The first analogues of heels, according to scientists, appeared around the 12th century. This element of shoes at that time was a small hard blotches that were supposed to be nailed to the shoes.

At that time, heels were worn mainly by men: the fact is that thanks to such a detail, it was much easier for riders to keep their feet in the stirrup even during a fast race.

A few years later, high-heeled shoes "migrated" wardrobe. There are several theories about who exactly created them. It is popularly believed that heels were invented in the 17th century from the Spanish city of Cordoba, moreover, no one can name the masters now. According to another version, they were created by Madame Pompadour, the world-famous mistress of the French king Louis XVI. The fact is that this lady was not tall and, trying to at least visually correct this shortcoming, wore high shoes with special heels. Her idea seemed so interesting to many court ladies that soon many noble women wore high-heeled shoes.

Who invented the stiletto heel

It is known that until the 1950s. stiletto heels did not yet exist. Nevertheless, although relatively little time has passed since then, no one can already accurately name the inventor of such a popular part of women's shoes. Authorship in this case is attributed to several people at once, including Roger Vivier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Charles Jourdan, Raymond Massaro.

Each of the masters in one way or another influenced the design of modern studs. Although it is impossible to say which of them invented thin high heels, it is safe to say that they all contributed to the improvement of this shoe detail.

The creator of the first high heels with a metal core is considered Salvatore Ferragamo. This Italian designer tried a lot of shoe design options and finally offered fashionistas luxurious shoes with a metal stiletto shank. However, there is a theory according to which the first such product was invented by Roger Vivier, one of the employees of the fashion house of Christian Dior, who at one time offered a large collection of high-heeled shoes. This theory is also supported by the fact that Roger Vivier invented for Queen Elizabeth unique heeled sandals adorned with rubies. Finally, some researchers claim that Raymone Massaro invented stiletto heels when he made exclusive shoes for Marlene Dietrich.

From time to time, models in stocking boots appear on the catwalks of famous fashion houses. They either disappear from the field of view of the fashion industry, then reappear. And representatives of elegant age remember well how several decades ago these boots conquered our country.

The dream of stars and housewives of the USSR

In the mid-1970s, fashionistas of the USSR, regardless of age and social status, dreamed of a new fashionable shoe brand. Stocking boots, "leaked" to us from the consumer goods of the countries of the friendly socialist camp, very quickly gained wild popularity. These were high boots made of soft material (“crumpled” thin patent leather), tightly fitting the shin.

Far from every beauty, they looked logical. Girls and mature ladies who had too thin, as well as too full legs, clearly took risks by acquiring such a new thing. But fashion and a permanent shortage of goods in the country did their job: the purchase of stocking boots was considered a great success. Over time, half the country flaunted in the shoes of this model, not particularly caring that the boots were made, as a rule, they were “carbon-copy”. Only a few lucky women managed to get a pair of not predominantly black, but of a different color, and even with decorating elements: buckles, bows, etc.

There were varieties on the patent, with lacing, but more often this acquisition had to be pulled on like leggings or stockings. The lower part was made of smooth leather, the heel, as a rule, was low, flat.

Where "legs grow"

Stocking boots were, in fact, just one of the varieties of the lineup, commonly referred to in the West as Go-goboots. The name does not go back to go (to walk), as it might seem at first, but to the French gogo (in abundance, in abundance). This was the name of the clothing style of restaurant dancers. In entertainment establishments in the west in the middle of the last century, dancers often entertained visitors by dressing in short skirts or shorts and long boots.

In fairness, it should be noted that stocking boots were not an invention of the 50s and 60s, just then they firmly and permanently entered everyday life. Much earlier, such models were part of a riding suit or some sports activities.

And at the beginning of the last century in Europe they learned about the so-called "Russian boots" of an elongated shape, they were brought from Russia by fashion designer Paul Poiret in the pre-war 1913. In the 1920s and 1930s, Russian emigrants from the upper strata of society became unwitting propagandists of this fashion. Later, the distribution of such boots came to naught to "rise from the ashes" in the 60s. Many well-known fashion designers have been noticed in the addiction to stocking boots, including Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent. They were made of suede, leather, dense fabrics.

If you go deeper into historical research, you can see the prototypes of stocking boots on the secular ladies of Ancient Greece, and in Russia, morocco "progenitors" of later samples were in use.

Related videos

On the shoe shelf of a modern lady there is always a place for a pair of elegant shoes with high thin heels. An invariable attribute of femininity, a hairpin seems to be the same age as fashion, but in fact this is far from being the case.

