Streamlined, elegant and seductive, stiletto heels have become synonymous with ultimate sexy footwear. Today, women of all ages are going for high heeled stilettos to achieve the optical illusion of longer, slimmer legs, a smaller foot and a greater overall height. The charm of stiletto heels have become so overpowering that designers have added this spindly heel to all types of ladies shoes. What's more, shoe designers are further experimenting with stilettos by adding still higher and thinner heels, glittery ornamentation and bold colors in their bid to enhance the sexiness of stilettos.

Stiletto Shoes History

The term stiletto heels owe its origin to the Italian 'stiletto dagger' which actually is a murderous long slender blade. Just like the dagger, stiletto heels come with very thin high heels typically ranging from 4 to 8 inches in length. Although tall and thin heels are said to be in existence since 1800s, the popularity of modern stiletto heels is attributed to the designer Roger Vivier whose designs of opulent heels became popular in 1950s. However, after the Beatle era, the popularity of stilettos faded gradually.

Again in 1974, a sensual version of the stiletto heel was reintroduced by Manolo Blahnik but even after this time, the fashion of stilettos came and went. The slender stiletto heels staged a major comeback after 2000, when women thought of dressing up office wear and adding a feminine touch to their attire. Since then and until now,women of all ages have been accentuating the style quotient of their attire with ultra thin and ultra high stiletto heel shoes.

Current Trends in Stilettos

Stiletto heels are highly popular in fashion circles. Designers have accentuated the elegance of all sorts of ladies footwear with the charm of slender stiletto heels. Today, ladies love stiletto heels in thigh high, knee length and ankle length boots. A slightly lower version of stiletto heels is a hot rage in sandals, mules, open-toe and court shoes as these are now accepted as an elegant footwear for office or casual outings.

To add more panache to the stiletto shoes, shoe designers are adding more zing to stiletto shoes by adding zippers, buckles and clasps and even dazzling them up with rhinestone, crystals and diamante. To match the tone of these ornamented party shoes, bold colors are being used in stiletto heels. Deep red stiletto heel shoes are considered an epitome of sexiness while grey and brown are reserved for office wear. A simple black stiletto heel shoe can be a sophisticated accessory for office, but when embellished with sequins, stones or just patent leather it is used to raise the sex appeal of a seductive party dress.

In terms of shoe shapes, the aesthetic appeal of spindly stiletto heels can be raised with a pointed toe shoe which are slender and elongate in shape just like the shape of stiletto heel itself. In case you find pointed toe shaped stilettos a bit uncomfortable you can simply choose to shop for rounded or a squared-toe stiletto shoe and let your feet be relaxed.

Podiatrists Concern with Stiletto Heels

When it comes to stilettos, the stylists idea is the higher-the hotter they look. Ladies, it seems, have taken this idea to heart and are constantly going for higher heels. Podiatrists however, feel that when it comes to everyday wear heels, especially stilettos, they should be of lower height. High heeled stiletto shoes should be reserved for special occasions and should be worn for limited number of hours. Further, one should buy stiletto high heels shoes of a reputed brand only. Cheap high heel shoes are less comfortable and can cause greater damage to your foot and hence should be avoided.

Author: Karunakar