I read not too long ago that platform shoes gave certain confidence back in Gyaru heydays. Today we’re exploring their history and impact on Heisei Fashion.
Overseas platform shoes have a long history and were first used to highlight important figures in ancient Greek theater. Later, like the Japanese oiran, they were used in 16th-century Venice to highlight male prostitutes and high-class prostitutes of noble birth. In 18th-century Europe, they were worn to avoid dirt and filth on back roads and were also used in ancient Chinese operas. Oiran clogs with three teeth are typical thick-soled shoes in Japan. Said to have originated in Shimabara, Kyoto in the middle of the 18th century, these clogs were used by high-class oirans in red-light districts and later spread to Yoshiwara, Edo; These are most commonly seen in period dramas.
These were also painted black and very heavy, and it was customary to go up to the teahouse in front and perform all the behavior. If you fell during the Oiran procession (which was considered the most shameful thing), it was necessary to practice walking.
Time passed, and in 1970 Masaru Hosono devised the “London Boots” based on the boots that were popular as the fashion for hard rock and heavy metal artists in London. Although the sole is thicker, it is similar in shape to the platform boots of the late 90s, if not as much as the platform boots that became popular later. At the time, bell-bottom pants (pantaloons) were in vogue to make the legs look longer. It may be surprising, but shoe designer Koji Kuga also proposed thick-soled boots in the latter half of the 1980s.
Before thick-soled shoes appeared more consistently, high heels were the essential item to make your legs look longer. The disco boom, which is indispensable for the bubble period, is also one of the factors we’ll be discussing. With the advent of Juliana Tokyo in 1991, high heels also became a trend. At that time, high heels were part of the dress code for dancing crazily with feathered fans alongside miniskirts and bodysuits.
Meanwhile, around 1993, Kogyaru was born, and high school girls gradually began to attract attention from the public, but at this time, when thick-soled boots were not yet in fashion, western boots and sheepskin boots, which were popular among surfers, were the mainstream.
Another characteristic of the early to mid-1990s was the arrival of a full-fledged supermodel boom happening also around 1993, and the gradual increase in the number of women who yearned to look like them.
Then, in 1995, the thick-soled shoe boom began in earnest. The driving force behind this boom is none other than Namie Amuro herself.vAt that time, the appearance of Amuro performing a powerful and sharp dance in her favorite Erdantes thick-soled boots became a hot topic. Namie Amuro has a small face and a very well-balanced figure, but her thick-soled boots made her petite figure even more attractive. In addition, Amuro’s average Japanese height of 158 cm makes her feel even more familiar and admirable, and her platform boots quickly become popular. Around this time, thick-soled boots became a must-have item for Gyaru, and in the latter half of the 90s, the type with an integrated sole from the toe to the heel became mainstream (and thus, Amurer/Amura and Ganguro was born).
On the other hand, Vivienne Westwood was popular in Harajuku style and the “Rockin’ Horse Shoes” were a representative item. The wooden horse-like platform shoes become Vivienne Westwood’s immortal masterpieces. In Japan, many popular artists such as YUKI and Chiaki of the former JUDY AND MARY used them regularly, and despite the high price, “Rockin’ Horse Shoes” became a big hit in Japan as well.
In particular, the “Rockin’ Horse Ballerina” climbs to the top as a longed-for shoe, regardless of the troublesomeness of putting them on and taking them off. In addition to it all, platform shoes also became popular even in the Harajuku style and as such became a standard. The appearance of petite YUKI and Chiaki wearing voluminous shoes was very cute, and it’s that petite appearance that many people admired.
Regardless of the lineage, various fashions were popular in the 90’s as a whole (as explained in the Petit Seven article a little while back), but it’s interesting that everyone wears platform shoes with an emphasis on seeking a “balance of the whole body”. It can be said that it was a time when the relationship between fashion and shoes was strengthened.
Thick-soled sneakers, which had been steadily gaining attention since 1999, became very popular in 2000, with the “Buffalo sneakers” at the top of the list, including their impactful appearance. In 2000, platform sandals were also popular. In particular, Lauryn Hill’s hollowed-out sandals from the brand ‘sky’ made this unique sandal with a hollowed-out center a staple of the summer of 2000. It’s also interesting that thick-soled sandals were revived again in 2010.
On the other hand, in 2000, conservative styles became popular, and thick soles and heels became thinner. Of course, the amount of publicity showing people wearing thick-soled shoes gradually disappeared from Harajuku-style fashion. Whether it was the conservative style that was popular in the early 2000s, the celebrity casual style, or Mori girl style, the thick-soled shoes would only lift the feet, and the shape of the shoes themselves was ended up having to be reconsidered.
The celebrity boom (hello, Serebu Gyaru) that began in 2003 accelerated from the following year onwards, and overseas celebrity booms like the supermodel boom of the 1990s became popular. Popular celebrities such as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Paris Hilton are endless, but their flashy fashion and eccentric shoes had become a hot topic in Japan at the time as well.
From the Heisei era to the Reiwa era, we hardly see shoes with extremely high heels or platform shoes like before. On the other hand, the fashion culture of the 90s and 00s among young people is attracting attention. What kind of position will platform shoes be treated in Reiwa?