For centuries in heels

There are a lot of versions about the invention of the heel. So, one of them claims that this fashionable detail appeared in the Middle Ages thanks to Louis XIV, the other speaks of the great contribution to the creation of innovation by the great scientist Leonardo da Vinci. However, the following scenario is more plausible.

At the beginning of the second millennium AD, Asian riders began to nail special horseshoes to the soles of their shoes, which fixed the foot in the stirrup while running. This device is considered the first prototype of the modern heel.

Further development of this shoe detail took place in medieval Europe, when high heels began to serve not only riders, but also undersized gentlemen. In any case, it was an exclusively male privilege. The first woman who dared to wear such shoes is considered to be Catherine de Medici, who has the fame of not only a ruthless politician, but also a court style legislator. However, some historians argue that the high heel gained popularity in Spain, and only a century after the reign of this queen.

Legends of modern fashion

No less controversy is the question of the authorship of the modern hairpin. In the early fifties of the last century, the idea of ​​​​creating a thin high heel was embodied in the collections of Salvatore Ferragamo, Roger Vivier and Charles Jourdan. Raymond Massaro also claims to be the creator of stilettos.

However, only two of them deserve special gratitude from fashionistas. Ferragamo decided in 1950 to reinforce the high heel with a long metal rod. This idea became fundamental in the technology of further production of stilettos.

And three years later, the French designer Roger Vivier, the teacher of the famous Christian Louboutin, created a unique pair of shoes for Elizabeth II, which she put on on the day of her ascension to the English throne. The thin, though not too high, heel of these sandals was encrusted with rubies.

This luxurious innovation made a splash. The most eminent beauties of that time lined up for Vivier's shoes, including Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn, opera diva Maria Callas and US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Subsequently, the production of stilettos was put on stream, because every woman wanted to feel like a real queen - if not of Great Britain, then at least of men's hearts.

Related videos

If someone thinks that heels were invented in order to complicate the life of a woman, this is not at all the case. Heels have a long and rather strange history that goes back to antiquity.

And this story has everything: religious rites, and ladies of easy virtue, and a decadent monarch, and desperate fashionistas. And by the way, the first high heels were not intended for ladies at all, the first fashionistas were men. But first things first...

Every woman is familiar with the fact that when you walk all day in heels (and this is considered mandatory for receptions, business meetings and just “going out”), then in the evening your toes cramp. But why do people subject themselves to such torture. Usually the answer is that it is associated with a combination of power, status, beauty and gender. Heels were never worn because someone wanted to feel more comfortable. They were (and continue to be) worn to look taller, more elegant, sexier, tower over rivals, be the most prominent person on stage, and dominate everyone in general.

Ancient Times: Heels for Actors

The idea of ​​high heels or platform shoes is actually very ancient. One of the first such shoes in history appeared (at least there is evidence of it) among actors in ancient Greece. He was known as "koturny". These were flat sandals with wooden or cork soles up to 10 centimeters thick. However, they were not necessarily worn on stage, the cothurni were in fact a symbol of the social class of various characters in Greek drama and comedy. The higher the heel, the more "meaningful" the character was considered.

There is also evidence that the ancient Egyptians used heels, although not every day. Like the Greeks, they used high platform shoes for a specific purpose. Frescoes dating from about 3500 BC show that similar shoes were worn in religious ceremonies. However, today no one knows why they did it.

Medieval Persia: the trend takes root

One of the most compelling theories about how high heels took over the world comes from shoe expert and academic Elizabeth Semmelhak, curator of the Dad Shoe Museum in Canada. She believes that the original source of the fashion trend was Persian riding shoes.

In Persian art, you can repeatedly see that many aristocrats of the medieval Persian empire wore high-heeled riding shoes in order to better "cling" to the stirrups. According to Semmelhak, European royalty took notice when the Persian monarch, Shah Abbas, came to visit Europe in the 1500s. So diplomacy contributed to the spread of fashion, when Europeans saw the beautiful heels worn by the shah and his entourage, and decided to adopt a fashionable novelty.

1400s: heels for women

The idea that the heel is actually something associated with women has been brewing for a very long time. In fact, one of the first places where such an idea was adopted en masse was Venice in the 1400s. But these were not heels that anyone would want to wear today. Chopins, as they were called, were stunningly high, slightly sloping shoes with a platform tapering to the bottom up to ... 60 cm high. They were originally designed to prevent ladies from soiling their outfits with the dirt that plentifully covered the streets. As a result, they turned into decorative "accessories".

Interestingly, chopins were not actually a European invention. In Japan, they have existed for centuries under different names, but they were essentially designed to do the same thing: to prevent expensive kimonos from getting dirty on the dirty ground. Geisha apprentices, known as maiko, wore shoes called "okobo", the soles of which were made of massive wooden blocks and decently "lifted" the wearer off the ground. The sole in this case could be up to 18 cm high.

