Who Started the High Heel Trend?

Описание: 👠 High heels are often seen today as symbols of femininity—but their history is far more surprising. Long before they were linked to women, heels were worn by men for practicality, power, and prestige. This video uncovers the unexpected journey of one of fashion’s most misunderstood inventions.
We begin in medieval Europe, where streets were so filthy that people wore wooden pattens to lift themselves above the mud. Over time, these platforms merged with the shoe and evolved into the chopine, which could reach heights of up to 15 inches. Venice even tried to limit their height, though the law was ignored. By the late 1500s, men’s cavalier boots with modest heels were fashionable, and during the English Civil War, stacked heels around two inches became the norm for men.
But the true roots of the modern heel lie in 10th-century Persia. Elite cavalrymen wore heeled riding footwear to secure their feet in stirrups and stabilize their stance while shooting arrows from horseback. Because owning horses signaled wealth, the heel became a symbol of status. Manuscripts from the period even depict nobles in high-heeled shoes in religious scenes.
In the early 1600s, Persian envoys introduced the heeled shoe to Europe. Aristocrats eagerly adopted it, using heels to signal class and luxury. Men emphasized the beauty of their legs, pairing heels with tight stockings and loose breeches. Portraits from this era often show sitters posed to display their calves and footwear.
French royalty pushed the trend even further. Louis XIII introduced red heels, and Louis XIV made heel height and color indicators of rank. Only nobles could wear heels, and the most brilliant red shades were reserved for those favored by the king. The red heel became a symbol of wealth, power, and dominance.
As heels spread to the middle classes, elites demanded more elaborate designs. Women also began adopting heels, and fashion gradually divided into masculine and feminine styles: men’s heels became thicker and sturdier, while women’s heels grew slimmer and more decorative.
By the Enlightenment, men’s fashion shifted toward practicality. Riding boots and tall leather boots replaced decorative heels, and by the late 1700s, thin high heels were closely associated with women and ideas of luxury. Political change accelerated this shift—the French Revolution rejected aristocratic excess, and men largely abandoned heels.
In the early 1800s, styles like Hessian and Wellington boots dominated and heels faded from everyday fashion. They reappeared in the 1860s at modest heights, helped by industrialization and the invention of the sewing machine, which made heels easier to mass-produce.
The 20th century transformed heels again. During the World Wars, materials were scarce, so women’s shoes used cork or wood. After the wars, film and photography spread Western fashion worldwide. Heels became symbols of professionalism for many women, while men linked heavy boots to military masculinity.
World War II also connected heels to sexuality through pin-up posters, which frequently featured women in high heels. This era laid the foundation for the modern stiletto, invented around 1950, which quickly became an icon of feminine allure. Though block heels took over in the 60s, 70s, and 90s, stilettos never disappeared for long.
Men’s heels survived in specific styles and subcultures. Cowboy boots surged in popularity in the 1950s, while the 60s and 70s embraced Cuban heels, Chelsea boots, Beatle boots, and winkle-pickers—especially in rock, mod, and punk scenes.
From medieval mud to royal courts, from cavalry warfare to modern runway fashion, the high heel has undergone an extraordinary evolution. Few accessories have shifted meaning so many times or crossed so many cultural boundaries.
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