Have you ever wondered who came up the idea of heels? It seems that these shoes has been around for ages and women all around the world are loving their heels

Rumour has it that the heel was invented by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). Throughout history the heel has been enjoyed, by men and women, for its coquettish charm, as well as its height-helping inches.

Since the harlots of ancient Greece wore platforms to make them easier to spot, heels have been shorthand for sexy. Catherine de Medici, Italian wife of the Duke of Orleans and future Queen of France, commissioned a pair of heeled shoes for her first wedding in 1533 ‘both for fashion, and to increase her stature’. But it wasn’t until the 1590s that heels really caught on in Europe, says Susan North, a curator at the V&A. Elizabeth I was a devotee, but it wasn’t just the girls, says Susan: ‘The, er, vertically challenged Louis XIV of France wore red heels in the 1650s – though presumably when his courtiers caught up with the fashion he was back where he started! And in England, Charles II set the fashion for high heels after the Restoration, although men’s heels got lower again throughout the 18th century.’

A good heel is like a flash car, or an incredible work of art. It is worth bearing in mind that you assume different characters in different heights. heights go from (yawn) 5cm: practically flat; 7cm: day heel; 9cm foxy heel; 10.5cm: the true pro aesthetic

Walking in heels is like riding a bike – once you know how, you’ll never forget. But just like a bike, the first time you ride without stabilisers can be very precarious. Get the arches of your feet flexed and ready for some high heel hints.

Why is a catwalk called a catwalk?

The word first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1885 but as fashion historian Grace Rothstein, from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, reveals: ‘Catwalks were originally much narrower than you’d see today, so that more space could be afforded potential buyers. Combined with high heels, the walk was said to be so perilous that only a sure-footed cat could walk it.’ Now only women thinner than a moggy can strut it…

Source: docstoc.com

And perfectionistgal