The history of womens heels being high-end goes back to 3500 B.C. when the upper-class women used crudely developed heels. In ancient Greece and Rome, platform shoes were shoes with high wood or cork soles that were popular among actors who would use shoes of different heights to suggest differing social status or value of characters. As the history of shoes, with differing heights has developed, designer womens boots and heels, or the best of the very best in shoes, have stayed a considerable status sign in our society. So much so, the term “well-heeled” ended up being associated with luxurious wealth.
Italy was and is the epicenter for designer shoes. 1533 in Florence, Italy saw the very first women’s heel designed to extend the legs. They were most especially worn by Italian-born Catherine d’Medici for her wedding event, at age 14, to make her appear two inches taller. In current times, Italy has became an institution for sensational looks, fantastic quality, and beautiful craftsmanship and hosts many designer shoe brands. For the most ‘well heeled’ it is natural to select an Italian brand like Ferragamo, Prada, Gucci, Tods, Guiseppe Zanotti, or Dolce and Gabanna. Despite the fact that numerous womens shoes designers are not Italian, like Jimmy Choo or Christian Louboutin, their shoes factories are in Italy.
No other shoe has actually gestured toward leisure, sexuality, and elegance as much as the high-heeled designer shoe. Is it any marvel ladies will invest pails of money on a pair of shoes, specifically a high heeled shoe? Last year alone (2008), females in the United States spent more than $5 billion on shoes online. Here’s how that breaks down by inches: 0–.5 inch heel– $986 million,.5– 1.5-inch hell– $1 billion, 1.5– 3-inch heel– $1.6 billion, and over 3-inch heel– $1.5 billion. These figures are understandable when the typical expense for designer shoes is around $700 and can exceed well beyond $2,000. As society changes and evolves, the designer high heel appears to remain; synonymous with enhancements of stature, status, and allure.
