Like many fashions, high heels have come a long way since the 10th Century when the Persian cavalry ‘invented’ them to keep their shoes in stirrups. When high heels found their way to Europe, they were a fashion statement for men, as you can see in this portrait of Louis XIV of France. They rapidly became a symbol of wealth and status, so quickly they had to be regulated. Commoners were only allowed heels 1 ½ inches in height. If you were a member of the bourgeois, it was one inch. An inch and a half for nobles but for royalty, a full two and a half inches. It was not until the mid-1800s that high heels became a strictly feminine mode of dress.