{"id":2023856,"date":"2026-07-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023856"},"modified":"2026-07-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-252","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023856","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tHEAD OVER HEELS: BACK TO THE STILETTO<\/span>
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From Addison Rae\u2019s Louboutins to the share-your-shoe collection trend, we\u2019re back on our toes.<\/h3>\n
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Instagram via @addisonraee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even in the dim-lit club, she immediately caught my attention. First, the body, swaddled in a gold strapless I AM G.I.A-ified BCBG bandage dress, lilting gently side to side, restricted in movement by its body-contouring silhouette. Inevitably, my eyes travelled South, stopping at her feet. Metatarsals flat on the ground, her heels were balanced at no less than a 60-degree angle in the tallest, pointed-toe stilettos I\u2019d seen on a civilian. Unable to contain myself, I crossed the dance floor. She told me she was 21, and this is how she dressed to go out now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re noticing an abundance of higher heels right now, you\u2019re not alone. Addison Rae ushered<\/a> in the peep toe\u2019s return. AD\u00c9LA alleged the more scratched<\/a> the Louboutin, the better. Trendsetters paired<\/a> casualwear or athleisure with platforms. Everywhere you look, or listen<\/a>, is the discovery of Jessica Simpson heels as the most comfortable. Online, women are showcasing<\/a> their heel collections en masse \u2014 <\/em>the higher and less practical, the more engaging. One video from London Fashion Week featuring a model\u2019s stationary feet in clear PVC mules that has racked up almost 24 million views.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI notice people in the fashion world really embracing them again,\u201d says Harper\u2019s Bazaar <\/em>senior fashion editor Camille Freestone. \u201cI think that coincides with some of the \u2018It\u2019 shoes of the moment: pumps<\/a> from Matthieu Blazy\u2019s Chanel or Dario Vitale\u2019s short-lived Versace<\/a> stint. This follows the Barbie Manolo Blahnik mules<\/a> and the Bottega green ones<\/a> that seemed to be everywhere a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

For most of Gen Z and their antecedents, this is a brand new business. Coming of age mid-pandemic meant a comfort correction \u2014 welcoming an onslaught of Birkenstock Bostons and UGGs<\/a> to malls and classrooms. Offices, once soundtracked by symphony of clacking, went silent as ballet flats exited the elevator. As the \u2018clean girl\u2019 \u2014 effortless and pared down \u2014 became the<\/em> girl, date night or dance floor uniform included a moto boot or, most radically, kitten heels.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn high school, sky-high heels held a certain allure \u2014 this was in the early 2010s when they were considered the ultimate fashion shoe,\u201d Camille says. \u201cI would wear them to school dances or even to get dressed up and go to dinner with friends. Between growing up and heels falling out of fashion, I really distanced myself from them outside of designated formal occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reclamation of flats felt like an expression of both new-age feminism and free will. Collectively, we figured commuting in tennis-shoes, only to slip on slingbacks at the function felt unnecessary, if not totally arbitrary. Podiatrists and industry analysts claimed<\/a> nearly 41 percent of women reduced high heel usage due to foot strain and back pain concerns, while classic stiletto sales reportedly dropped<\/a> 12 percent in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past few years, I barely wore them [though] I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s entirely about comfort per se \u2014 sometimes my low-profile flats barely put any material between my foot and the cement \u2014 I just don\u2019t want to feel silly teetering around.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Instagram via @adelajergova <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This perceived \u201csilliness\u201d has more to do with media messaging, than the individual\u2019s ability to balance. In the 2006 comedy She\u2019s the Man<\/em>, Amanda Bynes\u2019 character Viola memorably argues, \u201cHeels are a male invention designed to make women\u2019s butts look smaller\u2026 and to make it harder for them to run away.\u201d For decades, the association between heels and the male gaze has mostly been inextricable \u2014 even as Carrie Bradshaw was blowing $400 dollars on Manolo Blahnik\u2019s that Big would never notice (until the movie<\/a>, of course).<\/p>\n

