Popularity of high heels fading?

[raymond.nl]

According to Google it is:

http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22high+heels%22

The end is nigh!

[HHLover]

Nah! I don't believe it. I think I've seen more heels over the past year than in previous ones. In fact, I've seen more heels at work in the last two years than in all previous years combined. If you look at the number of celebs and their increasing heel heights, I think we're seeing an upswing in heel wearing. I hope it continues!

[HappyFeat]

There is some truth to the possibility that heels may be less popular in the short term. During economic downturns, people become less extravagant. For example, on shoe store manager told me that over the last few months, there have been fewer customers buying a second pair of shoes. This may not have a direct relationship to heels, but if fewer people are buying the second pair then inventory accumulates and profits fall.

Also, people may buy more conservative styles. During the 1980's (the last major economic downturn in the US) it was very difficult to find any heels that weren't pumps- no sandals, no peep toes, nothing but classic pumps. For example, when I would take a date to a formal even, she was as likely to a pair of black pumps she would also wear with a suit to work. Instead of buying shoes for a single event or an occasional event, people were just a bit more practical.

Another sign that I have seen is the number of flats that are showing up in shoe stores- and very cute flats at that. A nice flat or a low heel may be more functional to many and be more of a multiple occasion shoe. Also, shoe repair is going up. Instead of tossing a pair of worn shoes, people are more inclined to get them fixed and wear them a bit. This would have an effect on the number of new shoes sold and the number of new styles that are produced.

My hunch is that heels never really went away in the past, those who love heels will always find them, and wear them, but it would be the people on the margin. People who may wear heels occasionally may wear them less to save them for occasional shoes. Remember in business, its the marginal consumer, the one who may or may not buy something typically that drives the market and in essence provides the style and the options for the rest of us.

[Cinnamon]

Whilst the economic effects mentioned are probably very relevant, fashion itself is not looking to be giving up the ghost for high heels. Increasingly, 6-7" heels can be found in the pages of Vogue and other fashion magazines and advertising. In addition, the celebrity obsession with Giuseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin, YSL etc etc is going to have an effect on the easily influenced shopping trends of young women. If anything, I would argue that classically thin, high heels have been rediscovered by fashion. Designers such as Roland Mouret, Agent Provocateur etc. have reawakened women's own sense of femininity which in combination with the neo-burlesque movement with champions such as Dita von Teese, is resulting in the "sex" of fashion being reignited. Post-war fashion tended to be rebelliously frivolous typified by Dior's New Look. People need escapism during hard times and as such I am led to believe that the film and fashion industry stays afloat in hard times. Whilst there will be those who will be a little more 'sensible' with their money, there will always be a market for impractical, fun and aesthetically pleasing to the eye products. Albeit at a price. Fashion does indeed goes through the motions, but I would say that they tend to be linked to generational rebellion. Perhaps the next generation of teenagers will be the ones who spoil the fun.

[Rob]

I assume the graph is of the number of searches for the term "high heels". Could it be that now heels are being worn more, and more easily avaliable in the shops, less people need to search for them on line? (However some very good points are made above.)

[jwhite44]

The post that had the 3 videos from the CBS morning reporter, one of them said that in times of recession / worsening economy, women tend to buy higher heels, I guess as a way to keep their spirits up. I can see $200+ heels maybe going down in sales, because they can be pricey. However, I think you'd be challenged to find any decent mall where you couldn't go in and buy a pair of shoes (or boots) with a 4"+ heel for $50 or less. (This doesn't mean some might be more, just if you walk in to the mall with $50 and look for a shoe with a 4"+ heel, you'll almost certainly find one).

[Cinnamon]

I assume the graph is of the number of searches for the term "high heels".

Could it be that now heels are being worn more, and more easily avaliable in the shops, less people need to search for them on line?

(However some very good points are made above.)

Additionally, magazines, and not just the high end fashion mags like Vogue or Harpers, are packed with pages and pages of the latest shoe designs which direct consumers straight to the shops themselves rather than needing to do searches.

Perhaps consumers are becoming a little more brand focussed rather than just "high heel" focussed which would certainly effect the statistics.

[heelma]

According to Google it is:

http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22high+heels%22

The end is nigh!

Can anyone explain to me what this page actually does and what it shows? A graph without any further explanation means nothing to me!

[crotchboots-m]

really,without a story behind its just like what mark twain said "there are lies,damned lies,and statistics"

[CassieJ]

It shows the search requests for "High Heels" going down over time. I personally think it has remained about the same in number but is dropping as a percentage of searches as people search for a more wide variety of terms and the amount of web content multiplies. This chart on it's own doesn't mean anything.

[LailaLily]

I dont give a hoot if Im the only personon the planet wearing heels! heels will forever be my favorite! I dont care about statistics, those people can go wear their flip flops,flats,uggs and crocs more heels for me.

[Bootking]

Remember that statistics are really in the eye of the beholder as they can be easily manipulated. HappyFeat, I would disagree about the person on the margin as determining the fashion trend. The only thing the person on the margin can do is determine a dead heat election, not much more!

As for heels, they are in every magazine, circular and ad that I see; Google be damned!!!!!

[Jen J]

I have been following my own trends for, well, forty years. I love the members on this site because they are different. I searched for a forum catering to business casual and did not find anything, wonder why, boring. I also remember when the trend was to invest in Beanie Babies. Hmmmm. I didn't follow that either. I like heels, classy, simple and fun. Why not? They are shoes, big deal. Apparently fashion is only to either impress or justify something to someone else. Stick with the masses and everything will be fine, no thanks. Everone that reads this, Keep being yourselves, lemmings don't fair very well in the long run. Anyway, off my soap box, don't want anyone to see up my skirt. Blue Shoe Jen

[JeffB]

Popularity is strictly in the eye of the beholder. As long as I enjoy heels and continue wearing them, who cares if they're popular or not? I certainly don't.

[roniheels]

I agree with these comments. High heels for women seem more popular than ever and I see more and more women wearing them, especially younger women. And, as witnessed by this site, many, many men world wide enjoy viewing and wearing high heels. I don't think the popularity is fading. And if the trend catches on world wide (and we men who wear high heels in public hopefully are helping this cause), and more men start wearing high heels as a fashion trend, high heels could be more popular than ever for both genders.

[heelma]

It shows the search requests for "High Heels" going down over time. I personally think it has remained about the same in number but is dropping as a percentage of searches as people search for a more wide variety of terms and the amount of web content multiplies.

This chart on it's own doesn't mean anything.

Thanks a lot. I agree with your interpretation.

Besides that it's indeed a pure statistical matter like you said, simply searching for "high heels" on Google doesn't mean that fewer people buy or wear them.

[Stilettoscot]

I see more heels now than ever.

[ScoobyHH]

I went on a night out in town last weekend and have never seen so many high heels,virtually every women was wearing 'proper high heels':smile:

As we were walking from one club to another there were a group of girls in matching black dresses and brightly coloured tights each in a different colour,teamed up with very nice high heels,They looked fantastic.

I can't see how women will ever give up high heels,unless they loose the desire to look good which I can't see happening ,can you?

I don't think we need to start worrying just yet.

By the way I think the girls with the colourfull tights were inspired by this video

http://www.thesaturdays.co.uk/music-and-video.php

you need to click on video called 'up'

I think you will you will like it!!!

same video on youtube

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ajZfbvQFfuo

scoobyhh

[Shoeiee]

Very interesting find this Google Analytical search page!! Although it does not give specifics on the search term it does give a good general trending of how their search engine is used. Great if you're developing a web page and planning key-word searches!! Allows you to target your audience significantly if used properly. Something that I noticed right away...The leading search location for high heels and ballet heels is Germany!! In fact, if you look at the request trends for ballet heels you can see there is a much greater interest in the EU than the US, by a LONG shot!! I think there is much to be said looking at these results... Also search latex, fetish, transvestite and cross dressing and it shows the US is WAY behind the rest of the world in terms of search requests. What I do find surprising it the volume from the UK. Very interesting :-) Just from my experiences online I have gathered that the EU countries are generally, much more sexually open minded than the US. IMHO, this data, from the world's leading search engine, clearly and definitively PROVES it!

[jwhite44]

I'm with more others in this thread - heels are definitely up, both literally (in height) and figuratively (in number of woman (and now men!) wearing them).

Assuming straight-up "high heel web searches are down", I'll throw out a possible explanation - you don't have to search much for them anymore! If you're a size 10, looking for a 4" heel, you don't need to search online for them. Just walk down to your local mall, and probably any store that sells fashion shoes will carry them, in that height and higher. To some degree, same for larger sizes. If I'm not that picky in style, for my size 13, I can go to a local Payless, and find some heeled shoe there that will fit me. The days of having to do online searches and do web orders isn't as important.

Another explanation - assuming people did more high heels searches in the past, now that they know the places that sell them, they no longer need to search for them, they can just go to those websites directly.

My biggest concern for heels is the pendulum effect - all we've been hearing recently is how heel heights are going up (now 5" heels are the old 4" heels). I'd be afraid it's going to peak, and the new "style" is going to be the opposite: lower heels. From a business sense, you really can't expect to sell to typical women much higher heels (regardless of how much some of us might like to see ever woman in 6" heels !). Their way to keep up sales is to have a new market. It might be that, 'now you need to buy new 3" heels, because that's the in style.'

Regardless, at least for now, it's an enjoyable time for heel lovers.

[vector]

As always, the challenge with data is how to interpret it. Is it a blip in the trend? A shift in how the data is presented? Or a leading indicator? It could be that the "drop" in searches means that high heel shoe heights (and sales) will drop in six, nine or twelve months. Time will tell, but those of us who are a little older remember the 70's and ealry 80's when heels were tall and the subsequent "dip" in the 90's to early Y2K years.

[Puffer]

There is some truth to the possibility that heels may be less popular in the short term. During economic downturns, people become less extravagant. For example, on shoe store manager told me that over the last few months, there have been fewer customers buying a second pair of shoes. This may not have a direct relationship to heels, but if fewer people are buying the second pair then inventory accumulates and profits fall.

Also, people may buy more conservative styles. During the 1980's (the last major economic downturn in the US) it was very difficult to find any heels that weren't pumps- no sandals, no peep toes, nothing but classic pumps. For example, when I would take a date to a formal even, she was as likely to a pair of black pumps she would also wear with a suit to work. Instead of buying shoes for a single event or an occasional event, people were just a bit more practical.

Another sign that I have seen is the number of flats that are showing up in shoe stores- and very cute flats at that. A nice flat or a low heel may be more functional to many and be more of a multiple occasion shoe. Also, shoe repair is going up. Instead of tossing a pair of worn shoes, people are more inclined to get them fixed and wear them a bit. This would have an effect on the number of new shoes sold and the number of new styles that are produced.

My hunch is that heels never really went away in the past, those who love heels will always find them, and wear them, but it would be the people on the margin. People who may wear heels occasionally may wear them less to save them for occasional shoes. Remember in business, its the marginal consumer, the one who may or may not buy something typically that drives the market and in essence provides the style and the options for the rest of us.

Some good points there, vector (and in others' posts too). Thinking about it, you are right that not only were shop stocks of 'proper' stilettos rather limited in the late 80s/early 90s but the styles were very restricted. A couple of ladies I knew who liked stilettos found it almost impossible to buy anything but a plain court, and heels were rarely more than 4". Sandals and slingbacks were almost non-existent then - but thankfully are now available (and seen) everywhere.

I'm not so sure though about the 'depression trend' being towards the more conservative styles. I would hardly classify the widely-seen strappy sandals, or very high peep toes and platforms, as 'conservative' - yet they seem to predominate for non-business wear. Maybe we shall see them disappear from the shops when the current discount buying spree slows down (if it does) and more staid styles come back in. As long as they are not all round-toed chunky-heeled 3" courts (with or without peep toes), I won't mind seeing a bit more conservatism.