HIGH HEELS

High heels in Egypt

1533

There were invented in Europa by Catherine de Medici in 1533. A European women began wearing chopines or shoes on flat elevated platforms. These shoes were very impractical but were worn to show social standing. During this century, shoes in which the heel was higher than the toe became popular as a more wearable alternative.

A Sign Of Social Status

1800

He invented Madame de Pompadour in 1800. He was famously painted in a pose showing off his shoes with high red heels, which he only allowed members of his court to wear.

High Heels Become Accessible to the Masses

1930

High heels did not return until the late nineteenth century, when industrialization led to a greater variety in clothing so that ‘high fashion’ was now available to everyone. This time, though, heels were almost exclusively worn by women.