Platform shoes

Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with an obvious thick sole, usually in the range of 3–10 cm (1–4 in). Platform shoes may also be high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher than the ball of the foot. Extreme heights, of both the sole and heel, can be found in fetish footwear such as ballet boots, where the sole may be up to 20 cm (8 in) high, and the heels up to 40 cm (16 in) and more. The sole of a platform shoe can have a continuous uniform thickness, have a wedge, a separate block or a stiletto heel. Apart from the extreme forms of fetish shoes (which are first and foremost not intended for walking in), walking in platform shoes can be cumbersome and clumsy. Raising the ankle increases the risk of a sprained ankle.

Platform shoe are known in many cultures. The most famous predecessor of platform shoes are the Zoccoli in Venice of the 15th century. Depending on the current shoe fashion platform shoes are more or less popular. In the 1970s they were widespread in both genders in Europe. Today, they are preferred by females.

After their use in Ancient Greece for raising the height of important characters in the Greek theatre and their similar use by high-born prostitutes or courtesans in London in the sixteenth century, platform shoes, called Pattens, are thought to have been worn in Europe in the eighteenth century to avoid the muck of urban streets. Of the same practical origins are Japanese geta. There may also be a connection to the buskins of Ancient Rome, which frequently had very thick soles to give added height to the wearer. In ancient China men wore black boots with very thick soles made from layers of white cloths, this style of boots are often worn today on stage for Peking opera. During the Qing dynasty, aristocratic Manchu women wore a form of platform shoe with a separate high heel, a style that was later adopted in Europe during the 1590s.

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Wikipedia