The Return of the Kitten Heel

Ever since the reappearance of the kitten heel in the latest collections, the fashionista has been plunged into confusion. After having seen heels incessantly increase in centimeters since the 80s, she now finds herself suddenly confronted with much less glamorous heights.

At first, the arrival of the kitten heel on the catwalks did not succeed in convincing the fashionista - for whom femininity rhymes with vertiginous heels - to adopt these little pumps that are more pragmatic than sexy. Associated for years with a bland, uninteresting look, they had little chance of winning over the Sex And The City generation.

However, season after season, their comeback was confirmed, rendering weightless the argument that they were only a passing folly on the part of the designers. It has become necessary to dust off the kitten heel image, which has been associated with the senior citizen and the office girl.

At the beginning, it was the actress Audrey Hepburn who succeeded in giving them a touch of glamour. By wandering around on elegant, fine kitten heels in Breakfast At Tiffany's, she provoked an infatuation by women for her mini heels. It must be said that with her frail, ballerina silhouette, and light and impulsive nature, the young Hepburn had what it took to create fans of her look.

Thanks to her, the kitten heel became the symbol of a cheerful femininity, simultaneously candid and mischievous - and if the 80s had not tarnished their image by incorporating them into businesswomen looks that were hardly attractive, it would be easy to believe that these 3-4 cm (1-1.5") heels would today be welcomed with a bit more enthusiasm.

Those who would like to bring back the kitten heel into their wardrobe would be better off putting themselves under the protection of Miss Hepburn in order to give them a bit of her charm, while keeping their distance from all boring dress codes.

As of now, it is out of the question to wear them with an uptight suit. The kitten heel was made for living next to 3/4 slims, 60s dresses and corolla skirts. On a more practical front, we suggest wearing them more in an Isabel Marant F/W 2010-2011 feel (seen here and here) then à la Michelle Obama.

In addition, wearing 5 cm + heels may not be well-adapted to girls under 18, but as for the kitten heel, they are not only allowed but even strongly advised, so much are they capable of giving a breath of adolescent freshness often missing from their looks.

In the end, other than facilitating a more dynamic gait (due to their lower height) - often much more enviable than the gait in sadomasochistic stilettos - the kitten heel also offers the possibility of appearing discreetly elegant, without having to perch on Dita von Teese high heeled pumps.

Also noteworthy:

• Kitten heels will always be prettier worn with a nude ankle rather than semi-transparent tights
• Even though Mad Men is becoming the style bible of the moment, we still prefer wearing kitten heels with a simple slim rather than with a full, calf-length dress
• We propose going for models that are girly or rockabilly
• We also prefer contrasting their "top of the class" allure with more defined looks