEMENT

The London department store Selfridges reports sales are good for boots that combine pointed toes with a Cuban heel, The Times of London says. Sam Lobban, a Selfridges buyer, calls the style "flamboyant, but in an edgy, cool way."

"Heeled boots are the epitome of this and seem a natural turn for our customer -- rock'n'roll twinned with elegance," he said.

James Taylor & Sons reports its customers want the extra inches a "man heel" provides without any obvious fashion statement. Owner Peter Schweiger told the Times many of his customers bring in wing tips and other conventional shoes to get lifts that will discreetly elevate them a bit.

But some men do not mind letting others see the trick.

"Sometimes people bring in shoes which we raise for them, back to the brothel creeper way of things with two inches of crepe under the soles," Schweiger said.