The origin of high-heels can be traced back to 15th century Persia when soldiers wore them to help secure their feet while riding horses. Persian migrants brought this shoe trend to Europe, where wealthy men wore them to appear taller and more formidable.
In 1673, King Louis XIV introduced shoes with red heels and red soles to the French court. He restricted the wearing of such shoes to his circle of nobles.
The practise was l
ater taken up by royalty across Europe and became highly fashionable. The colour coding — identifying superiority and privilege — was quickly copied by aspirants.
The majority of powerful and privileged men wore heels during the 17th century and into the early 18th century.
In France, during the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), a scholar Semmelhack notes that wearing high red heels was a principal signifier of political privilege limited to the king and his courtiers.
Beyond France, red heels for men were at first associated with French sophistication, but by the end of the 17th century, Semmelhack notes, they were increasingly seen as unmanly, especially in Englan
d.
As the heel entered into upper-class men’s fashion, there were also similar trends in women’s fashion to adopt certain aspects of men’s attire.
However, women who tried to adopt parts of men’s fashion were seen as an embarrassment and even ridiculed.
Some of these women began to adopt men’s military-inspired fashion, including broad-brimmed hats ornamented with plumes, doublets, carrying weapons. The icing on the cake was when they also started wearing heels.
The heels that both men and women wore in the early years of the 17th century were very low, but they would rise for both sexes as the century progressed.
In the 1960s, heeled shoes for men made a return, however, the
heels were low this time and made for cowboys. This period of men wearing high-heels is way past us now. However, old trends always keep making a comeback. Do you think this trend would return?
