Kitten Heels

ORIGINS OF KITTEN HEELS

Since the Middle Ages, high heels have been a status symbol for both men and women, especially kings and other nobles strutting around closer to the sky and elevated above the general population. But over time the men put the high heels away and they became a fetish symbol of femininity, sex and beauty. And with this cultural change, the fashion world of the time followed suit with the era's version of high heels on footwear. Very young women and teenagers still lacked the courage to jump into the high heels and take on the sexy cape that came with the footwear. Therefore, in the 1950s, French Roger Vivier designed the first official "kitten heeled" styled shoes under Dior's wings. The shoes were made with a 3-4 cm, if not lower, heel so that the young girls could look like their mothers, without stepping into the role of sex symbol. For this reason, among many, they were also called support wheels and the training heel for the untrained walker. The official name "kitten" heel comes from the American expression "kittens", which directly translated into Danish means kittens, and is a nickname for girls and young women.

THE INTERPRETATION OF POP CULTURE

It wasn't long before Roger Vivier's Kitten heel became a household name. The low comfortable heel appealed to women of all ages and their now busier professional lives especially in the 60s. The shoe was comfortable, easy to walk in and gave the opportunity for a more "conservative" sexy expression. The heel's popularity also increased with the help of Audrey Hepburn, one of the biggest fashion and pop culture phenomena of the time. She was in the cult films Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face styled with the chic shoe and this created a stir in the fashion world.

Pop culture allowed the continued journey of the heel, which became popular again with the help of top models Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington who wore a version of the shoe to a Chanel fashion show in the 90s. Now we see this style again making its way into the fashion world, with very special help from Michelle Obama. She has undoubtedly made this heel part of her iconic style as a former US First Lady.

The heel's absence from the 90s to now is because the very high and thin stiletto heel had a comeback at the beginning of 2000, which created a conservative and negative view of the small, practical heel.

KITTEN HEELS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

Although fashion and comfort are not directly connected in fashion, neither in the past nor today, the kitten heel is proof that this can happen. And as the French writer Jean-Louis Hue once said, "a shoe closet without a kitten's heel is like an aquarium without a fish" .. or was it a house without a cat? Regardless, there is no doubt that this design is not going anywhere and you can without hesitation take out your 90s shoes or go in the closet and see if the family treasures are hiding a pair of kitten heels from the 60s. It is an iconic design that once again fills the fashion picture and everyone should have this heel in their private shoe collection. At Notabene you will find a large selection of the comfortable heel, both the completely classic and a modern interpretation in metal. This model is particularly well styled with a pair of cropped jeans or as a slightly finer alternative to your ballerina shoes. In addition, the feminine heels are phenomenal for both a long day at work and an evening on the dance floor.