All heel the stiletto

It’s not that women are masochists. But if a pair of shoes is this sexy, they are going to wear it no matter how painful they may be.

Stilettos rose to fame in the mid-1900s, when Hugh Hefner chose narrow-bladed heels to be part of the official attire for his Playboy Playmates. Today, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, and Christian Louboutin’s shoe collections cannot be completed without a line of sharp, dazzling stilettos.

Stilettos have become a stylish fetish item for many women. Sex and the City may be to blame for this. Nonetheless, they’re the perfect choice for office wear, evening wear, even casual wear with a simple pair of jeans. A stiletto’s sleek, slender heel may go up to 18 centimeters with less than 1 centimeter in diameter. Clearly, they’re meant for those who aren’t afraid of heights.

If you are indeed one of these women, add Stilettos to your Timeless 50.

Arguably the most famous one of all is Sacher Torte, pioneered in 1832 Vienna by 16-year-old stand-in chef Franz Sacher, although such is its prestige that a long-running legal battle was fought over its origins between Sacher’s descendants and another local Viennese chocolatier.  In keeping with the allure of the treasured confection, its recipe has remained a secret for over 175 years.

The “Guru of Ganache”, chef Marcel Desaulnier, wrote chocolate torte into dessert lore with his prize-winning book named – what else? – Death by Chocolate.  Countless others have perpetuated the theme across all walks of life and leisure, but perhaps Simple Minds managed to get closest to the naked truth when they sang: “Once there you can’t come back, Death by chocolate it’s a fact.”

Could you leave chocolate torte off your Timeless 50 list? Vote now if not.