Heels vs Stilettos
Heel is the word used for the back of the foot of a human being. But it is also used for the back part of the shoes or any other footwear worn by people, particularly women. The world of women’s accessories becomes colorful and exciting with footwear having different kinds of heels. Heels are externally fitted parts to shoes and sandals that come in a variety of shapes and sizes (read heights). Stilettos happen to be heels that are very popular confusing many to think that they are synonymous with the word heels. However, stilettos and heels are not the same as a reader would discover after reading this article.
Heels
Heels are parts of shoes that are added to give a balance to them and also to help the person wearing them appear taller than he is. Heels are an integral part of most of the shoes available in the market whether for women or for men. High heels have been worn by men and women since ancient times. High heels are worn mostly to appear taller and to look more attractive. There is a wide range among high heels available in the market.
Pumps are the most popular high heel shoes worn by women. These shoes are strapless and have a closed toe. It is hard for a woman to live without her black pumps just like she cannot make do without her little black dress. However, many women prefer to wear platforms that add to the height without giving a severe angle to the foot as there is heel beneath the sole, as well as heel. So a platform would have a heel under the front part of the shoe as well as its back. There are also other types of heels such as a wedge, a spool, a clog, or even a cone.
Stilettos
If there is one high heel shoe that is both attractive as well as sexy, it is certainly the stiletto. The word comes from Italian dagger called stiletto and this dangerously thin and high heel shoe is very popular among celebrities and women who dare to be different and want to look sexy. The height of the heel in the case of stilettos varies from a mere one inch to as high as 10 inches, but one thing that remains common is the fact that the heels are very thin. Not all high heels can classify as stilettos as their chief characteristic is the thinness of the heels. Real stilettos have metal enforcement inside their heels, and they could be as slender as 5 mm.
What is the difference between Heels and Stilettos?
• Stilettos are just one type of high heels as there are many more such as platforms, edge, spool, and so on.
• Heels are known to mankind since ancient times, but stilettos came into existence in 1930’s so named after Italian stiletto daggers.
• Stilettos have a great sex appeal, and they have dangerously high and thin heels.
• Stilettos that are 5 cm or lesser are called kittens.
The term heel has been used in reference to a person’s character, a person’s social standing, the back area of a person’s foot, the section of a shoe that is under the heel area of a person’s foot, and the structure that raises the area of the shoe that is under the heel of a person’s foot. It has also become the go to word that references any footwear that has an obvious structure raising the heel area of a shoe notably higher than the level at which the toes sit when the shoe is being worn. As this article notes, the term stiletto when referencing footwear is one of the types or styles of a heel. Its features of being exceptionally slender has all but replaced or integrated the spike heel design which is also popular for having a slender styling. At the original combination of these two styles, the perfect heel styling got created. As usual, designers had to mess with perfection and the spike style influence was mostly negated from the new stiletto looks. Obviously, this is my biased opinion, of which I stand by in my high spike/stiletto pumps. Getting back on the subject, the term of stilettos is now often used instead of the go to word “heels” when referencing thinly shaped high heels on pumps, slipper, sandals, and boots. Hope this helps in understanding the difference between heels verses stilettos.