Did you know that men were the first to use high heels? That’s right, high heel’s origin dates back to centuries ago and has changed its objective with time, from being made for practicality to what’s trending. Keep reading if you want to find out more about this interesting story:
Ancient Egypt and Greece
The origin of the high heel it’s accredited to Egypt and Greece. In Egypt, the hititas for the first time made the shoes from flexible leather pieces held together with lacing. In Greece, theatre actors used heels made with wooden cork known as kothoeni in their plays to differentiate the character’s social status. If well this can be considered a high heel, the truth is the fame starts later…
XV Century
In this time, the high heel is born as practicality to ride a horse, being the most efficient way to hold the foot in stirrups. It helped keep Persian horse riders still when they needed to stand up and shoot arrows.
Also, another functionality was the facility to move, since concrete streets with rain used to get dirty and wearing high heels helped to cross them. That’s how the boot becomes the first shoe to have a heel, evolving to the actual cowboy boot we know.*(we have an article about the history of cowboys, you can read it here).
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Aristocracy
Later, in 1599, when Persia starts diplomatic relations with Europe, these countries become crazy for the shoes. High heels become part of aristocracy seen as men’s wear to earn status, presence and improve poise.
When regular citizens start wearing them too, nobility responds by increasing the height of their shoes. The higher the shoe, the higher the position. Even though this resulted uncomfortable to walk, rich people didn’t need to perform physical work, so they could wear luxury items.
Transition from men to women
In 1630, women start to adopt men’s fashion, cutting their hair, smoking pipes, wearing hats and consequently, high heels. Shoe fashion becomes unisex until the end of XVII century, where this gives a radical turnover.
French court
In 1660 a shoemaker called Nicolas Lestage creates a shoe for King Louis XIV, imposing a new value on high heels. The king had a short height, so wearing heels was the perfect complement. The sole was red because painting them was expensive, it was his way to preserve his status. In 1670, Louis XIV dictates that this kind of shoe could only be used by his court, prohibiting its use outside it.
Its feminine equivalent popularized between ladies, to the point that Madame of Pompadour, Louis XV’s most known lover, marked style with her “Pompadour heels”.
Also in this period begins the use of clothes to show sex differences. Women were assigned with emotions and strong feelings that make them impractical. Women adopt slender shoes to enhance the figure and increase height and man small and wide shoes, marking the beginning of the actual trend.
Enlightenment
From the 18th century, men, who used to wear heels, wigs and dresses, began to change their clothing for a more sober, formal style. The Enlightenment era arrived to impose a utilitarian fashion and eliminate excesses, making the aristocracy opt for simpler clothes in dark colors and with this stop wearing heels.
The first stilettos
It was not until the 18th century that heels became a feminine trend. In 1760, the Italian merchant and designer Giacomo Pirandelli, Baron of Styletto, created the first stilettos in order to improve the saddle of riders and serve as a support for the spurs. Stilettos were born for male use although they soon became a fashionable item among women, to the point of wearing high heels 15 cm high.
Although the designs were still very extravagant and with details such as large bows, the foundations of the modern style were already set. With sober models for men but more elegant for women, at the end of this century men start to stop wearing high heels as they begin to associate them with femininity.
Nowadays
In the middle of the 19th century, the high heel already began to be the almost exclusive heritage of women. Photography was transforming the vision of the image of heels, using models to give heels an essence of sensuality.
From then on, fashion evolved towards more masculine styles for men, who began to use medium and square-heeled shoes, while female designs became more slender and curved, a concept that remains, limiting male use to cowboy-style boots.
Contemporary fashion has made high heels evolve into more original and extravagant models. High heels have become a symbol of strength, power, and self-esteem as a confident woman has been taught to rock heels wherever she goes.
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