High heels have a long and surprising history, with origins far removed from modern fashion runways. The earliest known depiction of heeled footwear appears on a 10th-century Persian bowl, showing a cavalry trooper with his heel locked into a stirrup. This suggests that heels were initially designed for military use, not for style.
In 16th-century Renaissance Venice, women wore chopines, platform shoes that could reach up to 50cm (20 inches) in height. Contrary to popular myth, these were not to keep skirts out of mud but to make women appear taller, allowing them to display more of their luxurious dress fabrics. The chopines themselves were hidden from view.
King Louis XIV of France, known as The Sun King, was an avid wearer of high heels. He favoured elaborately embroidered leather shoes with bright red heels and restricted the wearing of red heels to members of his court. This made red heels a symbol of status and privilege.
During the 19th century, high heels became a weapon in the fight against women's suffrage. Opponents argued that high heels were evidence of women's frivolity. An 1871 New York Times article stated, 'Show us first the woman who has independence and sense... enough to dress attractively... in shoes which do not destroy both her comfort and her gait.'
The stiletto heel, named after a slender-bladed dagger from Renaissance Italy, emerged in the 20th century. Designer Roger Vivier of the House of Dior created iconic heels in the 1950s. The challenge of supporting the wearer's weight led Andrea Perugia to invent the first steel heels, combining fashion with engineering.
