15 Toe-Curlingly Extreme Shoes From Throughout History

A new exhibition at London's V&A shows blister-plasters couldn't have come soon enough.

1. Chopines, C15th – C17th

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Upper-class European women were transformed into towering figures with these pedestal-like platforms from late fifteenth century to the seventeenth century. So high were styles worn by Venetian women, that their maids were used as crutches, which probably makes you feel a bit better about making your boss a cup of tea now and again. Height was the most important thing about Chopines, in fact, they wouldn't even be seen when worn. But, the higher they were, the more cloth was needed for the wearer's skirt to reach the ground, acting as a status symbol.

2. Long-toed shoes, C19th

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Long-toes have been ever present in male footwear design throughout history (right now, see: estate agent shoes), and in the nineteenth century toes-for-days were particularly prolific. The fact that this particular style is completely impractical goes to show that they could only be worn for leisure, and as such were a serious status symbol.

3. Noritaka Tatehana’s Crystal Lady Pointe, 2011

Noritaka Tatehana

Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness are among fans of the gravity-defying, creations by Japanese shoe designer, Noritaka Tatehana, and remember those black heel-less boots that Victoria Beckham caused controversy in a few years ago? Those were his too.

These crystal encrusted "Lady Pointe" shoes are some of his most extreme, lifting the wearer a vertiginous 45cm (18 inches) above the ground. Jury's out on whether anyone can actually walk in them.

4. Vivienne Westwood, 1993

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The infamous mock-croc platforms that Naomi Campbell fell off during a Vivienne Westwood show in 1993. Obv she styled it out, as only Naomi can, and even wore them out for a night on the town with Kate Moss later.

Black Ballad / Via blackballad.co.uk

5. Manchu women’s "Matidi' shoes, C19th

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Much like the European Chopines, Manchu shoes featured a pedestal on which women in China could reach considerable height. As well as the centralised platform, Manchus are characterised by their embroidered silk and cotton designs.

6. Master John boots, 1970s

Bata Shoe Museum / Image copyright © 2014 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

Heels stopped being a big deal for men during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, until the 1970s, when they experienced a particularly flamboyant renaissance, and they've not seen such poplularity since. You can thank Marc Bolan and David Bowie, amongst others, for the male-platform's go hard or go home moment in the sun.

7. Nova, Zaha Hadid for United Nude, 2013

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Architect Zaha Hadid's avant garde take on shoe design is unsurprisingly even more complex than it initially seems. This clever structure is made of an outer shell of rubber with a separate slipper constructed within.

8. Julian Hakes, Mojito, 2009

Bernard Zieja Mai

This cartoonish shoe is made from one lime-like, single piece of carbon fibre, hence the name, "Mojito". Architect Julian Hakes used 3D printing to create his innovative shoe and perhaps offers a glimpse of the kind of design we might see more of in the future.

9. Atalanta Weller ‘Scotty’ boots, 2010

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You probably wouldn't want to go running a marathon in these futuristic boots, but they're actually made using blown polyurethane, a material usually associated with sports shoes. Using this material meant that a more unusual heel could be created while still allowing the wearer, comfy, bouncy support.

10. Ferragamo rainbow wedge, 1938

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You might associate the modern wedge with the 1970s, but shoe-king Ferragamo gave the high platform a twentieth century makeover as early as the late 1930s when he invented a special kind of cork wedge. Apparently had Judy Garland in mind when he designed this sandal with its Technicolor, cinematic quality.

11. Slap-sole shoes, C17th

Sarah Holmes

Heels would sink into the dirt of the unpaved roads and footpaths of yore, so for a few decades during the seventeenth century, a handy flat panel was added to prevent this happening. The "slap" noise that the shoe made as a result let you know that its wearer was approaching, as well as coining the name, "slap shoe".

12. ‘Invisible Nakedversion’ shoes by Andreia Chaves, 2011

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Another example of 3D printing creating an innovative shoe, adding an architectural skeleton to a traditional leather slipper.

13. Qabâqib, C19th

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These vertiginous clogs were worn by women to walk around naked in the Hamman, a kind of Egyptian bath-house. They do say "let your shoes do the talking". The height on these actually originated with the practical purpose of raising the wearer above the hot floor, but of course, like other platform shoes before them, the higher you could handle, the higher your status was seen to be.

14. Chau Har Lee’s flat pack shoes, 2011

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Perhaps not what you're used to seeing in Ikea, but these shoes actually come flat packed. Made from six clear acrylic pieces, they slot together without even any need for glue. How novel!

15. Wedding Paduka, C19th

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Often made from silver, gold and embellished wood, these footprint shaped shoes would form part of an Indian bride's wedding trousseau.

You wouldn't want to run for the bus in them, though, would you?

The "V&A's Shoes: Pleasure and Pain" exhibition, sponsored by Clarks, opens on 13th June.