Centuries before Christian Louboutin trademarked his signature red outsoles, a 5’4” King Louis XIV was tapping through Versailles in red bottoms of his own. The reserve of a select group of noblemen, les talons rouges, signaled a sumptuary code, an inner circle, which explains why so many of the king’s courtiers were posed awkwardly in portraits for the purpose of displaying their trophy steppers.
See also: the pompadour heel–also known as the Louis heel, and in modern times, the “flared” heel–which is just one of several contemporary trends that can be traced back to the ancien régime. For example, Bella Hadid was photographed yesterday afternoon strolling through New York in a button-down stretch dress, Coach’s Empire Carryall Bag 34, and knee-high boots featuring a recessive heel not unlike those popularised in Versailles. The negative space formed a rip curl beneath her soles. Hadid has just as much influence on today’s taste in clothing as King Louis did in the 1600s, and she would look even better in a tricorne and breeches.
