Style Guru: King Louis XIV (France)

“I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.” – Marilyn Monroe

If Marilyn had bothered to do some research she’d have discovered Persian Horseback Warriors as the true pioneers of high heels. Originally designed out of pragmatism, elevated heels gave the Persian cavalry extra leverage in their stirrups. With the added inches, they could more effectively wrangle a bow and arrow. It wasn’t until the Persian Empire moved into Western Europe that the high heel stepped from military footwear to a masculine fashion statement, which symbolised power and wealth.

Yes, masculine.

Today, to see a man in heels either denotes a stag party or a reconfigured sexuality. Or perhaps you’ve accidentally glimpsed a slice of midlife boredom; a husband experimenting with his wife’s heels in the privacy of his bedroom, only with the curtains inadvertently left open. Or possibly it was deliberate, possibly this was a indecent proposal – an invitation into some deprived escapade. Best speak to your neighbour. Nevertheless, back in the early seventeenth century the heel was the reserve of aristocracy, and no better exemplified than by King Louis XIV, France’s longest serving king.

At 5ft 4in he wasn’t a towering man by today’s standards, with many describing him being distinctly effeminate. But what he lacked in height, he made up for in sheer sartorial opulence, and man heels. Although his reign sprawled 72 years, during which time he transformed the monarchy, ushered in a golden age of art and literature, presided over a dazzling royal court at Versailles, annexed key territories and established his country as the dominant European power – his real legacy was popularising the high heel.

And we’re indebted. Heels are now a multi-billion dollar industry and staple of any woman willing to trade a more shapely leg with sciatica and arthritic knees. The heel is mutated into many forms, from slutty 6inch stripper stilts to Sex In The City slickness. Jimmy Choo to Miu Miu, most girls have a burning passion for heels.

But ladies, next time you’re laboriously assessing the rows and rows of options at the mall, with your boyfriend in tow, patiently biding his time, biting his tongue – understand that within his DNA probably lingers some latent desire to be on the same quest, subconsciously yearning to unleash his inner King Louis XIV.

We salute the king of heels.