The has high heels The shoe, popular among men in pre-revolutionary France, is losing favor with women on the streets of Paris. The once familiar click of the stylus on the pad gives way to the silence of rubber soles. Today, fashion writers give French women advice on “chunky boots»: heavy, black shoes with a grooved sole. Trainers, once ridiculed in the beautiful neighborhoods American abomination, are now commonplace in Parisian cafes and offices. Nearly half of French women, according to a survey, do not know how to walk in high heels. What is going on?
Modern France helped make the feminine high heel iconic. Roger Vivier, French designer, is considered the godfather of the stylus, having designed the needle (needle) heel in 1954. He was the first to insert a metal rod into the heel, stiffening its structure and stretching the female silhouette. The brand still describes stiletto heels as “tools of unstoppable seduction”. French luxury designer Christian Louboutin has revisited the 10cm heel with his famous red-soled stiletto, a pair of which costs around €800 ($870).
The current disappearance of French high heels is partly explained by covid-19 and the way working from home has become more widespread the relaxed look. It could also mark a form of post-#MeToo rebellion. A younger generation is opposed to the deforming nature of the stiletto, mentioned in the film “Barbie”, in which the star’s feet no longer fall flat when she is lifted from her heels.
During the holiday season, the high heel – or at least a block version – could see a revival. But it could be fleeting. In French department stores, the trend seems well established. “Oh dear, no! It’s over,” says a Parisian shoe store manager when asked if she sells a lot of stilettos, praising the limited range that she has relegated to a higher shelf. “Women want comfort,” explains a saleswoman from another store. “What matters is that you can wear flat, chunky boots with an elegant dress and still look chic.”■