Chopins were eventually outlawed in France for various reasons. One reason was that they were most often worn by prostitutes who used unusual shoes to attract attention. Another reason was that chopins were blamed for a whole slew of problems, from traffic accidents to frequent falls (probably) and miscarriages (slightly less likely). They were also universally ridiculed by all and sundry, including Shakespeare.

Renaissance: transitional period

The idea of ​​a low-soled, high-heeled shoe for women seems to have originated at a rather spectacular social event: the royal wedding. When Catherine de' Medici married the Duke of Orléans in 1533, the 14-year-old bride wore high heels to look a bit taller "like an adult". They weren't chopins, but something more or less like modern high heels. So high heels burst into women's fashion.

At this time, "androgynous" fashion was also a general trend. In the 1630s, European women dressed like men, smoked pipes, and tended to act like young boys. And men's heels fit perfectly into this women's fashion.

Baroque period: heels of male aristocrats

The Persian shoes that European royal courtiers saw thanks to Shah Abbas were definitely meant only for men. And it is not surprising that it was the kings and courtiers who adopted this fashion.

The real icon of fashion and the "patron" of heels was the French king Louis XIV, otherwise known as the "sun king". Louis XIV loved everything dazzling and it was he who made the decadent palace of Versailles his residence. Shoes with high heels (about 4 cm) appealed to the king, since his height was 162 cm. Louis XIV even developed a "trademark" of red heels and ordered all male members of his court to paint their heels the same color.

Victorian Era: Ladies Only (and Strawberries)

The popularity of high heels fell off a lot after the French Revolution, when people didn't want to have anything to do with aristocrats (or be anything like them). In the New World, Puritans in Massachusetts banned high heels, believing that they made you look too seductive and were also tools for sorcery.

In fact, the Victorians did indeed rediscover the heel. The focus was on lifting; the curved instep was meant to show off a woman's femininity and sophistication, and the tiny heels were the pinnacle of sophistication. It was also during this time that erotic photography emerged, with heels playing a strong role in its early years. Some of the first nude photographs of women were in high heels, and this was a feature of most "French postcards" (as sexy photographs of ladies were called at the time).

Gradually, women's heels began to acquire more and more erotic significance. In his book Fashion and Fetishism, David Kunzl notes that some French authors in the 18th century began to speak of the "delicate curve and heel" as sexual attributes. It was at this point that men stopped wearing heels, and they became purely women's shoes.

World War II: the first "hairpin"

It is thanks to erotic images that high heels have become a popular, fetishized object. In particular, this happened during the Second World War, when men throughout Europe carried photographs of girls in heels.

In 1954, the first stiletto heel was invented by Roger Vivier for the Christian Dior fashion collection. Thanks to Hollywood, he immediately began to be perceived as a sex symbol.

Modern heel

Heels experienced a new surge in fashion in 2015, when at the Cannes Film Festival, women on the red carpet were required to wear only high-heeled shoes. And designers continue to tirelessly invent new models of high-heeled shoes.

What could be more attractive to the male eye than a woman in high heels? The heel lengthens the legs, makes the walk simply magical. We are used to it in everyday life and do not even ask ourselves: where did this much-needed item come from?

Where and when did the heel appear?

The first mention of the heel appeared in ancient Egypt and ancient Greece. It is impossible to say exactly who owns the palm. And then heels were not the prerogative of women. In Egypt, there were shoes similar to the platform. It was used by the peasants so as not to get their feet dirty. In ancient Greece, platforms - coturnes were used by actors. Moreover, the more important the depicted person, the higher they were.

Platforms were also used in ancient China and Japan. As you know, it was a common practice there to swaddle the legs so that the female foot was miniature. This led to the fact that the woman could not walk quickly and confidently. She needed support on long walks. The platform in those days was not plastic, created significant inconvenience when walking, and therefore took on the function of swaddling the legs. It was believed that this was to contain the decline in morals.

The streets of Europe in the Middle Ages were not clean. It was simply impossible to get through without getting dirty. Therefore, special wooden shoes were invented for walking along the street. They were fastened with leather straps over the shoes and were called clogs. In the East, similar shoes (kabkab) were invented for visiting baths: to avoid burns when stepping on a hot floor.

In Venice, women of easy virtue put on high platforms on their feet. Such shoes were called zoccoli. Becoming taller than all, they attracted the attention of passers-by.

In Turkey, however, the situation is reversed. In harems, women wore shoes with "heels", it was believed that uncomfortable shoes would not allow them to run far.

