The inevitable change in fashion re heels

[DandyDude]

Okay, I was reading Vogue and there was an article about the end of the stiletto. It pointed out the fact that the designers aren't doing stilettos anymore as the thing. They are mostly doing thicker heels and rounder toes, plus reviving the platform. Even the few left doing stiletto courts are rounding off the toes. I was sure this sort of thing would happen right at this very time. Something similar happened ten years ago, when the platforms were being phased out in favour of stilettos. I recall an advert pic of Claudia Schiffer wearing black needletoe courts and tight straightleg jeans, an anomaly in a period of platforms and frills. Supposedly, the thicker heels are coming back to balance out the frillier clothes, which makes sense in a way. I, myself, love the pointy spiked courts, my fave shoe on a woman. As for platforms, while I at one time thought they could be elegant and sexy depending on how they were made and worn, I believe the Spice Girls killed off any thoughts of that for me. While I do like the pretty, frilly women's fashions they are trying to revive, I'd rather see them worn with babydolls. You know, courts with round, more bulbous toes and thicker but straight heels. I'd like to hear your thoughts and comments on this. As I said, I knew it was coming and at this very time.

[hoverfly]

Naaaaaaaah....There will all way be somebody (custom) making stiletto shoes with a pointed toe. But you may not like the price to pay to get them.

[Paul (North-East)]

Hi Dandydude, Here in the UK stilettos have been making a slow but sure comeback for about the last three years. But it was only last year that I felt they were really establishing themselves again. I can't really see them being on the decline so soon. Sounds like the USA and the UK are slightly out of sync with each other. Please keep us posted of any developments on the heel front over there. Thanks, Paul.

[Dr. Shoe]

It will be at least 3 years before stilettoes will disappear from the shops. Vogue is a minimum of 4 years ahead even if the ideas do eventually catch on.

[onyourtoes]

Around here if I see heels at all they're 2 - 3 inch blocks. I think I live in a fashion free zone. In my town of about 20,000 I'm probably the only person who even owns a pair of heels over 5 inches. I was in greater Tokyo in spring 2002 and stiletto pumps, mostly sling backs, were catching on big time. Back in Japan last fall (2003), I mostly saw 4 inch spike heeled knee high boots.

[DandyDude]

Hi Dandydude,

Here in the UK stilettos have been making a slow but sure comeback for about the last three years. But it was only last year that I felt they were really establishing themselves again. I can't really see them being on the decline so soon.

Sounds like the USA and the UK are slightly out of sync with each other.

Please keep us posted of any developments on the heel front over there.

Thanks, Paul.

Well, I'd say that stilettos were both fashionable and widely worn for late 2001, 2002, and up until fall/winter 2003. That is when they started showing first stiletto courts with rounder toes, then with thicker straight heels, then for spring, platforms. Personally, I prefer to see a woman in pointy stilettos. If they are going to wear anything else, I do like the shoes known as babydolls. You know, courts with a thicker straight heel and a rounder, more bulbous toe. I think they look great with the frillier clothes they are showing now. What I don't like are those things that resemble flipflops with straight platforms, ugly in my not so humble opinion.

In short, the happy marriage between stiletto enthusiasts and fashion is drawing to a close again, until they start bringing them back again in 10 years or so.

As for my personal experience, women I know tend to be pulled together, meaning they have a total image going on. You know, dresses and stilettos with all the accessories. One ex-model of my knowledge hates clothes, typical model burnout on, and won't even wear heels. She considers herself a bit goth, so I'd think she'd look good in some sort of ballet flat like French Sole, fave of Sarah Ferguson and Sloane Rangers everywhere. Maybe a black velvet pair, which would look good with the long skirts she usually wears. They aren't heels, but they are pretty.

[Paul (North-East)]

I agree DandyDude, court style shoes (and slingbacks) are sexier with a pointy toe. But I also love stiletto heeled mules, especially low cut ones with one or two thin straps to keep them on across the toes. Hopefully, now spring is coming we will begin to see more of these. Last year was a good one for mules. I'm hoping this year will be just as good. Paul

[Anne_Louise]

I don't think I have ever NOT worn stilettos of some kind when properly dressed for work or occasions. I did try a couple of platforms in the seventies, but one of those had a very (for the time) thin heel. Even in the first mini-skirt era, I always thought heels looked better, so managed to buy old stock, or even second-hand, to make sure I always had some. I have never slavishly followed fashion. The heels in those days were probably no higher than four inches, though I did later on find four-and-a-half inch heels appearing in the shopping catalogues, and always bought some to ensure I had them when fashions changed. I've had no trouble in the past fiteen years or so getting five inch heels and as my lower ones are now wearing out, I rarely wear anything lower. As someone has said, there will always be specialists to keep the style going through the bad times. I just love stilettos, the higher the better - they make me feel good and, yes, sexy. For me, five-and-a-half inch are best, although I have some six inch for when I don't have to walk far. I haven't changed my opinion about skirt lengths - heels look good with any length, but short clothes always look best with heels!

