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Original poster

Are high heels becoming obsolete?

296 replies

SlipperOrchid · 15/04/2019 12:28

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 :).

OP posts:
Pompello · 16/04/2019 15:06

Heels are definitely obsolete then.

StarlightLady · 16/04/2019 15:07

Obsolete? Hope so!

TarragonSauce · 16/04/2019 15:30

I had three older sisters who were all working in the city during the early 80s. They always wore heels to work (Ravel or Bally) and I fondly remember every September their quest for winter boots would begin.

The boots must be leather, knee length and with minimum 3 inch stiletto heels (only the queen wore block heels) and would be worn to the office every day.
The high heeled boots were inexplicably essential though of no use in the snow. They used to wear dad's socks over the boots in snow or ice for the quarter mile walk to the bus stop.
Skechers all round now.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 16/04/2019 17:52

I love my heels...they make me feel sexy and feminine and my DH loves them too....i loathe trainers and hate this trend for wearing them with summer dresses....trainers should be for sport only.

RiddleyW · 16/04/2019 19:58

...they make me feel sexy and feminine and my DH loves them too

Does your DH have any trouble finding them in his size?

Charley50 · 16/04/2019 20:42

Riddley 😂.
I can't wear heels, they hurt my knees and I can't walk in them.
I'm in London, hardly anyone wears heels, day or night here.
I think it is a feminist / comfort thing, not just a fashion moment. I don't think heels will ever be as popular as they once were.
I occasionally wish I looked more elegant, but the pain.
Meghan Markle heavily pregnant in stiletto heels, especially in a casual setting, encompasses 'trying too hard.'

Original poster
SlipperOrchid · 16/04/2019 20:48

Tarragon What a fantastic image your memory conjures up and also shows how ridiculous women's footwear can be.

OP posts:
WhoKnewBeefStew · 16/04/2019 20:53

Thank god! I thought it was just me...

I find them so uncomfy and now opt for flat boots in the winter and chunky mid height shoes for work. I’ve put a bit of weight on lately and don’t feel great wearing them, never have tbh

PaulHollywoodsleftbollockhair · 17/04/2019 06:38

I think aesthetically speaking they are ugly and I just don’t think anyone looks nice in them.

Palaver1 · 17/04/2019 07:02

I wear heels to work and love them I look good in them and I really think I carry myself better in them.
I also have a small collection of colourful pumps.That are worn out and about,
Comfort is key though
The acceptance of pumps/ trainers being worn with dresses and skirts
Has been a welcomed game changer.

3luckystars · 17/04/2019 07:37

This thread has been a real eye opener.
I really have been watching people since reading it.
EVERYONE is in flats!
I only saw one older woman, run-walking across the carpark in the wind wearing heels and it looked ridiculous.

That's it for me. I am only wearing flats only from now on.
Here begins my quest to build up a collection of flat shoes that are beautiful.

By collection, I mean 3 because those gorgeous shoes posted earlier are €200 Wink (I hope that is not per shoe)

Thank you for this life changing thread. I have new eyes.

IfNotNowThenWhy · 17/04/2019 08:18

do these count as high heels?

Fairylea · 17/04/2019 08:22

Oh I love those IfNot!

But to me they are still a heel. Not a very high one but they’d still kill my feet after an hour or so!

I think I’ve developed a very low discomfort threshold as I’ve got older.

IfNotNowThenWhy · 17/04/2019 08:26

Me too fairylea 💕 See, those are the kind of heels I love and I find them v.Comfy.
I can't walk in flat flats, except trainers, and am cursed with dumpy legs so I'm not giving them up! I vote to keep heels.

Notinmyduty · 17/04/2019 08:31

Trying too hard is a big no no in London - even when fine dining but go elsewhere and the big dress up when you go out is still a thing... Someone down the thread mentioned boots and trainers for corporate. A woman we know who is very senior in finance visited her company's San Francisco office and was advised to find some casual clothing as her presentation was not culturally appropriate and she would be viewed with suspicion!
Dd has her prom this year and she has just bought the highest heels I think she could find - I'll be intrigued to see how long she wears them for - but she is more that excited to finally have heels.
I've tried heels a few times in the past but they have always dominated the night as we have to taxi everywhere, which is a complete bore...so they've been well and truly dropped and replaced by mostly trainers and brogues.

SushiGo · 17/04/2019 08:34

The only person at my work that wears heels is 70+

It's definitely a thing! I do think comfort is a factor and that wearing flats at smart occasions/work has become socially acceptable which makes a huge difference to how many women actually do it.

Notinmyduty · 17/04/2019 08:35

I wouldn't call those high heel Ifnot.
Anyway surely we should be moving to a situation where it's ok for women to wear whatever they want - flats, trainers or heels with no judgement?

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 17/04/2019 08:44

Anyway surely we should be moving to a situation where it's ok for women to wear whatever they want - flats, trainers or heels with no judgement?

Exactly. Wear what you want and sod everyone else.

Anyone who claims feminism is the reason heels are less popular only needs to look at this thread... heels being too "try hard" is just women judging other women... about as far from feminism as it gets imo.

Original poster
SlipperOrchid · 17/04/2019 08:48

I would call the red shoes above high heels.
Yesterday I removed all the dust covered shoe boxes from under my bed, some had never been won, the others all had insoles, heel grips and plasters inside them, anything to make them work! They are in a charity bag and it feels liberating and underneath my bed is clear (for now!).

OP posts:
MsChookandtheelvesofFahFah · 17/04/2019 08:57

I work in infant schools and see HTs and other members of SLTs wearing stilettos and suits. Apparently it looks professional to parents. As a parent I prefer someone who wears practical clothing and am not impressed by this look at all.

formerbabe · 17/04/2019 10:22

I used to be a secretary in the city...wore heels every day. Also for nights out and just in the day time for every day wear. Haven't worn them for years. I can't walk in them anymore. Even when I went to a black tie event, i wore jewelled flat sandals with my full length dress.

StarlightLady · 17/04/2019 10:48

I don’t wear heels and usually opt for a court shoe or ballet flats. It’s interesting though because I am also a regular stocking wearer (personal choice and comfort). On many occasions I have had friends/colleagues many of whom have never worn stockings, telling me they (stockings/suspenders) are not comfortable. The irony is they tell me this while wearing heels!

SwimmingInTheDeepBlueSea · 17/04/2019 11:45

I do think feminism has been part of the driving force behind the reduction of heels in the work place. The reduction seems to coincide with that case brought a few years a go by a woman for being sent home from work for refusing to wear heels. I think that case helped make it acceptable for those who didn't want to wear heels to go into a smart environment without them.

I have noticed that in family court (district judge and now circuit judge level) 3 years a go all the female solicitors & barristers wore high heels, whereas now there is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 wearing (very smart) pointed toe flats instead.

There will always be those who want to wear heels and that's fine but I'm glad we seem to be finally reaching a stage where those of us who need (for medical reasons) or want to wear flats, even in very formal settings can do so.

Floisme · 17/04/2019 18:15

I think I'm glad I'm not in London. I'm mostly a flat-shoed, dress down type of woman but I'd find that don't look try-hard palaver just as oppressive as any other dress code.

RiddleyW · 17/04/2019 18:36

I'd find that don't look try-hard palaver just as oppressive as any other dress code.

Yes of course! It’s potentially more stressy in fact because the rules aren’t as obvious. I don’t find any dress code oppressive personally as I mostly completely opt out. The occasional wedding/ job interview/ whatever where I do need to conform to some rules send me into total tailspin!