Monday, November 21, 2011

A History of the Wedge Heel Shoe

What is a Wedge heel:  A wedge shoe has a triangular heel that runs from the front of the foot to the back, rather than sitting just under the heel. We often see them with a range of platform heights under the foot-ball as well, further raising or flatening out the footbed.
Benefits: Wedge heels are sturdier and more comfortable than the typical high heel. They create an illusion of longer legs and thinner ankles, and better support the arch of the foot. And the artworkability is endless.
Thankyou Mr Salvatore Ferragamo for bringing us the wedge heeled shoe ! In 1936 Italian designer, Ferragamo, invented the wedge heel. Over the next decade he then used this heal on many shoes styles, from sandals to pumps and ankle boots.

He was known  as the "shoe maker to the stars" after he moved to Hollywood the United States at the age of 16, specialising in custom-made designs with pure opulence. The master of improvision, he used any object or mateial to help achieve the vision for the shoe he was designing. From Spanish shawls to Chineese brocade, or fabric off a brocade chair. He was known to use hummingbird feathers, tree bark and other materials sourced from nature.




Ferragamo also developed the orthopedic wedge, by sculpting two pieces of wood onto an "F" shape, shown here in this 1944 creation. Dutch designer Jan Jansen took the floating wedge further. 
Today's designers are inspired by masters like Ferragamo and technology has made the current wedges much lighter and more comfortable, like this masterpiece by Sempre Di.

Perhaps the earliest form of wedge/platform was a "chopine" worn in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Venetian husbands reputedly introduced heavy wooden chopines to prevent their wives from straying. My gosh, what lengths some men will go to stop their wives straying into beautiful shoe shops to buy shoes they could dance all night in. I think thats what that means, anyway, thankfully our models are much more reasonable to wear ?? And husbands today absolutely love it when we spend lots of money on Shoes Shoes Shoes ! Oh no thats right, thats all secret womens business - hehe 
 
 More awesome wedge pictures, to follow.










2 comments:

  1. I have the Sempre Di shoes in silver and black and they are the most amazing shoes. Every time I wear them, so many people compliment them but no one could love them more than me and I have Shoes on Scarborough to thank! Jacqueline

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Jacqueline, I have the strappy version, and I always get heaps of stares and people come and ask me where I got them from, they are an amazing timeless shoe - Betty Boots x

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...