Fancy something even bigger? Step forward Balenciaga - its latest collection, which is not yet available in Hong Kong, features shoes as high as six and even eight inches.

Fashion stylist Wallace Yip Chi-yeung said that extra high heels would be hip and many big names had switched their focus to shoes to create an outstanding appearance.

'Outstanding shoes with a modern design can create a difference in the entire appearance,' Mr Yip said, adding that higher heels can complement the lack of long legs among Asian girls.

But a specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology, Ko Wing-man, warned that the higher the heel, the unhealthier the shoes were as weight would be focused on the front of the foot rather than being evenly distributed. 'Anything higher than three inches should be avoided,' Dr Ko said.

Chiropractor Alex Ling Hsiao-wang said that although the high-heeled shoes included a platform to support the front of the foot, this meant extra effort to walk. He said walking in heels could strain the calf muscle and hamstrings, affecting the lower back.

But fashionistas should not rule out heels completely, Mr Ling said. They should just walk in them less.

'One should not walk in heels for more than two hours. The difference between the heel and the forefoot should not be more than three inches,' he said. 'Limit wearing heels to just three nights a week and place a tennis ball under the foot arch and stand on it after wearing.'

The Consumer Council's deputy chief executive, Connie Lau Yin-hing, urged women to think carefully about wearing high heels.

'Other than physical appearance, one should also be practical,' Ms Lau said. 'Will these heels cause problems when you walk on stairs? What about driving and stepping on the brake?' She also advised women not to wear heels in the rain or walk on rough surfaces. If people insist on outrageous heels, she cautioned: 'You have to be very careful.'