Valentino Garavani doesn’t shy away from standing next to women that tower over him. He can’t – he’s a designer, and the women are [super]models, celebrities, and actresses. At 5'9”, he’s at the low end of average height for men in the developed world. Nevertheless, he doesn’t seem to wear elevator shoes make me taller 5-13CM when making Red Carpet appearances. Anne Hathaway, who’s 5'8”, can (and does) tower over the man, when she’s wearing high heels. In fact, in one relatively recent photo, she seemed to be more than a head taller than the Italian designer, and he didn’t seem the least nonplussed. It’s all a question of context. Even very tall men can be dwarfed by extremely tall women. Also, in the context of haute couture, Tall Is the New Black, and has been for ages. The man’s vision, style, and force of personality are his dominant traits, not his height. Even more importantly, for the fashion world, his focus is on women’s fashion primarily, with a nod to men’s elevator fashion. Some of the men’s shoes in his collection have a bit of lift to them, but many do not.