A step up: Once essential accessories for male soldiers, high heels have transformed to represent wealth, nobility and a manifestation of provocative beauty.
Once essential accessories for male soldiers, high heels have transformed to represent wealth, nobility and a manifestation of provocative beauty
Manolo Blahnik once said, “You put high heels on — and you change.” In modern times, glamorous sky-high heels may be of little practicality, but dating back to the 10th century, they were essential accessories for men in battle in the Near East.
Shoes with heels are widely considered to have originated from the Persian Empire. Cavalry in the region wore heeled boots to stay mounted on their horses; with the heels providing a crucial security measure, the arrow-shooting riders could stand in the stirrups while the horses galloped. Later, these practical riding boots transformed into cowboy boots in the US.
In Europe during the Middle Ages, pattens were heeled overshoes that both men and women would slip on before heading out. The heels, which were usually wooden-soled, could elevate the foot above the grime at street level — as sewage systems and water pipes weren’t a feature of medieval towns, it was common to throw garbage and human waste into the streets. In the 15th century, leather pattens became fashionable and in London, a wealth of new styles emerged including multilayered leather soles, ones with narrow, elongated toes, and shoes that could be worn over hosiery.
Similar to pattens, chopines were also platform shoes, but worn exclusively by women. Believed to have been created in 15th-century Turkey, chopines were adopted by the Venetians from the 15th to 18th century, and were popularly worn by courtesans and patricians.
These ultrahigh heels — which could rise up to some 75 cm above the ground — were deemed a representation of prestige and the fragility of woman. But the inconvenience of chopines sparked rumors that they had been invented by men who wanted to prevent their wives from engaging in illicit affairs by making it difficult to walk. Chopines were lavishly embellished, with beautiful decorations such as embroidery, gold lace and leatherwork, forever linking high heels with the feminine aesthetic.
In the most iconic portrait of Louis XIV, created by French painter Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1701, the king of France sported red heels over tights. For the portrait, the famously short man — at 162 cm, he often wore wigs to exaggerate his height — purposely posed with one leg stretched out to make his frame look elongated.
As photography emerged in the 19th century, high heels made a perfect beauty enhancement in pictures. This reached a fever pitch in the 1940s, when the famed pinup girls posed in high heels in most of their photographs, drawings and posters. Though these pinups were popular during wartime in the men’s barracks, it was after the World War II ended when stilettos were invented; among those credited with popularizing the innovation are Salvatore Ferragamo, Roger Vivier and Andre Perugia. The thin, long and often ultrahigh heels also became an item commonly worshipped in fetish subcultures.
Today, high heels are a glamorous staple of every woman’s wardrobe and, as designers continue to innovate, the future of heels is seemingly unlimited.