A New Turn of Era Suffrage movements and the importance of women's rights had an effect on shoe fashion. The arrival of the 20th century found heels to predominantly become more sensible and flatter as a consequence for the demand of comfortable footwear. The heel stayed under two inches from 1850s until 1920s where shoe fashion came into focus again. The revival of heels in the "roaring 20s" was due in part to the bold fashion that called for even bolder footwear. Heels in Battle However, the high heel trend plummeted in popularity once again during the years of the Great Depression where economic crises in the 1930s called for more practical, low and wide heel fashion. The war and post World War II years of 1940s caused heels to turn thicker as luxury was not the main concern and materials had to be rationalized.
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The Revival of Heels It wasn't until the 1950s, where the emergence of fashion designers, such as Christian Dior, where heels rose to popularity once more. It was Dior's collaboration with Roger Vivier, shoe designer, that the appearance of the pointy-toes stiletto heel could be accredited. The fashion world became its own, and built itself up as a wildly successful industry. More and more footwear designs could be seen in shops and the arrival of Hollywood sirens such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, modeling heels that portrayed an alluring and seductive sway both on set and off set, triggered the escalation of the popularity of high heels. The stiletto, originating in Italy and sharing its name with a dagger, dominated footwear fashion during the 1960s, appearing on tall boots paired with high hemlines. The kitten heel was also in fashion during this time. Where stilettos were the Monroes of the era, kitten heels became the Hepburn.
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1950s shoes advertisement
(Source: fashion-era.com) |
1970s platform heels
(Source: blog.bridepower.com) |
The 1970s saw a significant turn around in heel style and slim stiletto heels gave way to the chunky platform shoe, which again was worn by both men and women. This was the latest Flower Power variety of the kothorni and chopines of the earlier eras. Designers like Manolo Blahnik brought the return of high heels in the 1980s and 1990s where heels and trendy shoes were brought to the catwalk, to Hollywood and eventually to every woman.
Heel Controversy High heels became an essential and fundamental part of most of the Western women's wardrobe, despite their social standing. However, this footwear eventually became a controversial issues in regards to the subject of women's rights. Feminist groups began to condemn the high heel shoes during the 1960s. They saw heels as an invention created by men to put a shackle on the evolution of women, both literally and figuratively.
Regardless of this, high heels persisted to evolve and by 1980s, conservative feminist views of the high heels had receded. Supporters of the women's suffrage ultimately believed that the eroticism that is implicated through high heels could provide satisfaction to women as well as men, and that fashion permits experimentation with different appearances that challenge society norms on issues such as class and gender separation. This new feminist theory regard that the wearer of heels would receive a sense of stature, dominance and authority and that women wore high heels for themselves, not to be aesthetically appealing for the opposite sex. |
Fashionably High High heels presumably give the illusion of longer and more slender legs. Heels come in various forms such as : stilettos, wedges, pumps, blocks, and cones. There's also the kitten heel- a smaller version of a stiletto heel, puppies, prisms, and spools. Shoe industries that create high-fashion shoes, such as Jimmy Choo and Gucci, state that 2.5 inches are considered to be low heels, mid heels are between 2.5 and 3.5 inches, while high heels are, accordingly, higher than 3.5 inches. The clothing industry perceives that anything between 2 inches to 5 inches is considered to be high heels. |
Heels today
(Source: runwithkate.blogspot.com) |
By Apichaya Wijit-r and Napat Nutchanart
References
Norton-Smith, Dulcinea. "The History of the Heel." February 27 2008. Web. 16 November 2012. <http://suite101.com/article/the-history-of-the-heel-a45992>. "Fashion Benefits of High Heel Shoes." February 4 2012. Web. 16 November 2012. <http://blog.bodybuilding.com/bartonmoon410/2012/02/05/fashion_benefits_of _high_heel/>. "Dangerous Elegance – A History of High-Heeled Shoes." Random History. 2012. Web. 9 November 2012. <http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/036heels.html>. Griffiths, Andrew. "Website Content Sample Two – High Heel Shoes as a Symbol of Class, Gender and Sexuality." Articles on History. 2012. Web. 9 November 2012. <http://www.articlesonhistory.com/high-heel-shoes.php>. |
Photo Sources
"1925 Sears Catalog." Flickr. April 3 2009. Web. 16 November 2012. <http://www. flickr.com/photos/hadesigns/3410721122/in/set-72157616230287495>. Thomas, Pauline. "1950s Glamour with Fifties Accessories - Fashion History." 10 June 2005. Web. 16 November 2012. <http://www.fashion-era.com/1950s/1950s_2_ fashion_accessories.htm>. JaysonBP. "1970s Platform Shoes." January 30 2010. Web. 16 November 2012. <http://blog.bridepower.com/picture-perfect-post-a-wedding-fashion- flashback/01/30/2010/1970s-platform-shoes/>. B, Kate. "Back Away from the High Heels." June 4 2012. Web. 16 November 2012. <http://runwithkate.blogspot.com/2012/06/back-away-from-high-heels.html>. |
Logo and Banner References
“Fashion and Tea Blogspot.” 16 November 2012. Web. November 2012. <http://fashion-and-tea.blogspot.com>. “How to Draw High Heels.” 4 November 2011. Web. 17 November 2012. <http://idrawfashion.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-draw-high-heels>. |
“Drawing Fashion.” 22 October 2010. Web. 17 November 2012. <http://madebysix.wordpress.com/category/darren-jessop/>. Singh, Sarah. “Fashion Illustration: A Contemporary Look.” 6 September 2012. Web. 17 November 2012. <http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/events/ exhibitions/fashion-illustration-contemporary-look-sara-singh>. |
© This website is part of Online Information Searching and Communication Class
Semester 1 Academic Year 2012
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University
Semester 1 Academic Year 2012
Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University