High heels have been around for quite some time, and they used to be even higher. In Europe during the 1600s, women's heels had reached the height of two or three feet. In order to walk, they had to have something to hang onto, such as a maid or a long cane, as falls could be dangerous. It was more than a matter of fashion, however. At that time, chamber pots were emptied into the street, and these shoes, called chopines, kept women's dresses clean while walking along the poop-filled streets. On the male side of nuttiness, European fashion in men's shoes during the 1300s called for pointed shoes. Men began wearing shoes with long, pointed tips. As men strived to outdo one another, the tips got longer and longer until men were tripping all over the place. Rather than giving up on the fashion immediately, some men began tying the tips of their shoes to their legs.
Women weren't alone with the high-heels, either. At the height of his power in the early 1700s, King Louis XIV of France began wearing high heels, probably because he was short. Anyhow, it caught on and soon other members of the aristocracy were wearing them. It is said that Louis's heels were five inches high, and as other members of the court began wearing high heels, the king wore higher ones.
Well I've had a good laugh at this, I didn't know about the shoes but they sure did wear hideous outfits back then I'm not a fashion freak thank goodness, as there are some modern items out there that make me cringe
I like high heels, on women. That why I buy my baby Louboutins. She looks GOOD in them! Yummmmm........
Often wondered the same thing - I've known some women that squeeze into those shoes and their toes became very deformed As for the wooden heels above - the pain they must have endured, would have been better to take up the skirt just above floor level
After my wife fell, going to a job interview, while wearing high heels, we both decided to get rid of all of her shoes with heels like that. She kept a few pairs of pumps, but will wear very nice looking flats to a job interview. When I first met my wife, she was wearing pointed cowboy boots. She didn't tuck her pants legs into the boots, of which she scored points with me for not doing that, but I did tell her that the pointed boots "had to go". Got her a pair of black Roper brand boots and she loved them. I had already had a pair of gray Roper boots, but also had bought a pair of Lace-Up Roper boots. The like my Lace-Ups so much, we bought her a pair. She fit into the "rodeo family" perfectly and learned a lot. So, so proud of her!!