Make it fresh. Make it pointy. That seems to be the overarching theme in footwear for fall 2023. At least when it comes to the ultra-fashionable segment. That is, before it trickles down to the masses who, for the most part, are still in sneaker mode on repeat. The spikier footwear pairs exceedingly well with the more tailored looks favoured at the moment on certain catwalks and the return of dressier silhouettes in our closets, too.
It’s about time we walk away from everything comfortable. The cocoon is not the best place for growth of any kind. Rest and recharge, yes. But change is needed to evolve. In life as in fashion. Let’s leave those loftier considerations aside for now, but one thing is for sure. The abundance of corsets and opera gloves seen in the last year on red carpets and all the parties you’re attending are also a testament to the profound changes our societies are moving through. Because nothing ever happens in a vacuum. Fashion, as frivolous as some might think, is a reflection of all the personal and societal evolution taking place, and those changes are usually crystallized, as well, in dress and accessories.
As Julia Brownstein, Senior Director of Women’s Buying at Brown’s Shoes in Montreal, explains about dressier looks in footwear for fall 2023, “it’s an emerging trend, and it’s been growing in the last seasons. I think the changing mindset can be attributed to girls like Sofia Richie and her Chanel wedding. That and the appeal of quiet luxury. Those looks have influenced a lot of people in fashion. But the important thing is that nobody is defined by one single look. We all need different trends to pull out from our closets. We can go ‘cottagecore’ in the morning, then choose a classic ballerina for lunch, and a very high heel at night for a party.”
Throwback Time
What does King Louis XIV and Carrie Bradshaw, from the famed Y2K series ‘Sex and the City,’ have in common? Neither liked a flat shoe.
Of course, there are many types of high heels, but at the very end of the high heel spectrum towers the stiletto, a type of heel that is almost always synonymous seduction and power. That’s the one of interest at the moment in fashion, the one we’re seeing imposingly taking a stand on catwalks, glam events, and that’s making its way to the very top of the ‘I-want-that-now’ shopping list.
Imagined in the 20th century, the tall tapered heel remained in fashion from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s with only subtle changes. That is until the stiletto made its appearance and became ultra-fashionable in the late 1950s. Named after the Italian knife with a slender blade and needle-sharp point, the heel was engineered in the 1950s when new materials and technologies invented for the aeronautics industry were applied to shoe construction. The use of aluminum and injection moulding to fuse metal and plastic made it possible to elongate and raise heels to new, previously impossible, heights.
Sometime between 1948 and 1954, shoe creators Salvatore Ferragamo, Roger Vivier and André Perugia all made their own version of the tapered pump with the tall, slender heel. They are all credited with the invention. Marilyn Monroe chose the four-inch Ferragamo stiletto, which allowed her to perfect her famous wiggly walk. By the 1960s, most Hollywood starlets would adopt the heel and democratize the iconic shoe for most women of the era.
During the seventies the stiletto fell out of favour as women, boldly empowered by the sexual revolution and a more casual approach to dress after the groundwork laid out by the hippie era, wanted a simpler shoe. Birkenstocks were the thing, at the very end of the spectrum when it comes to elegance and eroticism. Well, at least in my mind!
The fetishist aspects of the stiletto have given the heel a reputation as a powerful tool of seduction — it’s difficult to imagine Helmut Newton’s high fashion and sexually charged photographs without a stiletto in sight —. The structure of the shoe elongates the leg, while pushing the torso forward and the buttocks towards the back, thus accentuating the natural curves of the female form.
With the advent of power dressing in the 1980s, the stiletto made a striking comeback, becoming the ultimate fashion statement for the busy career woman multitasking her way through the day with formidable shoulder pads and serious suits.
It can be said that the most extreme version of the stiletto was created by British designer Alexander McQueen for spring/summer 2010 with his uniquely engineered 12-inch-high armadillo boot. Sadly, it was also the celebrated designer’s very last collection.
Today, the stiletto remains a staple on the catwalk and a signature look for designers like Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, and Christian Louboutin – who added red soles to all his shoes, making that a definitive branding detail for the storied ‘maison.’ While the heel might convey conflicting ideas about sexuality and femininity throughout history, it’s clear that it has now come to represent empowerment, liberation and ultimately, the fun side of fashion we all crave.
The Ultra-High Heel for Now
Getting back to fall 2023, after years of sneaker hegemony it’s easy to see the pendulum swinging back to exceedingly slender heels, pointier toes, and sleek patent leathers. The luxe label Saint-Laurent is currently the one brand predominately showcasing these jewels of shoes.
The Wall Street Journal was one of the first to write about the ‘bitchy, pointy shoe,’ referring to this season’s spikiest footwear. The expression has been peppering many a fashion conversation of lately. And it represents a certain attitude. From Balenciaga’s Knife shoes to Prada’s cutting kitten heels, the most fashion-forward brands are en pointe this season. Severe toes are having a real resurgence and, according to many, are the fashion item of the fall.
We can imagine this aesthetic will intensify, over the next few months, and start making its way at many price points, brands and retailers all over the world.
In Canada, this turnaround will likely start happening at Browns Shoes through their Mimosa private label, entirely created and crafted to speck by a team of in-house designers, and always at the forefront of trends. “We’re very reactive, says Julia, when it comes to adding new models and units when we see some new ideas in fashion are moving fast.”
Right now, the shoe retailer is presenting a large variety of dressier shoes and kitten heels, which are extremely wearable from day into night. There are also a lot of slingbacks and Mary Janes. Interest around the ankle area is important this season.
“We’re also witnessing the revival of the sock boot and second-skin boots. People want shoes to escape, and take a bit of a break from the very rugged gorpcore look. Fantasy dressing is back, with the return of big events and parties. Travelling is also important. And for those special events, you need a really special pair of heels.”
Because despite utility boots, tractor soles and the bold biker trend still making their way into fashion, we all need to dream a little bit, accessorized occasionally with a princess mule and the daintier, ultra-feminine stilettos. It’s all about dressing the part for different moods and moments. Isn’t that what fashion is all about?
