Stiletto Heel
Footwear Definitions — shoes, boots and footwear terms from Apparel Search
The stiletto heel is found on some high-heeled shoes and boots. This kind of heel is high and narrow, appearing as if a stiletto dagger or spike is emerging from the footwear, and the principal design philosophy behind it was to lengthen the appearance of the legs.
The stiletto heel can be found on some high-heeled shoes and boots. Generally speaking, this kind of heel is high and narrow, appearing as if a stiletto dagger or spike is emerging from the footwear. Originally, the principal design philosophy behind the stiletto heel was to lengthen the appearance of the legs.
Stilettos can vary in length, some are only an inch off the ground, while other more exotic shoes can have over six inch heels. There are a large variety of different stiletto shoe designs, both in terms of the materials used and the height of the heel.
Stilettos are often associated with shoe fetishism. For persons with such a fetish, these heels can exude a sense of sexual strength and control over a situation or individual. Conversely, these heels also can represent a sense of danger, as being so small, could create danger standing up for the person wearing them.
Footwear Definition|
|
| Footwear & Shoe Industry Definitions |
| Fashion Industry |
A Dagger Under the HeelThe stiletto is the extreme answer to a question every heel asks: how little material can hold a person up? A block heel answers with a column; the stiletto answers with a spike, a steel-cored pin narrow enough to be named for a dagger, carrying the wearer's whole heel load on a tip the size of a coin. The engineering is hidden but real: inside the slim heel sits a metal shank, because plastic or wood alone at that thinness would snap, and the tip is capped with a replaceable heel tap that takes the wear of pavement. The design philosophy was appearance first: a stiletto lengthens the look of the legs more than any broader heel, because the eye reads the leg and the spike as one continuous line, and the raised heel throws the calf into the tensed shape that reads as elegance. That is why the stiletto anchors formal and evening footwear even though it is the least forgiving heel to wear. Presence, Risk and the WearerNo other heel carries such divided meanings. Stilettos are often associated with shoe fetishism, and for wearers drawn to them the heels can exude a sense of sexual strength and control over a situation or individual; conversely, the same heels represent danger, being so small that they create a real risk of falling for the person standing in them. Both readings are honest, and together they explain the stiletto's durability as a symbol: it advertises that the wearer values effect over ease. The practical notes follow from the physics. Stiletto tips sink into grass, grates and soft ground, score wooden floors, and demand a shorter, more deliberate stride; heel protectors that widen the tip exist for weddings and events on lawns and historic floors. Heights run from a modest inch to over six inches in exotic display shoes, but the recognisable stiletto, the one that defined the 1950s and returned in the 1980s and after 2000, is a true spike on a dress shoe or boot, worn where being seen matters more than getting there quickly. Sitting is the stiletto's other natural state: at a desk, a table or in a car the wearer gets the full effect of the line with none of the walking cost, which is why the highest pairs are so often chosen for seated occasions and photographs rather than for an evening spent on foot. Common QuestionsHow tall is a stiletto heel?Stilettos can vary in length: some are only an inch off the ground, while other more exotic shoes can have over six inch heels. Most worn stilettos fall in the middle of that range, high enough to change the gait and the line of the leg. Why is it called a stiletto?The heel is named for the stiletto dagger, because the high, narrow heel appears as if a stiletto dagger or spike is emerging from the footwear. The name promises the same qualities as the blade: slim, pointed and a little dangerous. Are stiletto heels practical to walk in?Stilettos concentrate the wearer's weight on a very small tip, which can create danger standing up for the person wearing them and can damage floors. They are associated with shoe fetishism and with a sense of sexual strength and control, rather than with practical walking. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Footwear Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
|