[Anita C.]

In fashion, out of fashion . . . The fickle diva that is fashion is penduleum like. It swings one way then back. Face it there is only so much that can be done with a shoe and fashion is a very fickle thing subject to the whimsey of the new wave of perky little dennizens who kowtou to Vogue, Harpers, Elle and the like. After 55 years on this orb I have found that one thing holds true: conservative clothing always looks appropriate and never truely goes out of style. The classic cut of a Channel Little Black Dress and a elegant pair of Black Patent 5" Stiletto heel pumps will always look "In Style" and never dated. Chunky heels and platforms? Unless you're going to a 70s' revival might look peculiar. I'm at a point where I really don't give a damn what Vogue says is "Hot". I know what works for me and I've been through the "Fashion Nazis" trying to tell me how to dress. I have unlimited sources for my beloved Stilettos on the internet. As I have said, I know what I like and I know what works for me. Ciao, Anita C.

[stilettofan]

I was told the same thing a few weeks ago in a shoe store: stiletto-time is over, pointed-toe-time is over etc. I couldn't believe it (and didn't want to either), so I checked the websites of some famous designers, such as Dolce&Gabbana, Versace, Gianmarco Lorenzi, Dibrera, Louis Vuitton. And there you are: the vast majority of at least 80% of shoes displayed there for spring season 2004 are STILETTOS with pointed toes :drinking: For example at Lorenzi 22 out of 23. Only one had a rounder toe and a thicker heel. And if you have a look at the fashion shows in Milan, most of the models wear stilettos. So, nothing to worry about. Let's keep stilettos alive, no matter what Vogue may dream of....

[stilettofan]

In fashion, out of fashion . . .

After 55 years on this orb I have found that one thing holds true: conservative clothing always looks appropriate and never truely goes out of style. The classic cut of a Channel Little Black Dress and a elegant pair of Black Patent 5" Stiletto heel pumps will always look "In Style" and never dated.

I'm at a point where I really don't give a damn what Vogue says is "Hot". I know what works for me and I've been through the "Fashion Nazis" trying to tell me how to dress.

I couldn't agree more with you, Anita.

Really good women, no matter what age, always know how to dress and what is good for them. I'm sure that a classic outfit will never ever be accompanied with bricks on the feet of a beautiful woman, no matter what fashion dictators might tell you.

[Anne_Louise]

Anita, you and I share a similar outlook on life! Maybe you carry your love of glitz further than I do - stretch lmos aren't really my thing - but much of what you say I could have written for myself. Like you, I wear my heels everywhere when I need to be properly dressed (long walks are a necessary exception - I sink down to my hiking boots then!), and most people who know me have given up commenting. I used sometimes to have comments about wearing such shoes to church - I've also been told I shouldn't wear leather to church - but provided the outfit is smart and the shoes not too eycatching apart from the heels, I can see nothing wrong. I don't wear ultra-short skirts to church or anywhere else where others could be embarrassed or distracted - I try to dress appropriately for the occasion but in a way that suits me and expresses my personality. I ignore the dictates of fashion and whether my clothes are ankle length or thigh high, slinky or flowing there is one constant - the highest stilettos that I can manage, which is, for me, five and a half inch daily, going up to six inch when I don't have to walk too far. These are NOT hookers' shoes, C.F.M. (horrible term) or fetish-wear. I wear them because they look beautiful, they make a wonderful sound, they improve my posture, they make me stand out in the crowd, they show I care and, above all, because they make me feel GREAT! Keep up the good work Anita, and I shall do my bit this side of the 'pond'.

[DandyDude]

Hmmm, some women finally posted on this topic . Well, I would say this. Things do run in cycles, and now is the transition period from pointy-stilettos to platforms. I would wager that in two years, ALL the designer shoes will be platforms of some sort. As I've said before, I do prefer a woman in stilettos, but the babydolls look good with the frillier clothes they are showing at this time. The tweed-coat/ bright pastel stiletto look is probably a transition point, as it inaugurates a more colourful era, while still drawing on the earlier styles. I love it, but it's still a transition point that will vanish soon, much like those wearing upswept hair, bright straight skirts, and bright stilettos in the early mid 1960s were superceeded by the chunkier shoes, minis and parted in the middle hair of the mid 1960s. I used to think that all the retro would kill off the fashion cycle that had developed. you know, revivals every twenty years. It was every thirty earlier, now it has gotten to where things that never would have been worn together originally are presented as straight retro, rather than the retrovisionism that they are. Witness a style from several years ago, still around, bell-bottom bondage trousers. That NEVER would have happened back in the 1970s-1980s. Yes, the LBD and matching stilettos are elegant, but they also arose at a point in time, and inevitably will disappear again. Face it, it's time for the 1990s revival, which was essentially a twisted 1970s revival.