The first mention of heels can be found in the XIV century. It was the prerogative of the military and hunting enthusiasts. Shoes with flat soles very often slipped off the stirrup. At first, shoemakers simply made a thickening on the sole, then the heel itself was made.

When did women start using heels?

It is impossible to say exactly about this. But it is believed that for the first time among women, Catherine de Medici stood on his heels. She was petite so she wore them to her wedding.

After that, the monopoly of men on heels was destroyed. The heel made the woman's walk more majestic, exciting. Of course, in those days, they did not know such a thing as an "arch support". And there were no differences for the right and left legs in the manufacture of shoes. Therefore, a certain skill was needed, and often the support of one or even two people in order to move around in shoes with heels.

The color of the heel of that time depended entirely on fashion. The red color is largely due to Louis XIV. This king wore shoes with soles and heels dyed red. Well, why not Louboutins?

In the 18th century, the so-called French heel appeared. Optically, he reduced the size of the foot.

Then there was the French Revolution. The whole of Europe was embraced by the principle of a healthy lifestyle. Numerous scientists opposed everything that was harmful to health: heels, corsets, wigs. Women began to wear short haircuts, thin dresses and sandals. Napoleon did not like this fashion. Puffy dresses and corsets are back. And no heels. In those days, one of the main skills of a woman was the ability to dance. Heels were still very far from perfect, so dancing in thin ballet shoes with leather soles was much more convenient.

In the 19th century, heels became lower, more stable and more reliable.

And in the 20th century, the apotheosis of the development of the heel occurred: a heel was invented - a hairpin. Marilyn Monroe first wore these heels in the movie Only Girls in Jazz.
Her gait conquered the whole world. It is not known exactly who the author of this invention is. But the name of the shoemaker who first nailed a metal heel on them is known. This is the Italian shoemaker Salvatore Ferramo.

Heels have not lost their relevance in the XXI century. There are just none. They differ in height, shape, color. The history of the heel is not finished and is waiting for its continuation.

And of course, as in ancient times, walking in heels is a whole art ...

Who Invented Heels?

Everyone knows what a heel is. Both women and men. But modern men are not given to understand what it is like to put on shoes and walk all day, in order to finally relax in the evening and put on slippers with relief. It is now a high heel that helps a woman to attract attention not only by the beauty of slender legs, but also by the soft, seductive gait that such shoes give. And before...

According to one version, heels were the prerogative of men!

Heeled shoes and men

The history of the appearance of the heel, according to one version, leads to Persia. The local warriors were famous for their ability to stay firmly in the saddle and shoot on the go with a bow. And why? Because, thanks to the heel, it was possible to take a comfortable and solid position without fear of falling off the horse.

Persian diplomats, having arrived in Western Europe in 1599, amazed the aristocrats with their invention, and the fashion for high heels swept the upper classes. From that moment it was considered wild to go out "in the light" on a flat sole.

The small (1.63 m) King of France Louis XIV wore shoes exclusively with heels and always red. At the same time, he issued an order that everyone can and should have high heels, but in no case red shades. That's how all the male nobles put on shoes with heels.

Heeled shoes for women

A little later, women began to borrow fashion from men and discovered high heels. At first it was a kind of challenge, a hint at gender equality, the rise of a woman in a society of men. And only then, after a while, women discovered for themselves all the benefits that a high heel gives.

Having mastered shoes that were not very comfortable at first, women immediately turned practice into aesthetics. They noticed that thanks to the heel, the back becomes even, the posture is majestic, the gait is proud and seductive. And, of course, they began to use their discovery to the maximum.

During the Renaissance, the “elevation” of the body reached incredible proportions - women wore sandals on a platform made of cork or wood, and the heel reached 60 cm in height. It is difficult to imagine how you can not only dance in such shoes, but even keep your balance. But beauty is worth the sacrifice...

Thanks to the French Revolution, women still lost their heels. Napoleon Bonaparte sent “in exile” everything that interfered with dancing, and the ladies of the court changed their shoes into light slippers made of silk with leather soles. Much later, high heels came back into fashion, never to go anywhere else.

The most common versions of the appearance of high heels

In fact, none of the historians can say for sure who is the discoverer and creator of shoes with heels. Some believe that artists invented high heels to visually increase their height and be visible on stage. Others are sure that Japan and China are the ancestor of such shoes, they say, in this way women tried not only to become taller, but also to slow down the growth of the foot. There is a version that due to the lack of roads and a large amount of dirt, expensive clothes deteriorated, so they came up with a kind of elevation above the ground ...

