High or low?

[at9]

Rather pessimistic article about heels from the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37517468

[Pumped]

What I found funny, unless I missed it, is the article said nothing about an increase or decrease in shoe purchases of different styles, it just said women buy more trainers than heels. It might have been this way for years, or even decades.

[Shyheels]

It does say trainers have "overtaken" heels, suggesting a change in the rankings. But then fashion of all sorts is a continuous sine curve.

[Heelster]

I've seen a definite trend in trainers / sneakers being worn everywhere - very rarely do I see any heel height. Even men's western boots are all flat these days, so I would tend to believe that women are buying less high heels and going toward trainers.

[Chorlini]

I'm not surprised. Style and culture have been on the decline for a long time. There are people who think that dressing up means putting on their best training suit.

[SF]

I can't (won't) comment on trends in Europe, since I am not from there.  But I have visited there a few times.  In Europe, unlike in the US, the streets and sidewalks are constructed with cobblestones, which look nice (quaint) but have a very uneven surface.  I have worn low heels in Europe, the wife has worn higher heels and we both find that walking on a cobblestone street can be very difficult.  Watching other gals negotiate the uneven surfaces is interesting, the wife and I give these gals - and guys? - a lot of credit.  

Maybe the uneven surfaces are one reason that gals are getting away from heels?  Maybe???  Take care all...  sf

 

 

[Chorlini]

Then why do Italian wonen still wear heels in theater numbers? Their streets are even worden then Western European.
 

The decline is culturally driven, with wonen becoming more masculine.

[robbiehhw]

There is a convergence women's wear more masculine, menswear more feminine. Formalness will never go away. Society is on a more egalitarian trend and that also lends to casualness. I really don't see a lot of women in sneakers, except on the weekends here. Otherwise it tends to boots, flats or sandals (including wedges)

[RonC]

We have gone trhough some downturns before.  In the late 60's and into the 70's, heels were basically gone, and those that were around were quite blocky.  It took at least 10 years for the swing back around to occur.  My favorite era for heels was the mid 1980's into the early 1990's.  There were plenty of 3-5" heels to be found - nice stilettos, etc.  Then we went the other way again - thicker heels, lower heels, the (in my opinion) dreaded Louis style heel.  Things started to turn around again in the 2000's, and we reached new heights, quite literally, of heels.  I'm guessing that if we all survive long enough, we'll go through a period of thick block heels without much height for several years, but then the designers, in an effort to sell something "new", will bring back thinner and higher heels once again.  I agree that heel wearing for women is way down, but I believe that is a match to the clothing trend, where everything is much more casual - men hardly wear suits to work anymore either.  But if you go into a women's shoe store, there are still more aisles and displays of dressy heels than there are casual shoes.  So they still must sell more heels than other styles.  Where the women wear those heels is, however, a mystery to me, because I rarely see them being worn...lol.

[Jkrenzer]

 They simply end up in closets collecting dust.  They buy them because they are hot but simply don't wear them.  Still the manufactures make their money and don't care if the shoes aren't worn. 

[gibby]

I see most people wearing flip flops and when I see ladies wearing heels they have a platform.   Never see guys around my town wearing heels except me and I wear boot cut ladies levis that cover most of the heels.   I actually am wearing shorter heel sandals because there are some really cute  designs I like and some are sexy at that. 3 inch heels or sandals are breeze so why not enjoy at least for me.  Some of the gallery pictures I have seen are lower heels they look great!