So there Gwyneth Paltrow was, at the Iron Man premieres in London, Berlin and Los Angeles, exploding from her “I’m-just-a-regular-Mum” cocoon of recent years almost as if she were Bruce Banner becoming the Incredible Hulk. Only instead of turning green with purple shorts shredded just so, she was all ultra-mini-dresses and vertiginous heels by Givenchy, Giuseppe Zanotti, Alexander McQueen and Christian Louboutin. Indeed, despite all the thigh on display, it was the extremity of the shoes that garnered attention: on one occasion the stilettos reached a reported seven inches. That’s more than half a foot. That’s Iron Woman stuff. And that’s also, apparently, a trend-in-the-making.

Already Selfridges, one of London’s premier fashion emporiums, has been reporting a 35% increase in the sales of sky-high heels, with brands such as Balenciaga, Pierre Hardy, Nina Ricci, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent delivering the most show-stopping of styles. “We are selling some of the highest shoes I have ever seen this season,” says Sebastian Manes, Selfridges’ director of accessories. And it is not just the heel that is high; Christian Louboutin’s classic “Pigalle” pumps retail at £600, for example, while Nina Ricci’s “Sundae” sandals are £660.