High Heels

The introduction of high heels date back to the  early tenth century by Persian soldiers on  horseback in the era of Shah Abbas. High heel  shoes gave the soldiers stability in the stirrups  and it was an easier method for horse riding  and that’s why the cowboy boots are known  for their long heels. When Shah Abbas sent a  diplomatic mission to Europe, since the  Europeans were fascinated by Persian dress  and shoes designs, high heels spread to Europe  from Iranian soldiers. High heels were the  symbol of horse riding that represented the  association between horse riding and upper  classes in society.   By the time women began to wear the high  heels. This trend continued until the  mid-seventeenth century, high heels addressed  to separate the upper class of the society from  the lower class.  At that time there was no gender restriction  for wearing high heels, even so, by depicting  Louis XIV, men’s power, physical endurance  and male muscularity was shown by high  heels, therefore, men’s shoes design was  slowly separated from women’s shoes design.  men’s heels were short, wide and sturdy but      women’s heels were longer, conical and  decorative.   One thing that is exceedingly noticeable , the  Christian Louboutin high-heeled shoes with  red shoe sole were not the sign of the luxury  shoes but it was Louis XIVs high-heeled shoes  with red shoe sole that left as a luxury shoes  on our minds. Since the Red color was the  symbol of wealth, Louis XIV determined a  new law that said high heels with red shoe  soles are particularly for people from upper  social class, the courtier and rich people. In  the mid-eighteenth century men stopped  wearing high heels, since then, it was used just  by women.   With the invention of camera and posing in  front of camera by models, designers were  encouraged to design the new style shoes. In  the photographic industry heeled models were  on the highest level of attractiveness, that’s  why designers began to design shoes with  higher heels and they were not comfortable at  all, it was designed just for posing in front of  camera for a few minutes. With the popularity  of high heel shoes and using them for  everyday use, gatherings and homes, designers      started to design more comfortable high heels.