Suede shoe, c.1640-1650
The shape of this shoeâs heel is unusual. The flat leather sole underneath the high heel was probably designed to raise the shoe further off the ground. This served a useful purpose, protecting the delicate suede from the mud and dirt of the streets.
Shoes with high heels were first worn by rich nobles in France in the 1500s. The fashion gradually spread among royalty and rich people throughout Europe. High heels were worn by both men and women.
No one knows exactly who invented high heels or why. Shoes that were raised above the ground were worn in ancient times, but they were probably a kind of platform. Early platform shoes were very difficult to get around on. Eventually someone discovered that by making the heel higher than the toe you gained height while still being able to walk.
For many centuries only the nobility wore high heeled shoes. High heels were completely unsuitable for farm work and manual labour. They were also very expensive as they were made of richly decorated leather, satin or velvet. It wasnât until the 1700s that high heeled shoes were widely worn by the middle classes. Even then, they had lower heels than the shoes worn by the nobility.
Poorer people continued to wear plain, flat shoes. The design of these shoes had changed very little since the early Middle Ages. The shoes covered the whole foot up to the ankle. They slipped easily on and off, and fastened with a flap at one side secured by ties or a toggle. Working people also wore slip-on wooden clogs. Clogs were cheap, hardwearing, and kept the feet warm and dry when working on wet or frozen ground.
