Wedge Shoes
Fashion Influence — how style shapes, and is shaped by, the people who wear it
Wedge shoes, also called wedgies or lifties, are shoes and boots whose sole is in the form of a wedge: one piece of material serves as both the sole and the heel, normally rubber, much thicker at the back than at the front on women's styles. The design is said to date back to ancient Greece. This guide covers what a wedge is, how wedge shoes differ from platform shoes, men's wedge boots, and the wedge sneaker, a traditional sneaker upper on a wedge heel.
Wedge Shoes - Wedges
Wedge footwear has a single piece of material that forms both the sole and heel. The combined sole & heel form a wedge shape.
What is a wedge?
A wedge is typically a piece of wood, metal, or some other material having one thick end and tapering to a thin edge. It can be driven between two objects or parts of an object to secure or separate them. A wedge shaped item is also synonymous with a doorstop. The wedge shoe takes its name from the wedge shape.
What is a wedge shoe?
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Wedge shoes, wedge boots, wedgies, or lifties are shoes and boots with a sole in the form of a wedge. One piece of material serves as both the sole and the heel. The material used to create the sole & heel is normally rubber but can be made of other materials as well.
Believe it or not, the wedge shoe design is said to date back to ancient Greece. So, wedge shoes and togas must go well together.
Wedge shoes are popular among women, but they are also worn on occasion by men. Men's wedge boots, usually called "wedgies," typically have low heels. Men's boots of this kind became popular during the 1970s.
Women’s wedge shoes or wedgies are more common and often have a sole that is much thicker at the back than at the front, making them high-heeled boots or shoes.
Are platform shoes the same as wedge shoes?
Not exactly because not all platform shoes have the wedge shape. However, some platform shoes can be wedge platform shoes.
Platform boots or shoes have a thick soles throughout. Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with an obvious thick sole, usually in the range of 3–10 cm (1–4 in). Platform shoes may also be high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher than the ball of the foot. The sole of a platform shoe can have a continuous uniform thickness, have a wedge, a separate block or a stiletto heel.
What are wedge sneakers?
Wedge sneakers are rather new to the fashion market. They look like traditional sneakers but have the high wedge heel. Normally sneakers are low heels because they are often worn for athletics. We do NOT suggest you do athletic activities in wedge sneakers. They are not as stable as normal sneakers.
Elevate your look without sacrificing comfort by slipping into a pair of wedges.
Fashion Products - Fashion Products S-Z - Fashion Product W
Return to the Influence Fashion home page.
Wearing Wedges
The wedge's appeal is height with a broader base. A separate narrow heel concentrates the wearer's weight on a small point, while the wedge spreads that support along the whole foot, from the thick back of the sole to its thin front edge. That is the comfort side of the design's reputation: a wedge shoe lifts the heel like a high heel while the continuous sole keeps the foot on a steadier platform. The wedge boot applies the same construction to a boot upper, and women's wedges range from modest lifts to soles that are dramatically thicker at the back.
Materials and naming follow the shape. The wedge sole and heel are normally rubber but can be made of other materials as well, and the same wedge word names the simple tool, a piece of wood or metal with one thick end tapering to a thin edge, driven between objects to secure or separate them. The shoe took its name from that shape. Wedges pair with the warm-weather clothing covered elsewhere in this guide, and shoppers comparing elevated footwear can set them against the platform guide linked from the terms on this page: every wedge is an elevated sole, but only platform shoes with a wedge-shaped sole are both at once.
Common Questions
What makes a shoe a wedge shoe?
Its sole. One piece of material serves as both the sole and the heel, forming a wedge shape with one thick end tapering to a thin edge. Women's wedge shoes often have a sole much thicker at the back than at the front, making them high-heeled shoes or boots without a separate heel.
Are platform shoes the same as wedge shoes?
Not exactly. Not all platform shoes have the wedge shape, though some are wedge platforms. Platform shoes have thick soles throughout, usually 3 to 10 centimeters, and a high-heeled platform raises the heel significantly higher than the ball of the foot, with a sole that can be uniform, a wedge, a separate block or a stiletto heel.
Are wedge sneakers suitable for athletics?
No. Wedge sneakers look like traditional sneakers but carry a high wedge heel, and they are not as stable as normal sneakers, so athletic activities in them are not advised. Men's wedge boots, usually called wedgies, typically have low heels and became popular during the 1970s.