When it comes to shoes, my defining memory is stumbling around my mom’s bedroom in her ’90s red Prada pumps. At eight-years-old, I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to fit into them. Now that I’m an adult and my feet stay trapped in thick tennis shoes while I walk around campus, I can’t help but wonder: when did everyday heels go out of style?
In the 1990s and early 2000s, women’s fashion shifted from relaxed grunge to sleek, minimalist designs and statements. Movies like “The Devil Wears Prada” showcase how pumps, Mary Janes and kitten heels were essential to work attire and daily fashion. Television icon Carrie Bradshaw from the hit show “Sex and the City,” which premiered in 1998, represented the average single working woman. Throughout her chaotic social life and successful writing career, Bradshaw continuously stayed committed to her everyday heels.
For characters like Bradshaw, heels weren’t just shoes — they were shorthand for glamour and ambition. Not all college students are living in New York City, but we are driven by our hunger for success all the same.
After a decade of chunky sneakers and comfort-first fashion dominating current fashion trends, cute heels are starting to feel exciting again. Bringing them back isn’t about recreating the ’90s, but rather taking what made them fun and making that flair and attitude work for how we dress now.
This revival begins with experimentation. Try Mary Jane pumps with your favorite jeans or simple kitten heels with an everyday skirt. Because society has become more casual, it allows for our choice of footwear to become more playful. Pinterest is my favorite platform for finding and saving shoe inspiration — start your heel journey by making a board and pinning pumps you find intriguing!
Heels don’t have to be chosen straight from a catalogue. In fact, the very nature of college life makes it impossible for students like me to afford brand new Louboutins. Instead, visit your local thrift store! Plato’s Closet and Goodwill are almost always stocked with affordable, funky shoe finds.
I’m not the bright blonde eight-year-old sneaking into her mom’s closet anymore, but she still lives in me, roaring to life whenever I spot something pink on the sale shoe rack. Dress up is not any less magical now that we’re adults — at least, it doesn’t have to be. Heels may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if they’re yours, know it isn’t impossible to structure them into your modern life in whatever way works for you.