The History of Heels

The history of heels is clouded, although they date back to pre-Christian times. Egyptian butchers wore high heels to raise them above the carnage, and Mongolian horseman had heeled boots for gripping their stirrups firmly. The first recorded year heels were worn for vanity was 1533, when Catherine de Medicis brought heels from Florence to Paris for her marriage to the Duke d'Orleans. The style was immediately set forth by ladies from the French court.

Within the next century, European woman walked on heels 5 inches and higher, balancing with canes so as not to fall. As the working class couldn't afford to wear such shoes high heel shoe heights fell. And therefore after they rose or fell according to the fashion.

In the 19th century the high heeled shoe became the top style to own. Although Europe brought the new trend for high heels, America wasn't far behind in becoming of style. In 1888 the first heel factory in the United States opened. Making it unnecessary for women to import their shoes from Paris.

Newly liberated, women in the early part of the 20th century favored sensible shoes. But in the 1920s, as hemlines rose, legs and feet were suddenly on display and shoes needed to be as beautiful as they were practical.

Always in and out of style, high heels reached new level with the advent of the stiletto in the 1950s. And to the dislike of many women, high heels popped up again in fashion magazines in the 1990s. Still, whether a woman thinks heels are the height of fashion or the height of pain, she usually has a least five pair in her closet for the occasion when flat shoes just won't do.

High Heels - A Historical Chronology.

1533

Short-statured Italian bride Catherine d'Medici, married at 14 to the Duke of Orleans, wears shoes with two-inch heels to exaggerate her height. The high heel may have been invented by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

1553-1558

Mary Tudor ("Bloody Mary"), another vertically challenged monarch, wears heels as high as possible. From this period until the early 19th century, high heels are frequently in vogue for both sexes.

Mid-1500s

An extreme shoe style called chopines, popular among women in Italy, Spain and France, had pedestals of cork or wood as tall as 24 inches. A Venetian lady wearing chopines needed two servants to help her in and out of a gondola.

1660

French shoemaker Nicholas Lestage, so clever at his trade that some accuse him of sorcery, becomes shoemaker to Louis XIV. The heels of Louis's shoes, some decorated with miniature battle scenes, are as tall as five inches. High "Louis" heels are also fashionable for ladies.

1745

Madame de Pompadour, tiny-footed favorite of Louis XV, popularizes high, narrow "Pompadour" heels. Ladies tape their feet to reduce their apparent size and faint at court.

1793

Marie Antoinette ascends the scaffold to be executed wearing two-inch heels. However, in the wake of the French Revolution heels become lower than at any time in the 18th century.

Early 1800s

Flat shoes and Grecian-style sandals become popular.

Approx. 1865

The "sneaker" or plimsoll, a canvas-topped, rubber-soled shoe, is invented for badminton and tennis. Ladies' heel heights vary but stay below two inches during the rest of the century.

1888

The first heel factory in the United States opened. Making it unnecessary for women to import their shoes from Paris.

1904

The ladies' "pump" or court shoe, a British invention, reaches America. Shoe stores begin to stock shoes with a range of widths around now.

Approx. 1955

Tall "stiletto" heels for women's shoes, invented in Italy by Roger Vivier for Dior, become a fashion rage. Very pointed toes come into vogue for both sexes.

1970s

Return of the platform shoe.

1980s

Return of high heel shoes. Athletic shoes also feature heavily in fashion.

1990s

Return of the platform shoe in various styles and designs including sandals and tennis shoes.

Further information:

- Sizing Payment and Delivery of your shoes
- Customising your shoes
- The making of your shoes
- How to walk in high heels
- Caring for your shoes
- Links