The history of high heels

The history of high heels dates back to many centuries ago.  Today’s hot couture item is said to have been first used by Egyptian butchers to help them walk above the blood of the dead animals. Around 1500, the approximately 1-1/2 inch (4 cm) high “rider’s heel” was worn by horse riders to prevent their feet from slipping forward in the stirrup. In 1533, the diminutive wife of the Duke of Orleans, Catherine de' Medici, got high heel shoes made for herself both to increase her height and stature. The idea of heels caught on and both men and women continued wearing heels as a matter of noble fashion throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Heels went into decline when the French Revolution drew near, in the late 1700s, and resurfaced in ladies fashion shoes during the late 1800s. High heels continued to sway women until the late nineteenth century. In early 20th century more comfortable flat-soled shoes became popular. However, heels were back in fashion in the roaring twenties when higher hemlines encouraged visible, elaborate, high, slender Louis heels.