Fashion shoes

The term “fashion shoes” is used to describe a style of shoes that, as a result of their design, are popular at any particular moment in time. Naturally fashions are continually changing and what is popular in one year, or even in one season, can fall out of popularity in the next.

The big difference between the fashion shoe and the orthopedic shoe is that the latter is designed with the health and comfort of the feet as priorities rather than styles and trends. The result may be that the orthopedic shoe does not have the most fashionable of designs, however it can be supplemented by fashion shoes when circumstances dictate.

Different types of fashion shoe

There are many different fashion shoes and those that were fashionable in the past always return to popularity at some point in time in the future.

This applies to designs, colours and fabrics. If you doubt this fact, just watch some old movies from the 1930's, 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Even some of the shoes styles of the 1970's are back in fasion.

If you want to see a complete list of the different types of fashion (and non fashion) shoes along with a list of different heel types, this shoe types page will assist you. It lists, alphabetically, nearly all of the ladies’ shoes that have appeared over the last century.

Naturally new designs are always appearing, but most of the features are re-workings of previous styles.

High heels

One of the consistent features of ladies’ fashion shoes is the presence of a High heel. Occasionally this high heel feature has slipped slightly from the top of the designer’s pallet, but more often than not it is present on a fashionable shoe.

High heels are of course one of the least desirable features in an orthopedic or comfort shoe. They change the way that the body’s weight is spread across the foot, they change the way that the muscles of the feet and legs function and, as a result, the way that the person wearing them walks. They also have inflexible soles that stop the foot from flexing, the toes from spreading, and the feet and lower legs from doing what they should be doing during walking. This is why they are not recommended and never included in health, comfort, diabetic or orthopedic designed shoes.

If high heels are to be worn, then limiting the height of the heel, and particularly the difference in height between the toe and heel sections is one way of improving things. Platform shoes are far from ideal with stiff inflexible soles, however they do minimise the height differential between the toes and the heel.