Who still wears heels?

[BarrelOfOtters]

Saw a woman in heels at lunchtime, in the queue for sandwiches, and just thought, can't remember the last time I saw someone in heels at work. To be fair I work in Government and we are a fairly scruffy bunch. But even on a night out it mostly seems to be trainers or flats.

So genuine question, if heels are out, what do you wear to a wedding? I've got 3 coming up this year. Not been to one in ages.

I think heels are similar to skinny jeans. They aren't really in but many people find them flattering and good for an easy going out outfit. Someone wearing heels during the day is very rare in my world.

I think there's been a big move away from dressing to flatter especially in younger people. When I came of age in the 90s, it was all about what could we wear to look thinner. These days there's much more body positivity. People wear what they feel comfortable in or how they want to express themselves. Less often that's heels.

There's a difference between pointy stiletto shoes and some chunky block heel boots which tend to be much more comfortable and cool.

What isn't cool is when people take on too high heels and end up having to take them off and wonder round bare or webbed foot. I think you need to have a pair you can commit to for the full evening, otherwise there's no point.

I've got really short legs so tend to look for shoes and boots with a slight heel (1 inch ish) just to give me a bit more length.

@Raspberryjamsandwich Maybe pointy flats? You can get some pretty dressy ones.

I wouldn’t say it’s the heel wearers being defensive and doling out the many insults on here. No of course wandering around Tesco I doubt there would be many wearing heels, but there never has been so that’s nothing new. You claimed they were completely out of fashion for formal wear - they are not.

Those heels were 90s high heels, which were not as high as the 00s type that Kate favours. And for day wear Diana almost always wore low heels or flats.

I only wear heels I have lovely clothes hardly ever wear casual clothes I wear what I feel good in any time of the day tesco or not and I’m known for always looking good some ppl just cannot get away with heels cannot walk in them ect maybe a little bit envious

I do agree that heels up to a certain height make legs look good, but I find the really high ones have the opposite effect. They force the calves into this taught shape that looks lumpy and awkward to me, like the wearer is straining to stay upright.

In Kate Middleton's defence, while I know she doesn't walk far in her heels, she never looks unsteady or uncomfortable. She doesn't totter or cling to someone's arm, she walks very confidently and with stability in them. And I think heels always look much worse when the wearer is obviously uncomfortable or struggling to balance.

They are though, for day time (I never said they were out of fashion for evening - I think that's more occasion-dependent). And, actually, women did used to wear heels around Tesco's and everywhere else - totally normal in the 80s and 90s. Not now. So far, the only examples shared to try to refute this are princesses.

I agree with @TheOGCCL, though,m that heels are like skinny jeans and will never totally die.

I'm sorry that some of you are so deeply wounded about some light-hearted comments about the PoW's shoes being old-fashioned. If that's you, Catherine, I hope that trolling MN is helping your rehab.

Like I said in my post I only ever wear heels always look good very fashionable clothes and heels all from river island ppl are so jealous I wear heels all the time cannot bare to feel like a frump in flats

What have heels got to do with being a good role model?

Wearing shoes that are harmful to women.

I have several pairs of heeled ankle boots. The highest are about 2", and I only wear them with jeans or trousers otherwise my arse is too close to the ground.
Apart from that it's flats all the way.
But I still can't bear to throw out some of my beautiful old heels so they gather dust in the bottom of the wardrobe.

I love heels but have decreased frequency/height as now I'm fatter they hurt more than they used to! That said I am sure my flats make me look fatter. I've never been able to carry trainers off well.

@GettingStuffed - charity shop.

Haven’t for years. They look so, so dated now.

Saw a group of women out last week in a bar and they all had trainers/flatforms/chunky boots apart from one who wore skinny coated trews and stilettos. She really stood out and looked old-fashioned.

They may not be in fashion now but I don't think you can describe them as frumpy.

I have about 40 pairs of heels from river island all very trendy if anything looks frumpy it’s flats yuk

I don’t understand the generalisations on this thread. 4 inch stiletto court shoes are dated, yes. But a 2 inch block heel? Kitten heel boots? Slingbacks with a lowish heel? All are very on trend. Are people really referring to every single type of heeled footwear when they throw out the “dated” “grotesque” “damaging” comments? If not, maybe be more specific?

Well you started with the Princess example so that’s on you, just following your lead.

As smarter wear was more prevalent in the 80’s you would probably see a bank clerk in their suit with a mid heel popping to Tesco in their lunch hour, though I disagree that you would see lots of women in skyscraper heels walking round the shops in the eighties, possibly a low court at most, they just were not that high back then as in the 90’s/early noughties and even then it was very much chunky trainers and combats during the day.

As for your last silly comment, couldn’t you have come up with something more original than is that you Catherine?

If it’s a wedding, I would wear some Mary janes with maybe a small heel.

I've got an amazing pair of heels, with a platform sole. They're comfy (for their vertiginous height) and they make me feel amazing at work events.

Heels will never die. I pop on my trainers for the journey home.

I work in a conservative City office and many of the women wear heels, but you'd never know it to see us in the queue at Pret. If you look closely in the City though, you'll see that a fair number of formally dressed women out and about are wearing flat shoes which don't really work with their outfits (eg sports trainers rather than loafers) : their "real" shoes are in their lockers/under their desks.

Back in the eighties and early nineties we wore heels low enough to commute in. The habit of changing out of trainers into heels at your desk came over from New York, and once you didn't have to wear your shoes for more than ten metres at a time then all bets were off when it came to height.

You've just been trained by fashion to think they look shit. Do you think men in suits look shit without heels?

Don't you think you have been trained by fashion to think heels look old fashioned and frumpy?

There was a man at a conference recently wearing too tight trousers, a suit jacket and trainers. He looked terrible. A formal shoe with a normal heel would have given much better balance.

Eurgh that's a crass saying 🥴 does it get said about men?