Standing Tall: The Curious History Of Men In Heels

© Photo: Ron Wood, courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto).
Italian, Ferradini, 1972-1975. Worn by Elton John
"This stage-worn shoe features a heel reaching seven-and-a-half inches in height. In the 1970s, men favored footwear with distinct heels rather than shoes with solid platforms, which were considered feminine.

Despite the rapid progress gender-bending (and gender-neutral) dressing has made, one of the fashion industry's most traditional accessories is still the heel. Heels have been marketed exclusively to women — in the mainstream, at least — for centuries.

© Photo: Ron Wood, courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto).
Persian, 17th century
"The heel originated in Western Asia to fit into a stirrup for horseback riding. This pair of Persian riding shoes features shagreen-covered heels and is the type of footwear that may have inspired European men to wear heels."

Although heels have crossed the gender binary a handful of times, what men in heels look like today is not the same picture as 400 years ago. To kick off its 20th anniversary, the Bata Shoe Museum of Toronto is presenting Standing Tall: The Curiou... a full-blown — and utterly fascinating — history of men in heels.

Uzbeki Riding Shoe, Afghanistan, 1850
collection of the Bata Shoe Museum | Image credit: (c) Bata Shoe Museum

The exhibit features heels of all heights worn by rock stars, soldiers, and cowboys from different cultures and just about every corner of the world. If you can wrap your head around it, men have been wearing heels since the 1600s as a symbol of masculinity.

© Photo: Ron Wood, courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto).
French or English, mid-17th century
"This small shoe dates to the middle of the 17th century and was most likely made for a well-to-do boy. The fact that the wearer was male is suggested by the shape and type of heel. Stacked leather ‘polony’ heels were popular on men’s footwear at this time. That the child was well off is indicated by the height of the heel, its marked impracticality helped to declare the wearer’s privilege. The heel is also painted red, in keeping with the fashion of the day."

Jackboot, English, c. 1690-1710

Ever since the introduction of the heel in Western dress in the late 16th century, heels on riding boots have been a matter of both fashion and function. This sturdy boot from the turn of the 18th century features a high stacked leather heel.

collection of the Bata Shoe Museum | Image credit: (c) Bata Shoe Museum

The exhibition asks: Why don't mean wear heels nowadays? It's a provocative thought, because the cultural turning point in fashion where men in heels became unacceptable remains undocumented. “When heels were introduced into fashion at the turn of the 17th century, men were the first to adopt them and they continued wearing heels as expressions of power and prestige for over 130 years,” Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the museum, explained. “Even after they fell out of favor in the 1730s, there were pockets of time when heels were reintegrated into the male wardrobe, not as a way of challenging masculinity, but rather as a means of proclaiming it."

Exhibition at Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum until May 2016.

Cowboy boots, American, Tony Lama, late 20th century

Cowboy boots are icons of rugged individualism and masculinity, qualities that they are able to convey even though they feature heels of significant height. The cowboy emerged in the West after the Civil War pushing cattle to railheads in the 1860s to 1880s. Their time on the open range was short lived and their numbers were few but their image and the boots are seared in our imaginations.

collection of the Bata Shoe Museum | Image credit: (c) Bata Shoe Museum

Men's Mules, English, c. 1690-1715

This pair of men’s mules features high flared heels in keeping with turn of the 18th century fashion. The red leather covering the high heels was meant to bring attention to them and also a conveyed a sense of continental sophistication as red heels were famously worn in the court of French King XIV.

collection of the Bata Shoe Museum | Image credit: (c) Bata Shoe Museum

Views: 1321

Comment

You need to be a member of crafthaus to add comments!

Join crafthaus

Latest Activity

Aleksandra Vali posted a status
"2023 Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy"
Sep 19, 2023
Aleksandra Vali and Letitia Pintilie are now friends
Sep 19, 2023
Catherine Marche liked Rebecca Skeels's discussion streamlining our pages
Feb 3, 2021
Jonathan Leo Brown posted a status
"An art deco inspired ocean liner container with multiple containers."
Nov 9, 2020

Videos

  • Add Videos
  • View All

© 2024   Created by Brigitte Martin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service