Be that as it may, high heels have firmly entered modern life, transforming, changing and improving. The variety of shoe models, heel shape, instep and appearance no longer surprises anyone, but leaves room for the imaginations of designers and manufacturers of branded and runway shoes. Today, the latest shoes are such for no more than 10 weeks, and then there are new shoes with heels, boots, sandals and even sneakers that are even more stylish, beautiful, unusual and original, although not always comfortable.

They say fashion is cyclical. And, apparently, this is true. But I really don’t want to see men rushing to work in shoes with heels ...

Every woman should have a black dress and at least one pair of heels in her wardrobe. Although this is not always a convenient thing, but the heel changes the image of a fashionista. After all, the difference between a girl in ballet shoes and a lady in stilettos is significant. When a girl puts on her heels, as if by magic, her posture, gait and even look change. He becomes piercingly sexy and confident. But who would have thought that the first heels were worn by men.

A bit of history

Many people have a question, who invented heels and why? After all, a modern heel is not very comfortable and does not always benefit health, but rather negatively affects the bones of a person’s leg.

Prototypes of the heel were still far in antiquity. It was used for practical functions, and not for stateliness, as in our time. History has not preserved the exact date, but the question of who invented the heel can be answered by giving the palm to such countries as Greece and Egypt.

In Egypt, shoes with heels were worn by farmers. The heel on their shoes served as an emphasis and helped to move more easily on loose ground. The Nile often flooded, and everything around was covered with silt, and thanks to the heels, walking was much easier.

As for Greece, the theater actors wore platform shoes. The height of the heel depended on which titled character the actor played. You can also assign the first hairpins to the Greek women. They attached nails to sandals so that thin holes remained in the sand. This served as a kind of invitation for men.

Heels in the Baroque era

Over time, heels began to gain popularity in other countries, and their use was also different. The era of baroque fashion appeared, and the officers of the French army became its legislators. You can mention the military, answering the question of who invented the high heel. This design of the sole helped when riding. High heels made it much easier to secure the foot in the stirrup. But at that time it was only a thickening of the platform.

This accessory drew the attention of Louis XIV, who was small in stature and exalted himself thanks to shoes. At the end of the 17th century, stockings appeared, and graceful shoes came into fashion to replace over the knee boots and boots. The first woman who drew attention to the heel was Catherine de Medici. She immediately ordered high-heeled shoes from an Italian shoemaker. In them, the lady appeared at the wedding with the Count of Orleans and after that women's shoes with heels came into fashion. So the question of who invented the female heel is very difficult to answer correctly. But it is important to understand that the wife of the Count of Orleans contributed a lot to the spread of the new fashion.

Exclusively women's fashion

In the 18th century, the heel became only a women's accessory, and it was already forgotten who invented heels and for whom. Men abandoned the high platform, and it became only a female prerogative. The shape of the heel was so curved that the ladies of those years could break their necks while walking. After the French Revolution, a doctor issued a statement that such shoes had a negative impact on health, and women changed into slippers similar to modern ballet flats. Fashion returned in the middle of the 19th century, when the glass-shaped heel was invented, which is popular to this day.

Modern heel

The 20th century was a new breakthrough in the deformation of shoes and heels. The pads began to repeat the natural shape of the foot more and more, the insoles became more comfortable, and the heel became aesthetically beautiful. Shoemakers discovered rubber, and shoes became comfortable and practical. This century was generous with new models. The one who invented heels could not even think that his brainchild would become so popular. The forms of the heel in the last century were both low and high, both thin and wide. In 1936, shoemaker Salvator Ferragamo invented the wedge heel, which made a splash in the fashion world. Fashionistas are very fond of such shoes. It is comfortable, beautiful, and the young ladies do not get tired when walking.

Hairpin

Who invented stiletto heels? Fashion historians put forward three versions at once. The first thing mentioned is the same shoemaker. After long experiments with the platform in 1953, he offered the world a high thin heel. For a solid support, he took a steel rod as a basis. It turned the fashion world upside down and made a huge impression.

The second name that stylists call when answering the question of who invented heels for women, namely the hairpin, is Roger Vivier. He made magnificently beautiful sandals with huge heels. All shoes were studded with rubies. In these sandals, Elizabeth of Britain arrived at her coronation in 1953. Audrey Hepburn and Maria Kallas liked them so much that they immediately ordered shoes of the same plan from the master.

Raymone Massaro is considered the third inventor. It was to him that the famous Marlene Dietrich ordered high-heeled concert shoes, decorated with decorative rhinestones. So it is difficult to unambiguously answer who invented stiletto heels. But the main thing is that women fell in love with them and always put on lovely shoes or sandals for significant events.