How's the weather up there?

One of the most popular shoe trends of the last few years for women has been the platform. This is a trend which is resurfacing after it's popularity for men and women in the 70s particularly in Britain. Plus we all remember the Spice Girls in the 90's. Now we have brilliant designers who look to the beginnings of fashion to draw inspiration and we see clearly how they relate. 

 

These Qabaqib from the Ottoman Empire appear to inspire Guo Pei's "Geisha" shoes. 

These 16th century Chopines from Italy have a dramatic curve to their base which has morphed to these modern day heels. 

These chopines from the late 1500's or early 1600's were decorative more than practical. They had great detail for the Italian Renaissance era. The Alexander McQueen shoes below are from his Platos Atlantis collection and show intricate detail that is definitely for show.

 Alexander McQueen also drew inspiration from these Ventian chopines circa 1600.

 Here we see the calcagnini (another style of chopines) which were extremely tall so the wearer could wade through flooded streets of Venice or Florence. Heidi Klum sports yet another pair of McQueen platforms for a German Vogue photo shoot in Beverly Hills with similar height.

Clearly we can continue to draw from the past to create fabulous new designs at the height of fashion. Also, McQueen was a genius. It had to be said.

Image Locations:
 http://blog.newsok.com/fashionmatters/files/2010/03/shoes1.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFEtUU89c3ednQ4ABDlVL8qdaTurJAcX2TzO9K17cbZ_Y3WwZkCTDDGjd7phQ62-PqveysxpTovk0sL0SII1J7x4NZFJYd47jZksaS5H2VjJnOgmp-zEj5NEBFO79h-VFO7-yZrHLuBPj/s1600/P88.0060+Chopines+July27’09_011v2.jpg
http://aands.org/raisedheels/Pictorial/extant.php
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCicCz-hrajCcn4dQreTUDLQabbCcxeg1wNztAQb84_L3nizHFFVh5Q25wN0k3HmsPIjgxFQ6dY9ihD8Tl3QeNbXXVt09YhcQsyrwW7VkpxDesfalCBFZDy3gn18C7idX2fXCZOsP7jElB/s1600/Bata+Shoe+Museum.jpg
http://ficdn.fashionindie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/alexander-mcqueen-platforms.jpg
http://pinterest.com/pin/281334307942563149/
http://www.lovestiletto.com/images/alexander_mcqueen_platos_atlantis.jpg
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/9560
http://www.thefrisky.com/2010-01-21/guo-pei-makes-platforms-for-geisha-girls/#more-534172
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/80003642