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 :).

The most stylish woman I work with always wears heels though, and she does look magnificent striding about in them.

It's 50/50 heels and flats where I am (in corporate environment anyway).

Interestingly, I have a number of pairs of lovely expensive stilettos which I can no longer walk in! Block heels all the way (love a narrow block heel in particular, I wish there were more heels like this around).

I tend to wear DM heeled boots with trouser suits at work (feedback always good) .... I'm not sure how that looks to anyone else. Although one lady did say I like butch shoes. Is that what is meant by heels though?

So what flat shoes should I wear to be fashionable during the day in summer? (not trainers or sandals)

Slides were everywhere last summer -or do they count as sandals? The chunky ones cover most of the foot but not as sweaty as trainers.

By slides I mean like mules

Heels aren’t obsolete and never will be in my view. Nor are they dated as a whole group of shoes. It’s a very big generalisation to say that.
There is more choice than ever in shoes now and yes lots of people are wearing trainers and flats and flatforms.
However there are so many diff types of heels on the market still, skyscrapers, kitten heels, block heels, wedges, lower, higher, heeled boots, simply loads and loads. They’re not obsolete by any means there is just a lot more choice at the moment. Quite possibly high heeled court shoes are out for work in the same way that suits largely are but this doesn’t mean heels are obsolete. Younger girls where I work often wear high heeled chunky boots, but not stilettos.

I think fashion historians will link the drop in the popularity of heels, particularly those completely disabling ones, to the new feminism wave. There is so much sensitivity to what is sexist language and behaviour and high heels feel slightly part of an old era already. Heels reinforce the idea of women being decorative and are a means of control (when someone can’t actually walk properly). However, I also feel they simply look a bit dated and some of them, like those ‘fierce’ sandals with ankle straps cutting the line of the leg, are not even flattering. I also dislike that look where a heel is so high it squashes the toes to the end of the sandal and the toes hang off the end

Very normal to see heels in the places I work and client sites I visit. It would stand out more to see people wearing flats (legal with corporate clients)

I gave up on them years ago. They hurt the feet, and very few people can walk normally in them, I certainly can’t. I always work with the mantra, “are the men required to do this?” So If I’m going dancing, men wear comfortable shoes to dance, so do I. If I’m at a wedding, men aren’t wearing shoes they can’t dance in, or pants they can’t eat in, so nor do do I.
Once you stop wearing them, I think you see how strange they look. I particularly dislike how they look with skinny jeans.
I wear biker boots with everything except maybe a pair of formal flats for when I’m very dressed up.

I don’t think it’s much to do with feminism. I don’t wear them and I won’t if they come back into fashion but if other women like them that’s up to them, although clearly if they’re expected to wear them for work then that’s another matter. I think the pressures on women to remove body hair, cover up greys and never look old or angry are far worse - and there’s no sign of them going away.

Thank you Flo, I was about to say similar. I don't care what men do or don't wear on their feet, and no-one, male or female is "required" or even expected to wear heels (well, maybe in some very backwards workplaces, but even then, I'm doubting that it is 100% legal these days). Certain shoes suit (and can even transform) certain outfits. The hair thing, though, don't even start me on the hair thing

I don’t think it’s much to do with feminism. I don’t wear them and I won’t if they come back into fashion but if other women like them that’s up to them, although clearly if they’re expected to wear them for work then that’s another matter. I think the pressures on women to remove body hair, cover up greys and never look old or angry are far worse - and there’s no sign of them going away.

I agree massively with this. I've never felt pressure to wear heels yet I've had multiple comments recently about why I'm not colouring my hair anymore because I'm "far too young to have greys" well tell my hair that!

Yes I don’t think it’s a feminist thing at all, it’s jist fashion.

I agree it’s nothing to do with feminism. But then I also disagree that heels are obsolete! They’re always around and I think will be for a long long time.

Heels can never be obsolete! They flatter legs and body in a way no other shoe can! I love them personally and I believe I wear them 30% of the time, both in office and when out and about. Granted, a little less over the summer. Of course I love the comfort of flat shoes, but I would never entirely sacrifice the style and beauty of heels, just to feel a little more comfortable. :)

I think it's in part an age thing. After years of discomfort, cramped toes and burning soles, you just think "Oh fuck this for a game of soldiers, life's too short". At the moment fashion's strongly on your side when this happens.

I really don't like the super high ones. About 15 years ago shoes that would have been once been a sort of niche fetish thing came into the high st, and they really are hard to walk in. I think they are on their way out thankfully.
A chunky heel can be really comfy though, and can make you taller and feel more powerful. Think Rosalind Russell striding through the newsroom etc.

And as for the feminism thing, maybe there’s a flip side, maybe women in the workplace wear them to be taller and more on a par with men?

I’m 32 and live in London and pretty much never see women wearing heels on a night out - I think in general though London is pretty causal/people dress down. It’s always funny when you’re in a cool bar and a group of women turn up with sky high heels, tiny skirts and nails and hair done - they’re almost always from elsewhere eg on a hen weekend in London. Not being rude - they can look amazing, but I just don’t think it’s a London thing to dress up like that. I think the exception is heeled boots in winter which still seem to be pretty popular.

For work it’s the same - I think in general people wear more casual work clothes now, that goes for men as well as women. Men aren’t wearing suits and ties as much as they used too, women aren’t wearing heels as much. I know it varies and some environments are still quite formal, but the general trend is to be more casual.

The sort of heels I used to wear were probably around 4" and court style mainly. It was it the days of big hair and wide shoulders. The 80's, Dallas and Dynasty were a big influence. I'd wear a toned down version during the day, but going out was the chance to go OTT. Luckily for me the clothes suited me at that time. I like today's style in the main except for bodycon? Dresses and suchlike.

I was in Selfridges at the weekend. Were plenty of young stylish women trying on jimmy choo/manolos etc with heels.

I wear heels when going out at night. Generally not a classic court shoe but a strappy heel for sure.

But I am ancient

I don’t think it is just London, it isn’t a Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam or Dublin thing either.