The Perfect Shoes And The Golden Ratio

It is better to fail in originality,
than to succeed in imitation. — Herman Melville

Photo credit: Liam Fahy

Hi, I found a hidden gem on Liam Fahy's website, a page dedicated to the philosphy of design, filed under the Greek letter Φ (Phi).

The Golden Ratio

The Greek letter Φ is also often used to denote an important principle in design, the Golden Ratio.

Intuitively, the Golden Ratio is a special division of a distance into two segments preserving a special relationship between the lengths, regardless how many times you cut the distance.

Or more formally, the Golden Ratio is the division of a distance into two segments a and b, in such a way, that the ratio of the whole distance (a+b) to the larger segment (a) is the same as the ratio of the larger segment (a) to the smaller segment (b).

Or, mathematically expressed:

(a+b) : a  = a : b = Φ ~ 1.618... ~ 3:2

We perceive two lengths that are roughly cut in the Golden Ratio as aesthetically pleasing and interesting.

The Perfect Shoes

I have made an interesting finding about these two prefect high heels from Liam Fahy's collection:

The height of the heels also roughly follows the Golden Ratio rule!

For example, if the straight length from the toe to the stiletto is 18 cm, the perfect height for the heel will be about 11 cm :P Wow!

So if you buy high heels next time, keep the Golden Ratio in mind ;)

Or like Liam Fahy put it,

Good mens design: Would wear it on the date of his perfect woman.
Good womens design: Would wear it on a date with her perfect man.

Which shoes would you wear on a date?

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