Who Invented High-Heeled Shoes?

Ancient Egyptian murals depict royals and butchers wearing an early form of the platform shoe. Platform shoes were commonly used throughout Europe as an oversole that attached to a flat shoe. The high heel emerged in the 1500s as a two-part sole with a flexible upper sole and an attached heel. The shoe was first popular with both male and female riders. Catherine de Medici adopted the high-heeled shoe as a way to increase her short stature. The heel quickly spread as a fashion statement among the wealthy.