While many may think Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin control the trends in footwear, new IBM research shows the height of a woman’s heels is usually determined by economic factors. New data recently espoused from influential bloggers indicate that the sky-high heel is poised to decline – a deviation from the long-term trend.
Looking back over the last 100 years we can conclude heels soared during recessions and low points within the economy. For example:
– High heel pumps and platforms overthrew low-heeled flapper shoes during the depression;
– Platforms were again revived during the 1970s oil crisis;
– “Sex and the City” stilettos followed the dot-com bust at the turn of the century.
While heels are still high, IBM analytics have discovered an interesting decline in the trend. After analyzing online conversations during the last four years, it was found that heel height peaked towards the end of 2009 and declined soon afterwards. Sure, you can still find high heels in stores but the trends now are showing that as the economic downturn has worn on, heels are becoming more for “glamware” and not for the office or shopping trip.
