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 :).

@BettyBoo, lol, I think the real Sr Steve was definitely more of a trainers kinda nun. I think I remember an episode where she wore heels and Fr Dowling had to hold her upright.

I hope so, they are so uncomfortable and I always felt jealous of men on a night out with really comfy shoes and me and my friends tottering about in agony in our twenties.

Now I wear pumps or ankle boots at best and I'm just as comfy as my husband.

The fashion seems to have changed making comfortable sensible shoes fashionable and I love it!!!

I've never been able to walk in anything higher than a sock. Annoyingly I also struggle with flipflops as they give me terrible toe cleavage blisters. Trainers are my friends.

Victoria Beckham has not ditched her heels at all, she claimed she had a couple of years back, but she is pretty much constantly in heels in every picture printed of her, occasionally she will be In brogues or trainers but not very often.

I wore heels maybe twice last year. I took heels to my work Christmas party but put my flat boots back on for dancing. I used to think I couldn’t dance in flats, it felt weird, like my feet were huge! And I think maybe one or two women in my office wear heels now and neither wear them every day. I used to wear them to work daily! I have brogues, flat boots, flatforms, trainers and pointy flats to choose from now!

Now I put heels on with an outfit and then try trainers and think the trainers look better. I used to think heels made me look taller and thinner but I seem to have lost that particular piece of social conditioning!

If I see someone in our department in heels I look twice its so rare but I work in a university department. Brains equals shoes you can be comfortable in for 8 hours!

I think in general though people these days don’t dress as smartly or corporately anymore, many go to the office in jeans and a hoodie so wear the casual footwear to match. Will every A lister be on the red carpet in their evening wear wearing trainers or vans? I doubt it, the heel is here to stay but not for everyday folk according to this thread.

I think that may be the crux. Clothing is more casual in general. Thankfully because a nice pair of trousers and a top with pointed flats or brogues is a million times nicer than the Next trouser suits and clumpy heels I wore starting out.

It is great that we are not trotting around in heels emulating celebrities and the catwalk anymore. I am thankful for it.

Not obsolete. Just not fashionable right now.

Yeah I don't see it as a milestone for women - it's just fashion I think. They'd gone as high as the laws of physics would allow so the only way was down.

Over 50 and haven’t worn heels in about 30 years. Wouldn’t do Hotter either. It’s DMs in autumn/winter, Converse or DM sandals in summer. I stopped wearing heels due to dodgy feet and ankles but used to rock big heels with everything in my teens. Fortunately I don’t work in a role where I have to look any particular way, but weddings are a problem. I’ve turned up at the evening ‘do’ in creepers before now (cue a few raised eyebrows). It’s something to walk in that doesn’t look odd with a ‘naice’ formal outfit. That’s the only time I weaken and eye the Hotter shoes!

That’s other people’s weddings! Wore flats to my own tho’

How is there disablism on a thread about heels?!

There isn't!

Shirley I work in a very corporate environment and see mostly elegant flat or classic heels, ankle boots would definitely be frowned upon.

I wear stiletto heels every day. I can walk for miles in them, run in them etc etc! I wear them to work, at home, supermarket, I drive in them etc. The only time I don't wear them is if I'm walking the dog as im mainly on grass or the beach or if I'm somewhere with the kids that isn't really suitable for heels but as soon as I come home I kick off the trainers and the stilettos go back on.

I don't think heels are dated or 'try hard' (you must never try hard to look good apparently!). Personally for me they're more a night time look, but then they always have been.

Trainers are definitely having a moment which happens every 8 years or so. Some very fucking ugly trainers about though. Who let Fila back in from the cold? Pft.

Ballet flats on the other hand, haven't worn a pair of them since 2011. Very dated indeed.