High Heels | Types and Style

We all know women love shoes, but not all shoes are created equal, especially when we are talking about HEELS!  There are so many types of Heels out there, and along with all the types of shoes, being familiar with heels is like being a subject matter expert on a certain type of wine grape!

What are high heels?  In the ‘Fashion Industry’ when discussing apparel, “high heels” covers heels from 2 to 5 inches. Extremely high-heeled shoes exceeding 6 inches are no longer considered apparel but rather something akin to “jewelry for the feet”.  Since we feel that all jewelry including ‘jewelry of the feet’ are works of art, we don’t take likely to that.  Instead we like to think along the lines of what major designers go with, a “low heel” is considered less than 2.5 inches and heels between 2.5 and 3.5 inches are considered “mid heels”, and anything over that is considered a “high heel” and that we can live with!

So what are the various types of heels around, well the basic types are as follows:

• cone: a round heel that is broad where it meets the sole of the shoe and noticeably narrower at the point of contact with the ground
• kitten: a short, slim heel with maximum height under 2 inches and diameter of no more than 0.4 inch at the point of contact with the ground
• prism: three flat sides that form a triangle at the point of contact with the ground
• puppy: thick square block heel approximately 2 inches in diameter and height
• spool or louis: broad where it meets the sole and at the point of contact with the ground; noticeably narrower at the midpoint between the two
• stiletto: a tall, slim heel with minimum height of 2 inches and diameter of no more than 0.4 inch at the point of contact with the ground
• wedge: occupies the entire space under the arch and heel portions of the foot

And you can see our handy dandy chart at the bottom for a little more insight!  So how did these heels come about you ask?  Well, they like many things were originally made for men.  WHAT? MADE FOR MEN? MEN USED TO WEAR HEELS???

Yes that’s it in a nutshell, the origin of heels can be traced back to the 9th Century when Men wore heels as a sort of foot stop while riding horses.  It assisted them to not loose their footing while riding and made standing up to shoot arrows from their bows easier and make them more stable.  Of course we aren't talking about ‘jewelry for the feet’ here, something more along the lines of modern day ‘Cowboy Boots’ with a little more length to them.  Well, now that you know where it all started, check out this chart to begin a quest to know just how many different styles of heels there are and how lucky we are for horses and bow and arrows!

Women's Shoes | Understanding Style and Types

Knowing different types of shoes has become more in depth than being a wine connoisseur.  Now with Heelless Heels, Flip Flips (not Flops) and other such delightful named foot coverings the sky is the limit with specifying them all.  Of course nothing screams ‘I am a fan of fashion‘ more than shoes.  A lady’s Kryptonite when it comes to shopping, no one in their right mind can pass up a good deal on a pair of marvelous shoes!  Flats, heels, boots, wedges, sandals, jellies, platform, open toe, closed toe, lace up, string across, buckled, studded, spiked it doesn't really matter!  A beautiful shoe is…well…it’s a work of art that allows the wearer to express themselves to their very core!

Creating shoes is no easy task, from finding a form that works and making a creation that someone can actually walk in takes skill, time and an artist’s love.  The primary parts of a shoe are the Sole (bottom) consisting of the In-Sole (interior bottom), Out-Sole (very bottom that touches the ground), Mid-Sole (the part in between the others) and the Heel which is obviously the back part of the Sole and then of course the Upper or Vamp (the upper part of the shoe that encases the foot).  This may seem simple and obvious, but each part and layer of those parts is very imperative to making an actual usable shoe.

The average woman owns 20 pairs of shoes at a single time, many own much more than that…and many many more than that.  It is the original 8th ‘Deadly Sin’ to toss aside a good pair of shoes.  The sad part about this stated fact, is that around half of those shoes that women own, never make it onto their feet after purchase!  What’s that, never worn? Yes, most women wait for just the right occasion to wear that special shoe and those little works of art never make it off the closest floor.

Well, it seems feasible that shoe should make the occasion, not be ruled by it.  “Power to the SHOES” we say!  So get up, and get those works of art on your feet and hit the town, or just pick up a cup of java…whatever the occasion and whatever the reason…get walking!  To help you on your road to becoming a Shoe Aficionado we’ve included a standard list here with a picture to ‘boot’ get it…to BOOT…sorry, that really couldn’t be helped!  Look for our next article coming soon to discuss the different types of HEELS!