Sunday, September 21, 2014

#Chopines | The History of High Heels

Have you ever asked why ladies experience all the agony and inconvenience of wearing high heels? It may shock you to figure out that high heels were once initially worn by men!

In the medieval times, rich men and ladies started wearing these stage shoes called "Chopines" more for commonsense reasons as opposed to form. Amusing enough, the reason that they wore them was to actually raise them over the steed excrement that was everywhere throughout the lanes in those days... yuck!

Swedish Chopin heel, male aristocrat Swedish shoe



Copyright © Collection of Skokloster Castle, Sweden (Photo: Göran Schmidt)


Here is an example of a 17th Century Swedish Chopin Heel combination. Can you envision a wealthy male aristocrat walking through the streets wearing these?!



wedge shoe, wedge heel, black wedge shoes


Here are some examples of the "wedge" shoes of today, reminiscent of the 17th Century Chopin heel shown above.

Melissa Shoes - Peace Wedge - Black - $29.90, See Site shipping - Available at St. Bernard Sports



wedge shoe, black wedge heel, wedges,




Report - Women's Kim - Purple - size 8.5 - $46.00, Free shipping - Available at Fullfillment By Amazon

(4 reviews)



wedge shoes black, stripe wedge shoe, women stripe wedge shoe black






Ugg - UGG Lucianna Stripe Women's Wedge Shoes - Black - $37.50 (59% off), Free shipping - Available at 6pm.com



King Lois the 14th

king Louis in high heels, men heels, men who wear heels



Hyacinthe Rigaud, Portrait of King Louis XIV (detail), 1701, oil on canvas. Musée du Louvre, Paris
King Lois the 14th loved high heels so much that he developed a signature red bottom for all of his shoes. Members of his court were forbidden to wear shoes with red bottoms without his prior consent.



Women of the 1630's also began wearing high heels as a form of protest against men's more powerful positions in social society.



red bottom high heel platform boot, black red bottom boot




Shoe designers of today often look for inspiration from the past such as these "red bottom" high heel platform shoes available at Amazon.

QueenFashion Womens Closed Round Toe High Heel Platform - $39.99, 9.99 shipping - Available at Amazon.com Marketplace



classic red bottom slip resistant sole, red bottom heels


There are even "red bottom" colored sole kits available today that you can add to your heels.

Red Bottom Slip Resistant Shoe Bottom - $13.95, Free shipping - Available at Amazon.com Marketplace



During the "Era of Enlightenment" which was some time between the late 17th Century and early 18th Century, high heels began to lose significance and people began focusing more on philosophy, scientific and cultural life.



The Victorian Era

the victoria era shoes, the Victoria era heels, the Victoria era history
Fast forwarding to the Mid 19th Century, pornographers began dressing up female nudes to accentuate their feminine figures which began to bring high heels back into fashion... essentially for women.



studded red bottom stiletto, studded stiletto heels




Current day shoe makers are still inspired by this era and still create many Victorian inspired shoes today!

Lace Studded Rhinestones Red Bottom Stiletto Heel Ankle Boots with Zipper - $46.99, 9.99 shipping - Available at Amazon.com Marketplace



Victorian boots, classic Victorian boots, women's Victorian boots






Pleaser USA - Victorian Boots - $36.79, 5.50 shipping - Available at Newegg.com



black Victorian boot, classic black Victorian boot








Women s Victorian Boot - $34.99, 5.48 shipping - Available at Amazon.com



Modern Day Heels

modern day heels, Paris Hilton heels, high heels of today


The high heels of today are available in many different colors and styles such as the heels shown below.

Paris Hilton - Joya High Heels - $39.99, Free shipping - Available at 6pm.com



natural high heel, silver high heels, diamond high heels, cute diamond high heels




Ivanka Trump - Natalie 4 High Heels - Silver - $81.99 Free shipping - Available at 6pm.com



black high heels, modern black high heels,
[Your text here]



Sam Edelman - Alysia High Heels (Black) - $59.88 (57% off), Free shipping - Available at Amazon.com



bone mermaid high heel, cute mermaid high heel




Sergio Rossi - Mermaid High Heels - Bone - $1790.00, Free shipping - Available at Zappos.com


I often wonder that if all of the women in the world knew the roots to this trend... would so many of us still walk around in pain and agony every day for the sake of "fashion"? What are your thoughts on the matter? Sound off in the comments below!


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