The origin of heels

[Amanda]

Were they really invented by Leonardo Da Vinci or by mongolian horsemen? Or someone else?

[t-strap lover]

I don't know myself Amanda, but I like whats out there now, not then.

[wongetje]

not sure WHO invented the high heels, but I do know that the french court wore high heels, and that is the men not the women! Like Louis 14 wore heels.

[CassieJ]

Since the 1500s, both men and women wore heels. They fell out of favor after the French revolution as anything showing wealth was shunned. By the late 1800s, heels made a comeback in Italy and Europe and that flowed to the US. By the mid 1900s, heels were in, but for Women only. Only in the 60s-70s during Disco did men's heels make a comeback but quickly disappeared. Now we are on the cusp of a lasting men in heels movement. From Germany to London to NYC, men are starting to wear heels in public. It is up to us to make it stick this time!

[flavio]

I think that no archaeologist has studied the origins of high heels thenselves, but some finds in google says some trends like: - women were celebrated for giving children in stone made pedestals and them decided to tie-up stones in the feet (I think this is scam) - workers (men) in fields attached wood stacks in the shoes to keep it clean (to be confirmed) About the modern heels as we know it have some contraditorious stories like beeing invented by Leonardo Davinci, Catherine de Medici or courtesans from the court of King Louis in France. The stiletto has first appeared in the 50s.

[jmc]

Were they really invented by Leonardo Da Vinci or by mongolian horsemen?

Or someone else?

History may have forgotten who is really responsible for this wonderful innovation, all I can say is "Thank You!!"

[BoyLegs]

Additionally, men of noble birth wore shoes with long pointed toes. At Crecy, the French cut the points off their toes with their swords so they could run faster - they were dismounted - to get to the English. In the late middle ages, many kingdoms had sumptuary laws forbidding commoners from wearing, among other things, shoes with toes longer than a defined length.

[Histiletto]

Does any one know what Adam and Eve's footwear was made from after they left the garden and had to deal with the jagged rocks, sticker bushes, and cat spurs. I suspect when the leaves wore out too quickly, they figured that tieing some bark to their feet would last longer, which would give them the distinction of being the first to wear platforms. Then again, maybe they figured the hoofs from some of the dead animals could be used, since the animals no longer needed to use them. Obviously, I have no real clue as to the initial origin of heels. The idea of attaching some sort of stop located under the heel of one's foot on the bottom of the shoe for those who use stirrups in horse riding seems a rational possibility to begin with. The elevating of the foot to prevent a person from actually having to come into contact with the mud, filth, and/or swale of the ground has just as much credence. The most logical origin in my mind happened when someone noticed a person's silhouette as they stood on their tip-toes. It was pleasing to see and soon this type of stance became fashionable theater; thus ballet dancing came into being from this practice. Since the silhouette of ballet could not be achieved by everyone, there came an idea to offer a type of heel support so that those who could not assume the ballet stance, could still reach a comparable height and produce a similar silhouette. This sight was also found to be just as becoming, so high heel shoes became the popular footwear, but the expense was too high for the financial ability of most people. They became a status symbol of the rich and powerful and then we know the effect of the French Revolution on the wearing of high heels. This scenario may have some truth, but it is purely my speculation at this point, but it seems more plausible than not.