Platform shoes were born in the 16th century as symbol of wealth

By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor Published: 6:11PM GMT twenty-four February 2010

Previous of Images Next Spanish chopines from circa 1580-1620. Photo: Reuters Mid-17th century Italian slap-sole boots on display. Photo: Reuters

Impractically high heels, well known as chopines, were ragged by upper-class women in Italy and Spain during the late Renaissance era.

The higher the heel, the longer - and thus some-more costly - the skirt indispensable to cover them, and the some-more servants indispensable to await the wearer.

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The muster at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto facilities some-more than 60 pairs of singular shoes, the tallest of that is a span of Venetian chopines measuring scarcely twenty inches (50cm).

"Excessively high chopines in Italy offering the event for some-more fabric to be displayed but it additionally offering the event for servants to be displayed," pronounced Elizabeth Semmelhack, the museum"s comparison curator.

"Women wearing excessively high chopines could not conduct to travel but the benefit of at slightest dual servants. In fact, the reason because men still suggest women their arm currently dates behind to when women wore chopines and indispensable that small additional assistance to be means to go forward.

"We"re light the skirts of these women and vouchsafing you see these accessories that couple really closely to economics, gender and governing body - not only high fashion."

While the Italian chopines were comparatively plain, their Spanish equivalents were gaudier, Miss Semmelhack said. "Spanish chopines lend towards to be excessively decorated, really visible, really adorned - most some-more homogeneous to a span of Manolo Blahniks today."

Men quickly embraced heels in the 17th century, but the conform did not last long, she added. "Except for horseback roving and a blip in the 1970s, heels have been a woman"s accessory."