Walter Steiger

About 60 years ago, high heels maxed out at around 2 inches and were as straightforward as your grandmother’s meatloaf recipe. Today, though, the footwear fashion industry is a completely different beast. We still have a fine selection of demure pumps and sexy stilettos, but designers are getting more and more creative when it comes to their shoe’s silhouette. And it’s not just rich celebrities, high society debutantes and socialites walking around town in these haute couture kicks. Everyday Janes are buying look-at-me shoes, as well.

Take designer Walter Steiger, for example. His flagship shop was opened on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Hore in Paris in 1974 and he can attest to the change. His soon-to-be released “Unicorn” heel, which stands nearly 7 inches tall and features a curved heel, is already earning oohs and ahhs from women of all socioeconomic backgrounds across the globe.

Via Spiga is another shoe brand that’s jumping — feet first — into a completely new look. Their ultimate goal is to appeal to the fashion forward femmes who want high fashion shoes at an affordable price. To do this, the long standing shoe brand has completely revamped their traditional shoe silhouette, transforming its formerly chunky heel into a more streamlined, fluid shape. It now has a more futuristic/modern feel to it and looks far less dated

This piqued interest in cool kicks has, naturally, led to crowded designer shoe floors in stores across the nation. WWD has confirmed that high fashion footwear is experiencing a serious shift, as well. Sure, big names such as Manholo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo will long remain household names and sell easily (despite outrageous quadruple digit price tags), but up-and-coming designers are also gaining entry into the sector’s retail space. If you go out shoe shopping, you’ll notice more space devoted to shoes, renovated shoe departments and probably more women browsing.

“People are seeking out extreme fashion from footwear selections, and it only helps the excitement factor when we’re selling shoes,” Saks Fifth Avenue fashion director Elizabeth Kanfer said to WWD.

Does your shoe selection keep up with the trend? If not, it’s time to hit the sale racks, where some of these over-the-top styles often end up. Are you going to get a bargain? Only if you wear them!

By Wendy Rose Gould