[Paul (North-East)]

These are NOT hookers' shoes, C.F.M. (horrible term) or fetish-wear. I wear them because they look beautiful, they make a wonderful sound, they improve my posture, they make me stand out in the crowd, they show I care and, above all, because they make me feel GREAT!

Well said Anne Louise, I couldn't agree more. To me, all you heel wearing girls are Godess material and on a higher level to the mere mortals in their trainers and flaties.

I'm enjoying your posts, please keep them up!

Love, Paul.

[mk4625]

The shape of the heel is important, as well as the height. I have seen shoes with 5 to 6 inch heels which did not arouse me. On the other hand a 2 to 3 inch heel that is well-formed can be a powerful turn-on. The sculpted curvy spike heels that were worn in the late 50s to mid 60s should return to the mainstream of fashion. The higher-quality makes of fetish footwear still use this heel profile. I've never liked blade heels ever since they first appeared 4 or 5 years ago, especially on boots with wide "Daisy Duck" toes and center seams. I've seen only one example of a blade heel that I liked. It was on a high cut shoe with a semi-pointed toe.

[DandyDude]

This thread, which was incidentally was started by me, was in the "similar threads" at the bottom of my "...beyond heels for men?" thread on the "Everyone" forum. I love that feature. Re this topic: I've noticed an interesting thing, a hugely popular style now is a style that has sort of held on from the earlier part of the decade. It is pointy stilettos, straight leg denims and a neutral shade blouse. I've seen it on TV spots and in magazines both.

[Guy N. Heels]

In fashion, out of fashion . . .

The fickle diva that is fashion is penduleum like. It swings one way then back. Face it there is only so much that can be done with a shoe and fashion is a very fickle thing subject to the whimsey of the new wave of perky little dennizens who kowtou to Vogue, Harpers, Elle and the like.

...I'm at a point where I really don't give a damn what Vogue says is "Hot". I know what works for me and I've been through the "Fashion Nazis" trying to tell me how to dress.

I have unlimited sources for my beloved Stilettos on the internet.

As I have said, I know what I like and I know what works for me.

Ciao,

Anita C.

Besides, even if they cleared the shelves, most sensible people would simply go to their closet and wear what they have on hand.

[Dr. Shoe]

Actually fashon is a myth. The industry decides what we are going to wear and even if EVERYBODY wanted a particular style, no one would be able to buy it because the industry would refuse to sell it to them. Why do you think that vintage is so popular...?

[Trolldeg]

Eh..? The industry produces what they think people will want to buy based on trends set by high profile designers and trend setters.

[DandyDude]

I know how the fashion business works, especiaslly since I was involved in it for some years of my childhood. I could drop names. I think there is a dialectical sense to it, that is all.

[Dr. Shoe]

Eh..? The industry produces what they think people will want to buy based on trends set by high profile designers and trend setters.

Exactly. They give Victoria Beckham a pair of cowboy boots knowing full well that they already have 2 million pairs in a warehouse in China or somewhere. You don't honestly think that they see her in a pair and then go "that's a good idea, let's make loads of cowboy boots!" do you?

Also, who do the designers work for?

If you don't believe me, you try buying something that isn't going to be "fashionable" at the beginning of the season before the fashion becomes entrenched...

[dr1819]

Two and a half years since the original post, I do see a return of thin platforms (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch), but there are still plenty of stilletos around. In fact, it seems to remain the norm for high heels, even though other high heels do exist. I dream of a day when all styles will be available for everyone in all sizes. Is that too much to ask? Or are we doomed to have 80% of all shoes copycatting one another? Viva varietat!

[DandyDude]

I've noticed think platforms, along with more frilly clothes. Interesringly enough, I believe that the stilettos/small bells outfit fashionable for some time seems to have become the new classic i.e. something that is a basic umtouched by trends. The little black dress is an example from the past.

[DandyDude]

I guess this topic has changed from my original appeal to the women to post. Ehhh...when in Rome...

[Wolfgang]

I'm happy thick heels and platforms are coming back I <3 conkety heels