SS-08: Stiletto Story: Unveiling the Evolution and Impact in Women's Style - part II
Throughout history, elevated shoes have symbolized nobility, power, and wealth.
Block heels and raised platform shoes have been fashionable since ancient times, but the razor-thin stiletto, named after the Italian word for "knife or dagger," emerged in the 1950s. Innovations in aircraft carrier construction, such as the introduction of new materials like aluminum and techniques like injection molding, revolutionized shoe design, enabling heels to reach previously unprecedented heights.
As we know it today, the stiletto was designed by French fashion designer Roger Vivier in 1954. He began his career in the late 1920s, designing shoes for prominent European and American manufacturers. By 1953, he was crafting custom shoes on the sixth floor of a small workshop on Avenue Montaigne in Paris, where he caught the attention of Monsieur Dior. The connection was instant, and they had a collaboration from 1953 to 1963.
Vivier is celebrated for his inventive toe and heel shapes and the elegant harmony he created with each pair. He is also known for his designs' exotic use of materials such as beads, pearls, and feathers. He viewed footwear as integral to any outfit and fashion story.
His revolutionary design replaced thick wooden heels with thin, long metal rods, allowing women to emphasize their body lines and sexuality. The high heel creates the illusion of a lengthened leg by shortening the calf muscle, arching the foot, and crushing the toes. This innovation significantly influenced the posture and form of female buttocks, breasts, and overall silhouette. The stiletto's explosive and controversial design quickly made it a global fashion sensation and a standard item associated with sexual fetishism.
Despite their seductive appeal, stiletto shoes have undergone several fashion shifts, significantly influencing their popularity. Introduced in the 1950s, by the 1960s, stilettos became more accessible, becoming the preferred shoe for most women. In the 1970s, a counterculture emerged that criticized the stiletto for its discomfort and restriction of movement.
However, in the 1980s, the stiletto saw a revival and makeover. Round-toe shoes with slightly thicker, often cone-shaped, semi-stiletto heels became popular in professional settings where power dressing was on the rise. Yet, during the 1990s, the stiletto nearly vanished as professional and college-age women opted for shoes with thick, block heels.
However, in the 2000s, there was a slight change in the business environment, allowing women to reintroduce stilettos and casual wear into the workplace. Also, stilettos gained popularity thanks to their prominent appearance on the TV show "Sex and the City." The character Carrie Bradshaw, known for wearing strappy Manolo Blahniks, contributed to the shoe's appeal, which helped make it fashionable once again for many people.
Today, the stiletto continues to be a frequent sight on fashion runways and in women's wardrobes, serving as a trademark for renowned designers like Jimmy Choo, Oscar de la Renta, and Christian Louboutin.
Undoubtedly, slipping into heels transforms a woman's posture, body language, and overall presence. It exudes visual dominance and captivates the eye with its aesthetic allure, tapping into our primal instincts and sensibilities. Heels allow us to embody femininity, power and desire effortlessly.
However, the appeal of heels ignores the discomfort and potential health risks they bring, especially as our bodies age and our skeletal structure changes. What may have been manageable in our twenties can become increasingly taxing on our feet and back with time.
Stiletto or flats? There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Today, more than ever, there are abundant options. Rather than simply following trends, it’s about consciously selecting what feels comfortable to your body, the story you wish to tell, and the impact you aim to make.
So, when deciding between heels or flats, consider these guiding questions:
How do you want to feel?
What story or message do you want to convey?
What image are you striving to project? Is it authority, advocacy, or advancement?
What do you love in a shoe and why?
What's the occasion?
Who will you be with and where?
What’s the weather like?
Are heels a part of your signature style?
Do you like wearing heels, and if yes, what height is suitable?
You have many choices, but remember, they're here to support you every step of the way!