Women and High Heels

Some women like their high heels high in the true sense. They pride themselves on their ability to wear heels at the very limit of what can be achieved. The image of the female figure poised on the highest, slenderest possible heels is iconic and every woman owes it to herself to master the art of wearing them, even if only on those very special occasions when practicality and comfort are sacrificed for the sake of sensuality and style.

RoSa Shoes exists to satisfy the demand for unusually high, yet genuinely attractive, stiletto-heeled shoes. Erotic shoes, certainly, but chic enough to please the most elegantly dressed woman who loves her heels.

Over the years, just as sporting achievements and general physical capability have increased, so women's ability to wear high heels has evolved. In the 1950s and 60s a typical high heeled shoe would have been around three and a half inches. Heels over four inches were available, but rare unless you knew where to shop for them. Now, thanks partly to M. Louboutin and other luxury market shoe designers who encourage women to feel confident about wearing ever-higher heels, a four and three-quarter or even five inch (non-platform) heel is considered elegant and desirable.

Another factor which has pushed the boundaries has been the continual reappearance, ever since the 1970s, of the platform shoe in mainstream fashion. Women who have worn platform shoes are no longer intimidated by the sight of a heel several inches high and even when platform soles are temporarily ousted from fashion prominence, whatever replaces them had better be impressively lofty to satisfy a heel-loving woman. At the end of the best known platform era, the 1970s, conventional-sole high heels returned with a vengeance, higher than ever, even without the help of platforms, and many women adapted to the increased pitch to retain their long legs. The same thing happened in the 1990s and would be about to happen again right now except that these days most types of shoe remain readily available - thanks to the Internet. This comes as a great relief to those whose fashion sense is not dictated by others. Despite the futile efforts of the "style police", platforms and pointy toe stilettos currently co-exist in many women's shoe collections - a much happier state of affairs if you love diversity in shoe design.

The purpose of a really high heel is not primarily to increase the wearer's height, it is to give her longer, more shapely legs and most important of all - to bestow on her that irresistibly feminine, dominating yet vulnerable way of walking that only a slightly-too-high stiletto heel can create.

The maximum heel for a woman who likes to wear extremely high shoes but who wants to be able to walk or dance attractively in them (not just pose for a photographer) is usually around 13 to 14 centimetres, depending on foot size. Pictured above is a 13cm heel (approx. five inches, measured straight down from the back) on a size 36 shoe. It is a genuine stiletto heel, measuring only 5mm in diameter at the solid steel stem.

As you can see, the foot is as elevated as it can be and, importantly, the shoe fits. If a higher heel were attempted, the wearer's foot would not reach to the top of the heel, so the shoe would be too big at the back. This does not look good but some shoes are made like this for the fantasy/fetish market in the knowledge that they will only be used for carefully posed still photography, in which the model is rarely even standing up - certainly not walking around. Even Bettie Page avoided doing that! The bad fit at the rear of the shoe is either avoided by the camera or, nowadays, simply photoshopped.

Stand on absolute maximum tiptoe with straight legs - a friend with a tape measure will easily tell you approximately what your highest heels should be. You may be able to gain two or three centimetres over time by stretching your muscles, but that will only happen with regular wear. Beyond the wearable maximum, your knees will buckle and you will stagger rather than walk.

The shoe can of course be as high as you like and still fit the foot if a platform sole is used to compensate (see below). The ROSA RP01 shoe in the photo below has a 3cm platform, so the stem of the heel was made longer. With high platform shoes, the sky is the limit (well, maybe the doorway!) Pole dancers' moulded plastic shoes are sometimes very high, if somewhat clumpy-looking for our taste, but of course pole dancers have something to hang on to while they do their routines - they have to be extremely careful walking unsupported to and from the stage. Celebrities like Lady Gaga, who also favour this type of stratospheric heavy-duty platform footwear have bodyguards to lean on. Generally speaking, a six and a half to seven inch heel on a platform shoe is considered quite high enough to cause a stir - especially if the shoe has a real stiletto heel, like our more recent ROSA/12 Platform Stiletto Court Shoe, which has been known to bring a party to a halt while photos are taken for social media.

Once women have mastered the skills needed to wear them, platform-enhanced high heels tend to stay popular.There is no other way a woman can instantly add so many inches to the length of her legs and still feel relatively comfortable.

RoSa Shoes are designed for experienced heel wearers who seek something a little extra. We don't cover our shoes in "bling" or create odd, quirky designs which quickly become tedious to look at. We offer simple classic stiletto shoes, with or without platforms, at the limit of what is manageable. Almost fetishistic perhaps, but unlike shoes made specifically for the "fetish" market, always modern, fashionable, elegant and most importantly - wearable. High Heels need to be seen in action, doing what they do best - making women look amazing!

Whatever the truth may be concerning women and their eternal pursuit of the ultimate in High Heels, a growing number of stiletto devotees and their appreciative admirers are discovering RoSa Shoes' exclusive, limited production, Made in Italy, high stiletto heels.

Exciting-looking women don't wear safe-looking shoes. If you like to wear the highest, slenderest heels, whether your personal taste is for long, dangerous points, precarious platforms or deceptively demure rounded toes, whether your aim is to look smart, sexy or both, RoSa Shoes are for you.