They say everything has an expiry date, and that couldn't be truer for fashion trends. For several seasons we have seen shoes morph from practical and dainty, to clunky and chunky, with designers rivalling modern architects with their towering platforms, sinuous lines and vertiginous heels. It didn't matter that we could barely walk in them, as long as shoes looked good and kept the photo bloggers snapping, designers were happy to oblige.
But as they say, what goes up, must come down. This autumn, kitten heels have made a comeback giving our tortured feet a well-deserved rest. Designers such as Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton (right)and Stella McCartney showed pointy, dainty styles on the catwalk, while other fashion houses including Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin have embraced the trend and brought their heels back down to earth.
'We definitely are seeing more kitten- and mid-heels presented this season. Sky high styles have been the trend for a while now so we are now looking to update our look with something totally different to keep things fresh and interesting,' says Christine Park, senior buyer of ladies shoes and handbags at Harvey Nichols.
'I don't think the trend ever went away,' says Peter Nichols, senior shoe buyer for Lane Crawford. 'Over the past few seasons we have seen our customers requesting more lower and mid-heel options. I think that many women are ready to come down off their platforms.'
While magazines and editors have been hailing the return of the kitten heel as the comeback of the century, diehard shoe addicts tell a different story.
A few weeks ago, On Pedder launched a pop-up store dedicated to hip and edgy shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood who is known for his life-altering and vertically challenging platforms (his average heel height clocks in at around 110mm). The place was swarming with women in skyscraper heels, including shoe lover Laura Li, founder of online boutique Gizzy & Nacho.