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Louis XIV

Men in High Heels: How the Heel Went From Warrior Gear to Women’s Shoe

October 4, 2026

Retrato de Luis XIV de Francia con manto de armiño y zapatos de tacón rojo, por Hyacinthe Rigaud

Men wore high heels first: Persian cavalry, then Europe’s kings for 130 years. Why men abandoned heels around 1740, and why the cowboy boot never did.

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