Okay, so, I’ve always been kind of obsessed with high heels, you know? Like, how they look, how they make you feel, the whole thing. But I never really thought about what actually goes into making them. So, the other day, I decided to do a deep dive and figure out what makes a high heel a high heel.

First, I grabbed a few pairs of heels from my closet – some stilettos, some block heels, you name it. I laid them all out on my bed and just started looking at them, really examining them. I felt a bit silly, but, hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?
Next, I hopped online, searching for pictures, some articles, and even some diagrams about the “parts of a high heel” or “anatomy of a high heel” . It wasn’t easy, man, there’s so much information out there, and a lot of it is pretty technical. But I kept at it, comparing what I was reading to the shoes I had in front of me.
I started with the most obvious part – the heel itself. I measured them, compared the heights, the shapes. Some were super skinny, some were thicker, and some were all fancy and curved. This was actually kind of fun!
Then I moved on to the top part of the shoe, the part that covers your foot. I learned that this part can be called different things like “vamp” or just the “upper”. I touched the materials, some were leather, some were suede, some were some kind of synthetic stuff. It made me realize how many different types there are, and that got me even more curious. Also, I found that the edge around the opening is called “top line”, and the part holds the toes is called “toe box”.
After that, I started looking at the inside of the shoe. There’s this soft part where your foot rests, that’s called the “insole”. And then, of course, there’s the bottom, the “outsole”, which touches the ground. I flipped the shoes over and looked at the different materials used for the outsoles – some were rubbery, some were leather, some were hard plastic. There was also the “counter” which supports the heel.

Finally, I tried to put all the pieces together, literally and figuratively. I realized that making a high heel is way more complicated than I thought. It’s like, a lot of engineering and design goes into making these things!
- Heel: This is the star of the show, right? It’s what makes a high heel “high.”
- Upper: This is the part that covers the top of your foot.
- Top line: The edge around the opening.
- Toe box: The part holds the toes.
- Insole: The comfy part where your foot rests.
- Outsole: The bottom part that hits the pavement.
- Counter: The part supports the heel.
So, yeah, that was my little adventure into the world of high heels. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, and I definitely learned a lot. Now, every time I put on a pair of heels, I have a whole new appreciation for them!
Oh, one more tip, if your new heels are too tight, try wearing socks with them around the house first. This helped me break in a few pairs.