But now, the tides are turning \u2014 at least for vintage. Last year, Vestiaire Collective reported<\/a> searches for vintage heels have gone up 37 per cent year on year. The Global High Heels Footwear market was valued<\/a> at 38 million USD in 2024 and is projected to reach 48 million by 2034, exhibiting a 3.3 percent annual growth rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve certainly seen growing demand [for heels] across the business,\u201d says Britt Netta founder, Brittany Netta. \u201cWhat has shifted is that consumers are now more receptive to dressing up again and embracing pieces that feel glamorous and intentional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPost-Covid, we\u2019ve seen a strong return to more dressed-up and feminine footwear, in contrast to the dominance of sneakers that characterized the previous years,\u201d echoes Romain Broussard, the Artistic Director Image, Collaborations & Global Communication of Parisian footwear brand Carel<\/a>. \u201cBoth Millennials and Gen Z consumers are looking for styles that feel more elegant and sophisticated. Shoes have become statement pieces \u2014 we\u2019ve noticed a growing appetite for more playful designs, with bold colors, materials, and details that bring a sense of fun to fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camille Freestone anticipates \u201csubtly wacky\u201d styles from rising brands to take over in the coming months (specifically keep an eye out for the sculptural offerings of Jude, Christen, and Herbert Levine, she says).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a fashion angle, it could simply be a yearning for more provocative clothing and accessories\u2026we\u2019re bored of the quiet luxury-CBK core and could use something a bit more exciting,\u201d she explains. \u201cIs it a coincidence that as our current administration strips back women\u2019s rights as trad-wife fashion and high heels start trending? There\u2019s no way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certainly it\u2019s difficult to ignore a possible correlation between the comeback of hyperfeminine dressing \u2014 body-con dresses, corsets, and high heels \u2014 and the conservative swell across the Western hemisphere. For brands like Britt Netta, this represents renewed creative freedom.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat broader return to femininity in fashion has naturally aligned with what we were already creating, it\u2019s really allowed customers to connect more deeply with our pieces. Rather than chasing a specific trend, we focus on creating styles that feel authentic to the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Embracing traditional femininity isn\u2019t easy, but there is power in meeting that challenge. Heels might be exhausting and painful, but choosing to wear them anyway is just another way women prove their resilience. When presidential candidate Nikki Haley was swiped at during a debate for her \u201cthree-inch\u201d heels, she rebutted with the fact her shoes are not only five-inches tall, but she can \u201crun in em.\u201d The Washington Post <\/em>ran a story<\/a> on the repart\u00e9e titled \u201cBackwards and in heels,\u201d in reference to the famous Ann Richards quote about dancers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire ([Ginger] did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wear heels, and they\u2019re not for a fashion statement,\u201d Nikki Haley told her opposition. \u201cThey\u2019re for ammunition.\u201d<\/p>\n

And today, they are<\/em> ammunition. Growing an extra four or six inches feels like quiet protest in the face of rampant GLP-1 use with the expectation of professional<\/a> or romantic<\/a> success. In addition to advocating for heels\u2019 capacity to aesthetically elevate an outfit, Designer Isaac Mizrahi once claimed heels are auratically transformative: \u201c<\/em>You put high heels on and you change.\u201d Dame Vivienne Westwood, a designer whose subversion of feminine silhouettes has often been described as \u2018punk,\u2019 sent Naomi Campbell toppling<\/a> in nine-inch stilettos\u2026with a five-inch platform.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShoes must have very high heels and platforms to put women\u2019s beauty on a pedestal,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past two seasons, we\u2019ve seen growing demand for higher heels,\u201d says Romain Brussaud. \u201cWe have responded by offering several of our iconic styles in different heel heights. For example, our signature Kina<\/a> has been reimagined with an 8.5 cm heel, creating a sexier silhouette.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fundamentally, heels are style over substance, but maybe being substantive is a little overrated. In an era of extreme optimization \u2014 less drinking, more protein \u2014 embracing pretty over practicality certainly feels a little \u201csilly,\u201d but it\u2019s also somewhat freeing. Of course, heels may not be for everyone, or everyday, but pushing your sartorial limits might reap benefits beyond sophistication. Maybe it\u2019s standing, ten toes down, to tell the world who\u2019s boss.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, when the time comes to kick them off, that\u2019s okay too.<\/p>\n

Words<\/strong> \u2013 Beatrice Hazlehurst<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t2 July 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tA temperature check at Men\u2019s Fashion Week in Paris<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\tEllen Poppy Hill turns the mundane into fashion<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland HEAD OVER HEELS: BACK TO THE STILETTO From Addison Rae\u2019s Louboutins to the share-your-shoe collection trend, we\u2019re back on our toes. Instagram via @addisonraee Even in the dim-lit club, she immediately caught my attention. First, the body, swaddled in a gold strapless I AM G.I.A-ified BCBG bandage dress, lilting gently side to side, restricted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-2023856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2023856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023856\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2023856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2023856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2023856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}