Inch by inch… beginning with the sixteenth century… they grew.
But they were not for women. Nay nay sweet boids of yute. They were
for the guys. Their first purpose–for all things have a purpose you
see–their first purpose… keep the heel secured in the stirrup when
riding upon one’s mighty steed.
But as civilization grew… so did the purposes of the manly high
heeled shoe. We’re in the Middle Ages. Sanitation is a tad lacking.
Human and animal waste strew the streets. High-heeled shoes offer not
only a modicum of protection against the possibility of sinking heel
deep into a wretched pile of dung… but that very protection also
offers the wearer a degree of psychological well-being. In those
days… stepping into “it” was not considered good luck… rather it
was considered a bit inconvenient… to say the least.
In fact–as an aside to high-heeled shoes–clogs were invented for
the same purpose. In Germany–around the mid 1500’s–a shoe came
along called the Pump. It was a loose sort of slipper. It had a low
heel. The sound it made as it hit the ground with each step was
“plump, plump” which is how the shoe derived it’s name … for those
of you who enjoy a little onomatopoeia. It is from this shoe that the
more recent woman’s slipper derived its name.
Then came the mid-1600’s. King Louis XIV was running things. Male
boots with high heels were the rage. As France attained its zenith of
military power–a delusional illusion the French seem to foster
within their culture to this very day–haute couture reached dizzying
heights… as did the growth of the heel. Louis’s towering
achievements–possibly a compensation for his rather stubby
height–paralleled the inches he added to his heels in order to
probably meet the gazes of his sub-lings eye to eye.
The world went crazy. They all wanted to emulate old Louis. And so
the high-heel grew… and grew… till it reached the staggering
height of three inches. This was known as the French Heel… and the
women of the world adopted this new craze. And it stuck.
Interestingly enough… as women’s heels grew… men’s heels
declined. By the 1920’s, high heels became an alluring adjunct to
the female arsenal of enticement. Put a high-heel together with a
nylon stocking with the seam running up the back of the calf and
thigh… and you have every woman running neck and neck in the world
of sexy with the likes of Marlene Dietrich. I know I know. I’m dating
myself a bit here. But I’m a Dietrich fan from way back. Sing Lili
Marleen to me and my eyes begin to cross.
So where does this all lead? Well… it leads to a bejeweled high-
heeled card-holder slipper. Quite attractive I think. A must-see.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Current Tidbits… and then click on it in order to view a Swarovski
Crystal laden card holding high heel shoe.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark