Head Over High Heels

Ever imagined that heels were first invented for men? Read more…

Wedge heel, stiletto heel, thin heel, thick heel, flat heel, low heel, spoon heel, kitten heel, and chunk heel! Only a sample of the various types of heels you’d find in a woman’s wardrobe!

Ever wondered how heels became a woman’s best friend?

Heels are considered to be one of the most appealing accessories in a female’s outfit, making the legs look leaner, longer and more “woman-like”. However, what people fail to know is that heels were initially invented for men! Weird…but true! In ancient Egypt (3500 BC) they were introduced as a means of keeping men’s shoes new and unused especially when walking over mud and debris.

Kings of France were the biggest fans of high heels. Their personal heels were decorated with paintings of battle scenes and held them rather high off the ground, where no individual was allowed to stand as tall as them.

The first female to ever wear high heels was Catherine de Medici during her wedding to the Duke of Orleans in 1533 AD. De Medici’s intense desire to compete with the Duke’s rather tall and lean first wife is what pushed her to adopt the use of heels. Her high heels caused the emergence of a new era in the fashion world. Heels eventually became woman’s new best friend with shapes, sizes and colors that suit the desires and needs of women worldwide. The competition then started. Owning unlimited pairs of heels became the goal of every woman!

In the 20th century, heels started a new fashion runway competition between international designers after the first stiletto heel was introduced by the Italian shoe-designer Salvatore Ferragamo in the 1950s. Fashion designers started adopting the importance of using high heels on fashion runways as a means of amplifying the beauty of an outfit.