When Molly Watts was shopping for shoes for her August wedding, she bought five pairs and returned four.

"I barely tried on my dress," she said. "The shoes were the most important."

Her final picks have diamond trim across the toes, but what cinched the deal were the towering stilettos that rise more than 3 inches off the ground.

"I live in high heels. I'm not very tall. I'm 5-feet-4. I like having the height," said Watts, a special events planner.

The fashion direction for footwear is moving up. Make way for chunky stilettos, platforms and armorlike wedges reminiscent of the 1970s.

Even as medical professionals cast a disapproving eye toward foot contortions that high heels can cause, many style-conscious consumers appreciate the lift.

What's the appeal?

Higher heels unquestionably flatter the legs. They create an illusion of long legs and emphasize the shape.

"I definitely feel sexier when I wear high heels," said Watts, 27, who estimates she owns 120 pairs of shoes. "You feel like you're on top of the world,"

Lore Nelson, a pediatrician, agreed. She said her fondness for height goes back to grade school days.

"You know when you wanted to wear the chunky high heels and your mother didn't want you to?" she said. "The higher the better."

She is now drawn to the platform wedge because it gives her comfortable grounding.

"I'm not very tall, and I'm on my feet at my work," she said. Her favorites include a pink Kate Spade sandal with a wedge about 4 inches high.

The fashion trend

The movement to higher ground represents a marked shift in fashion after years of flirtation with the slipper in the style of Audrey Hepburn.

"A year ago everyone was looking for flats," said Ian Wright, a New York-based footwear consultant who formerly produced the Isaac Mizrahi line. "This year women want sexy shoes."

The high heel is the "best accessory ever invented for women's legs," said Wayne Kulkins, president of Stuart Weitzman sales.

The current trend was kicked off with considerable ado by European designers last year. Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere sent out thick, sturdy high rises for spring. The shoe, priced at close to $1,000, is a coveted collector's item among the fashion cognoscenti. For fall, he added boots set on platforms.

The American version

Closer to home, American manufacturers offer a wide range of choices including flats and low, curved "kitten" heels. But they, too, are thinking tall. BCBG, for instance, explores a sturdy 4-inch heel for tan and gold pumps.

Stuart Weitzman is having success with a 4-inch-high cork platform slingback with a peep-hole top in a bright color, Kulkins said.

The season's successes are either very high or low, added Aimee Lippencott, from Nordstrom's Midwestern fashion office.

The change represents a natural cyclical shift, said fashion historian Valerie Steele, director of the museum at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. After flats, now the pendulum is simply swinging back.

Steele, author of "Shoes: A Lexicon of Style," said one ongoing factor is an erotic femininity that high heels represent. They affect the whole body stance, thrusting the pelvis forward and the bottom back. It's about 'erotic power,'" she said.

The wedge, which is available in many prices and materials, is a hit. They often have straps that wrap around the ankles. And they are especially fitting for summer in casual espadrille styles.

None of these shoes is strikingly new. The wedge sandal was a rage in the early '70s. But high heels go back to the Renaissance, Steele said. More recently, the hourglass fashion silhouette of the '50s called for the feminine high-heeled pump.

In the early '70s, a brand called Kork-Ease offered a serious no-nonsense platform wedge that was said to have some of the comfort of the Birkenstock. It became the center of a cult of sorts and, according to the New York Times, it is being revived.

Podiatrists raise red flags

Meanwhile, red flags continue to fly regarding damage to the feet. Speaking for the American Podiatric Medical Association, podiatrist Holly Korges advised women not to go over 2 inches.

"A 3-inch heel puts seven times more stress on the ball of the foot than a 2-inch heel," she said. Consistent pressure can cause foot problems such as nerve damage.

For women intent on wearing heels, she recommended metatarsal pads found in drugstores. They cushion the foot and lessen the stress on the foot's forefront. Does the doctor wear high heels?

"Once a year, maybe," she said. "When I go to an event."

Today, shoes, as well as handbags, have taken on added importance, Wright said.

"Women weren't happy with the clothes," he said. "People wear jeans everywhere. Or older women wear trousers. Shoes and bags are the two hottest categories."

In 2003, the American Podiatric Medical Association conducted a survey on shoe choices of 503 women:• 72 percent of the women wore high heel shoes; 39 percent wore high heels daily• 62 percent wore heels 2 inches or higher• 77 percent of women wore heels to special occasions• 59 percent had had toe pain; 54 percent had had pain on the ball of the foot.