Kitten. A short, slender heel, a kitten heel is actually a style of a stiletto with a similar shape but is much shorter and usually has a heel height of 2 inches at most. Kitten heel shoes tend to be more formal styles of shoes, typically with a court shoe design with a pointed toe or a sandal. Kitten heels have recently made a big comeback with the love for everything retro inspired and a comfortable style of shoes. Although most people can wear kitten heel shoes, they are typically more flattering to taller women or those with longer legs, as they can often make petite women look shorter when worn with skirts or dresses.
Cone. One of the most recent footwear fashions, cone heeled shoes are a quirky style of heel that is chunky at the top and thins towards the bottom of the heel. They’re so comfortable because the heel stays relatively thick and most of them tend to have mid-height heels too; although you will find some cone heeled shoes with taller heels.
Stacked. An unusual style of heel that uses thin layers to created a heel that appears to be stacked. They are typically made from wood and with the latest bohemian trend, stacked wooden heels have become very popular as wedges, although you’ll also find high heels and lower heels with stacked heels too.
Wedge. As above with the recent love of everything bohemian and hippy chic, wedges made a big comeback last year and look set to continue right through to this year and beyond. Wedges have a thick chunky design that is unbroken from the heel to the sole and as they usually have a thick platform sole, they are so comfortable to wear and walk in despite having a tall heel. Anyone can wear wedges because they’re so flattering and have the appearance of longer legs; team with skinny jeans, leggings, skirts or dresses. The great thing about wedges is that they also come in lots of different styles from popular peep toes and sandals to unusual wedged shoes and shoe boots.
Stiletto. Probably the most classic and popular style of heel, stiletto heels are tall, slender and sexy heels that have long been the heel of choice for women everywhere. Perfect for the office, top file sharing programs, a night on the town or a special occasion, pop on a pair of stilettos and you’ll instantly look and feel great. Wear with skirts and dresses or jeans and leggings, the beauty about stilettos is that they go with almost anything and anyone can wear them.
Platform. Although not technically a heel, people often refer to shoes as being platform shoes, while the term platform actually relates to the sole of the shoe. A platform shoe will have a thicker sole than one that isn’t a platform, usually of approximately 1 inch and is usually found on stilettos and wedges to make them more comfortable to wear and to give extra height.
known as Rafé Totengco, is a New York-based Filipino fashion designer who specializes in women’s handbags, shoes, and small leather goods, and men’s bags and accessories. In the late 1990s and through the 2000s, he garnered a number of awards for his designs.
Dato’ Jimmy Choo OBE, born Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat, (Chinese: ???) is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its hand-made women’s shoes. Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia into a family of shoemakers. He is of Chinese Hakka descent. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney from which he graduated in 1983. (The college is now part of the London College of Fashion.) Choo has divulged that he worked part-time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe factory to help fund his college education.
Jimmy Choo’s beginnings can be traced back to his workshop in Hackney, North London, which he opened in 1986 by renting an old hospital building. His craftsmanship and designs were soon noticed and he came to the verge of international notability when his creations were featured in a record eight pages in a 1988 issue of Vogue magazine. Patronage from Diana, Princess of Wales from 1990 onwards further boosted his image. In 1996, he co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd with British Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon.
In April 2001, Choo sold his 50% stake in the company for £10 million. He has since been concentrating his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line produced under license from Jimmy Choo Ltd. The Jimmy Choo London line, also known as Jimmy Choo Ready-To-Wear or, simply, Jimmy Choo, is under the purview of Tamara Mellon. The ready-to-wear line has expanded to include accessories such as handbags and tight dresses. Choo lives in London. He is currently involved in a project to set up a shoemaking institute in Malaysia, where his iconic status is often evoked to inspire budding shoemakers and fashion designers. His company Jimmy Choo Ltd. produces some of the most expensive high-end shoes.
Born to a Czech father and a Spanish mother and born and raised in the Canary Islands (Spain), Blahnik graduated from the University of Geneva in 1965 and studied art in Paris. He moved to London in 1968 to work at fashion boutique “Zapata” and write for Vogue Italia. After showing his portfolio of fashions and set designs to Diana Vreeland, she told him that he should design only footwear. In 1972, Ossie Clark invited him to create shoes for his runway show. With a loan of £2,000, Blahnik bought Zapata from its owner and opened his own boutique.
Way back in the 1970s, when chunky platform shoes and boots were the mainstream footwear styling of the day, Manolo Blahnik turned back his attention to the stiletto heel, which has remained the brand’s mainstay to this day. Manolo Blahnik shoes have rapidly become a symbol of pure classical style for the 21st century. Manolo Blahnik’s flagship store remains to date in Old Church Street, Chelsea London.
Blahnik’s boutiques are located in London, New York, Las Vegas, Dublin, Athens, Madrid, Istanbul, Dubai, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore. Bloomingdales (for which he created his first American collection), Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue carry his line in the United States and newly opened in Dubai Mall. Blahnik was awarded the honorary title of Commander of the British Empire in 2007 for his service to the British fashion industry.