Stilettos We Wear

Taking the stiletto to the next level with an anklet-shoe accessory from Palamuti

Source: www.polyvore.com

“ Shoes are one of the most evocative areas of dress. Often beautiful and sculptural objects, they can be powerful indicators of the social and economic status of the wearer. The more elaborate and decorative they are the less likely they are to be functional or easy to wear, and these very qualities have often resulted in their survival. Shoes have also been kept for aesthetic or sentimental reasons, and a number have survived by being buried, hidden or simply an accident of fate. “ – SHOES, Lucy Pratt and Linda Woolley 

The dawn of the seventeenth century witnessed the development of the heel with an arched sole, altering the posture of the wearer. Originally the elevated heel was low and rounded, advancing to two or three inches with a wooden or leather square base. As eras passed, shoes developed, and by the 1940's, there emerged the needle heel; more commonly know as stilettos. After the Second World War the world of fashion turned its  lens to Paris. However, the Italians of this time have also become a force to be reckoned with, competing with French designers in slimming down the heels. Whomever first introduced the “needle heel” was not identified, but it was often credited to Roger Vivier; Dior’s famed shoe designer. 

By the 1980s, there was no stopping the needle heel, with the rise of the power dressing. Women in particular, required themselves to wear the stilettos to illustrate authority in the work space, predominantly acknowledged as a man's regime. Manolo Blahnik raised the bar by bringing the needle heel to styling brilliance and elegance. 

“ According to advertisements and fashion pages of the day, high heels clicking down the corridors of power were no longer the signal of men to “swoon” but rather to shake.” SHOES, Lucy Pratt and Linda Woolley

Stilettos have their own charm. They spell power, sophistication, and sex appeal. There is something about the slender, slim frame that keeps the fashion world turning. Celebrities wear them, and catwalks are dominated with the needle heel shoes. “Ordinary” women in the corporate world use them for power dressing. The 4” to 5” inch heel has succeeded as one of the constant shoe styles, recreated and reworked for a modern appeal, and have continuously become the subject of discourses.