Are very high heels, those which reach between 7 and 10 centimeters in height, destined to remain stored in women’s wardrobes? Looking closely at the fall-winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear shows which ended in March in Paris, one might be tempted to believe it. Many shoes have in fact shaved the catwalks, from strappy babies at Valentino to smooth leather clogs at Rabanne, from flat patent derbies at Jil Sander to very low-heeled pumps at Prada. Other big stars of the season: high boots, over-the-knee style, reaching mid-thigh at Fendi or Gucci, or stopping at mid-calf at Dior and Isabel Marant. Their particularity? The height of their heels does not exceed 4 centimeters.
“ We noticed a boom in low heels during the fall-winter 2024-2025 shows », corroborates Albane Desazars de Montgailhard, fashion analyst at Tagwalk. This search engine, created in 2016, deciphers each fashion show to compile, season after season, the major emerging trends. “ We note a 1,390% growth in heels between 2 and 3 centimeters in height compared to the previous winter season. Flat shoes are also taking over, with growth of 68% »continues the analyst.
“ In the women’s fashion market, the dynamic observed over the last three years is to the advantage of medium heels (3 to 6 centimeters), while purchases of high-heeled shoes (7 centimeters and more) are on a negative slope. In 2023, sales are distributed as follows: 56% for low heels (2 centimeters and less), 34% for medium heels and 11% for high heels »explains Michelle Bonnet, general delegate of the French Shoe Federation.
“A desire for comfort”
If the flat is popular today, it is partly thanks to the return of the ballerina, this flat shoe or shoe with a very small heel, very popular especially in the 2000s. The one that undoubtedly stands out from the crowd this season is the model imagined by Pieter Mulier at Alaïa, for spring-summer 2024. Inspired by traditional Japanese shoes, the ballerinas here go higher on the instep and are available in different colors, in smooth leather or in thick mesh , with a wide or crossed loop. “This model sort of set the tone for the seasonexplains Pascale Leboutet-Reberat, director of leather goods supply and purchasing at Galeries Lafayette. Since then, all the brands have been involved in the reinterpretation of the ballerina, from the most accessible brands to the most prestigious houses. »
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