Are high heels becoming obsolete?

[SlipperOrchid]

I rarely wear anything except flats anymore. It wasn't intentional, simply practical footwear for chasing young children around.

However, more often than not, if I was going out for the evening, I wore mid heels as I felt more 'dressed up' in them. My heels were neither comfortable nor uncomfortable although if I had to choose, I will say the latter as when I got home I kicked them off

My social life has changed from late nigh bars to restaurants and putting on heels to go and sit down with my feet under a table seems bordering on insanity.

Trainers are now more popular than ever. I have over ten pairs and wear them daily apart wearing flat boots when it rains (like today!).

I follow En Brogue and she never wears heels and although I know this started for medical reasons, her choice of flat shoes makes perfect sense for everyone.

At the weekend, I had a great seat by an upstairs window in a coffee shop in a capital city where I spent over an hour people watching. Everyone was wearing flat shoes or trainers. I saw one woman who clumped around rather ungracefully in heeled boots and she stood out quite a lot.

Afterwards | went shoe shopping (for a pair of loafers in Aldo) and noticed for the first time that the section for 'high heels' was tiny.
Am I simply totally unstylish these days? Do many of you still wear heels? Or have heels had their day?

I should add that I under 5ft 3" and always liked feeling taller in heels :).

I am late 20s and own 1 pair of heels which were bought for a wedding. And we’re so uncomfortable. And I couldn’t walk in them.

I wear flat boots/Chelsea boots in winter, then loafers, trainers or Birkenstock’s in summer. Job done.

I definitely notice women in heels and think it looks odd and dated these days, in any setting.

Agree they are v dated now. Especially for work.
Oh bollocks. I'm going to need a style intervention thread then.
I also wear dresses but I doubt they'd have me on The Apprentice.

I really hope so!

Imagine men tottering around in them - they'd look ridiculous and so do we. RIP horrible high heels

Oh in saying that I wore heels for my wedding in February but they were a chunky block heel (Irregular Choice) rather than the more stiletto type heels I used to wear. And they only lasted until after the first dance

Was in London on Saturday night and didn't see many women in high heels, and those that were were wearing mid heel boot type of thing.

It can definitely look a bit dated/naff, especially very high heels.

Should say, I was in central London

I don't think they'll ever completely go away. Like the corset - they'll always be a market for them. Plus fashion goes round in circles.

I used to have loads of pairs of heels. I've thrown most of them out and only replaced with two pairs with fairly low heels (for me!). Only wear them for weddings. I thought it was my age more than anything.

There's not really night clubs like there used to be either. I think that has something to do with it too.

I think obsolete is a bit strong. There are more choices than ever and you can wear all manner of footwear for style or utility. I adore heels and wear them religiously at work and when I want to feel particularly smart. Equally, I have many (!!) pairs of 'nice' trainers and an array of boots, flats, sandals and flip flops. Horses for courses, but you'll pry my stilettos from my gold dead feet

*cold hah!

Heels are very dated. They can look a bit try hard now.

I'd noticed this too although it doesn't really affect me as I don't wear them anyway. But I very much doubt they've gone for good. It's just a swing of the fashion pendulum.

They look very dated now. Anyone wearing them around town/shopping/going to work looks ludicrous in them.

I’m sure Jimmy Choo will have them back all over the catwalks or today’s platform Istagram soon enough.

I hope younger women don’t like the idea or reality of them anymore though.

I'm 38 so not particularly young or old and I haven't worn heels for literally years! My clubbing days are behind me now but the younger relatives I have seem to wear dresses and trainers a lot. I wear ballet flats or flat boots to work and converse/Chelsea boots when I'm not at work. I work in quite a corporate department and only my boss wears a proper high heeled court shoe (and she's a bit of a grump to be fair...)

Frump not grump! Although she's that as well...

I think heels for work now looks really try-hard. I know it's just fashion and it'll probably change back again, but right now only people over about 50 are wearing heels at my workplace. There are heaps of cute smart flats now - I wear pointy flats with trousers or dresses or skirts. I work for a local authority and the women still in high heels tend to be the ones who wear suits (ie, the managers), who do tend to be older. Younger women tend not to. I think it's a reaction from the ridiculously high heels of about 5 years ago.

On nights out heels are different - depending entirely on how fancy the occasion is and how much walking/dancing you're likely to do.

My sister works for a yacht company- in the office & at boat shoes they are actually required to wear heels

Is that legal? Do the men have to wear heels?

I thought a legal case was taken a couple of years ago about a similar situation. I think it was Price Waterhouse?

I hope so I've never worn them. My gran had severely deformed feet from growing up at a time when they were almost unavoidable; my mother has a permanently contracted Achilles tendon from wearing them constantly, my sister threw her back out for months after an accident related to heels and two friends broke their ankles falling over in heels after parties. Not good adverts. Having said that I still know people who've been forced to wear them in office settings.

It’s illegal to insist women wear heels or make up now. Quite right too. Like pps, I think heels look very dated now, I haven’t worn them for years.

Hard to believe this was less than three years ago

www.google.com/amp/s/www.thejournal.ie/nicola-thorp-high-heels-2765192-May2016/%3Famp%3D1

I never understand why people say flat shoes are bad for your feet and you should wear a mid heel. Feet are surely not designed to wear heels as the best thing for them would be barefoot. And what about men? - their feet seem fine in flat shoes- never heard anyone recommend heels to them!

I have some mid heel shoes but only a couple of pairs, quite a few kitten heel/low heels and a lot of flats. I like pointy flats or boots.

At work nobody under 40-50 tends to wear them. It’s all about CC flats now.