When a high heel keeps a low profile

Are 7 to 10 cm high heels too high to keep in a woman’s wardrobe? If you look closely at the fall-winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear shows that ended in March in Paris, you might believe it. Many shoes have actually graced the catwalks, from strappy babies at Valentino, to sleek leather clogs at Rabanne, to flat patent derbies at Jil Sander, to very low-heeled pumps at Prada. Other big stars of the season: high boots, over-the-knee styles, mid-thigh at Fendi or Gucci, or mid-calf at Dior and Isabel Marant. Their peculiarity? The height of their heels does not exceed 4 centimeters.

“ We noticed a boom in low heels at the Fall/Winter 2024-2025 shows », confirms Alban Desazar de Montgailhardt, fashion analyst at Tagwalk. This search engine, created in 2016, encodes each show to compile, season by season, the main emerging trends. “ We are reporting a 1390% increase in heel height from 2 to 3 centimeters compared to the previous winter season. Flats are also taking over, with 68% growth »continues the analyst.

“ The dynamics observed in the women’s fashion market over the last three years favor medium heels (from 3 to 6 centimeters), and the purchase of high-heeled shoes (7 centimeters and more) is on a negative slope. In 2023, sales are split as follows: 56% low heels (2 inches and under), 34% medium heels, and 11% high heels. »explains Michel Bonnet, General Delegate of the French Shoe Federation.

“desire for comfort”

If the flat is popular today, it is partly thanks to the return of the ballerina, this flat shoe or very small heel, especially popular in the 2000s, will undoubtedly stand out this season in Alaya, imagined by Peter Mullier, for spring-summer 2024. Inspired by traditional Japanese shoes, the ballerinas here rise to the occasion and are available in a variety of colors, smooth leather or thick mesh, with a wide or criss-cross loop. “This model kind of sets the tone for the seasonexplains Pascal Lebute-Reberat, director of supply and purchasing of leather goods at Galeries Lafayette. Since then, all brands have been involved in the reinterpretation of the ballerina, from the most affordable brands to the most prestigious houses. »