Have you ever wondered where it is that high heel shoes came from? Let’s face it, it’s no accident.

Originally created for Catherine de Medici, who wasn’t vertically challenged, but wanted to stand tall alongside her fiance’s mistress who was slightly taller. This was around 1533, so the soon to be king having another woman was probably a sign of the times. Giving her an extra 2 inches and a sway when she walked, Catherine de Medici’s more more towering physique was a wild success.  By the end of the century both sexes wore high heels and a person who had authority or wealth was typically referred to as “well-heeled.”

A centruy later France’s King Louis was wearing heels with little battle scenes… and across the pond the Massachusetts Colony had passed a law banning women from wearing high heels,, assumed it was to ensnare a man. and they would be tried as a witch ! Needless to say, the high heel scene cooled off for a while.

A half century later high heels started to become popular again. When high heels made their comeback, some wearers were comfortable in five- or even six-inch heels. As with corsets, high heels were claimed to be not only harmless, but beneficial to the health because, as advertisers stated, high heels helped alleviate backaches and stooping and made walking less tiring. But critics cited that high heels created a more sexually aggressive gait and compared the high heel to a “poisoned hook” to catch an unwary male. Some even associated the high heel with the cloven hoof of a devil or a witch.

Entering the twentieth century, heels became even more popular when higher hemlines encouraged visible, elaborate, high, slender Louis heels.  Then it was Hollywood, with the elegant the look and stars’ shoes like Ginger Roger’s that created a new interest.

The Pièce de résistance was when French designer Christian Dior and his collaboration with shoe designer Roger Vivier developed a shoe with a narrow heel, and voila the stiletto was born. Stiletto, an Italian word for a small dagger with a slender, tapering blade was the perfect description, and an overnight success.  Fast forward to modern times and there is no shortage of sandals, stilletos and even  heelless high heels by Manolo Blahnik. Now an everday site, high heels wearers no longer need to worry about being called a witch. In fact, our biggest concern we have now is filling our closets with Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin or Giuseppe Zanotti. That’s my picks anyway…

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Posted in high heels, life, shoes, stilletto by MizzTissa | 1 Comment