Don't you love the way you look in your new high heels? You're suddenly taller and slimmer, your derriere rides a little higher - Carrie and the girls would definitely approve.

Until you stop dead in your tracks.

No, it's not the sight of Mr. Wonderful. It's the damned bricks again.

At least your shoe didn't come off this time - hopefully the heel's not ruined. So much for Ms. Cool. Just keep your head down - maybe nobody noticed...

Look familiar?

If you work in the Old Port or venture down for a night on the town, you probably know how and where to walk on our lovely brick sidewalks.

You've mastered the art of tip-toeing through the bad patches or cobblestone hopping on Wharf Street. (Bless that designer who added the concrete strip through Monument Square.)

So what's a gal to do when even kitten heels get stuck in the cracks?

My favorite cobbler says we shouldn't lose hope over brick-spoiled heels. Paul Rowland of Paul's Shoe Repair in Westbrook says his most common job is heel repairs for women's shoes.

Paul says leather is easier to work on than man-made materials, and black is always a plus. Man-made heels generally are cloth covered with a synthetic coating; sometimes he can take off the coating and dye the cloth. Leather heels may be re-wrapped or just glued and touched up.

Costs for repairs generally are $5-10 for a heel touchup or $10-20 for new top lifts (the black pad on the bottom of the heel).

Another option may be Smart Heel heel protectors, invented by Stacie Urbach, who tired of losing her heels to the sidewalks of a New York City. She's only selling one style of heel protector now, but has more versions in the works.

They're available in black or clear, and slip on and off in a couple seconds. (So you don't need to wear them all the time.) At $9.95, I think they're worth a try... I'll let you know how they work.

I called Marvin Hamilton, District One supervisor for the city's Department of Public Works, who oversees maintenance of city sidewalks in the Old Port. Marvin knows all about the problem with heels - he's heard lots of complaints about the bricks.

And here's the good news: the city is filling the cracks now, as time and money allow. His crew already has filled in some of the worst areas, including Monument Way between Temple and Free streets, and soon will work on Congress Street walks near First Parish Church to just before City Hall.

Marvin says new brick walks are constructed with the bricks closer together and grout between any cracks. Bricks on older sidewalks were placed with larger cracks filled with mortar, which deteriorates with winter salt use.

Meanwhile, tell me the most treacherous city block for heels on sidewalks! We'll send your concerns to the city.

Black Smart Heels

Trunk show

Looking for something a little different? Check out the Inbija earrings by South Portland designers Kim Attewenger and Krista Brown at a trunk show 12-4 p.m. this Saturday at Bliss, 85 Market Street in Portsmouth. The earrings also are available at Bliss in Portland.

Inbija earrings

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