Because honestly… when was the last time you saw someone voluntarily suffer in a pair of stilettos?
There was a time when putting on heels was practically a requirement for looking dressed up. Dinner? Heels. Party? Heels. Date? Definitely heels. A night out with the girls? You were expected to arrive approximately 12 centimeters taller and approximately 45% less comfortable.
Now?
I genuinely cannot remember the last time I saw someone wearing heels.
And I’m starting to wonder if we should be concerned.
Walk around Montreal today and the fashion landscape looks very different. Sneakers, ballet flats, loafers, boots and sleek low-profile shoes have taken over. Even when the outfit is undeniably feminine, the footwear often says: “I would like to remain capable of walking.”
Revolutionary.
The Gen Z woman has chosen comfort.
The modern fashion girl doesn’t necessarily want to suffer for the outfit anymore.
She wants to look expensive while being able to run for the metro.
She wants the silhouette without the blisters.
She wants to go from class, to work, to dinner, to a party without having to carry a second pair of shoes in her handbag.
And honestly?
Fair.
The rise of brands and styles built around this idea has been impossible to ignore. Think Adidas, New Balance, On, ASICS, UGG, Birkenstock, Dr. Martens, ballet flats and the endless return of loafers.
The shoe doesn’t necessarily have to scream sexy anymore.
It just has to look intentional.
The clean-girl aesthetic killed the stiletto… or did it?
This is where things get interesting.
The same aesthetic that made the Longchamp bag desirable again is also changing what women consider elegant.
The clean-girl wardrobe is built around pieces that look effortless: oversized blazers, tailored trousers, straight-leg denim, simple tanks, knitwear, slicked-back hair, delicate jewelry and a beautiful everyday bag.
Put a giant platform heel underneath all of that and suddenly the outfit is giving… 2016.
And perhaps that is exactly what Gen Z is running away from.
Fashion has spent years cycling through hyper-feminine, hyper-sexualized silhouettes. Now we’re seeing a fascination with something much quieter.
The new fantasy isn’t necessarily:
“Look at me. I’m wearing six-inch heels.”
It’s:
“I somehow look this good while wearing shoes I could walk 10,000 steps in.”
The rise of the “pretty flat”
But don’t mistake the death of heels for the death of femininity.
Quite the opposite.
Ballet flats have become one of the easiest ways to make an outfit look feminine without making it overly formal. Pointed flats, Mary Janes, slingbacks and delicate loafers are giving women the polished effect that heels once provided.
Brands such as Miu Miu, The Row, Alaïa, Toteme, Ganni and Reformation all speak to this new idea of femininity: refined, understated and wearable.
And then there is Miu Miu.
Because apparently nothing says “I have somewhere important to be” quite like an expensive pair of ballet flats.
But are heels actually dead?
No.
And this is where fashion becomes fashion.
The heel isn’t disappearing completely. It’s becoming an occasion.
Instead of being the default shoe for femininity, the heel is becoming something you deliberately choose.
A dramatic pointed pump for an evening.
A sculptural heel with a minimal dress.
A kitten heel for a more polished look.
A barely-there sandal for summer.
In other words, heels may have lost their monopoly.
And perhaps that is more important than their disappearance.
Fashion is becoming less about proving you dressed up
There is something fascinating happening in contemporary fashion.
Luxury and status are increasingly communicated through silhouette, material, proportion and styling rather than obvious effort.
The Longchamp bag works because it looks effortless.
A COS outfit works because it looks effortless.
A pair of ballet flats works because it looks effortless.
Even luxury brands are increasingly playing with this idea of clothing that appears simple at first glance but reveals its value through construction and detail.
The message is no longer:
“Look how hard I tried.”
It’s:
“I didn’t have to.”
And maybe that’s why the heel feels so strange now.
Because the heel announces itself.
It changes your posture. Your walk. Your silhouette. Your entire presence.
Sneakers don’t ask you to transform.
They simply join the outfit.
So… should we say goodbye?
Not quite.
Because fashion has a funny habit of resurrecting exactly what we thought was dead.
The skinny jean came back.
The ballet flat came back.
Longchamp came back.
Coach came back.
Y2K came back.
So give it five minutes.
One day, we’ll probably wake up and suddenly everyone will be wearing stilettos again, walking through Montreal like they’re late to a 2009 Vogue party.
But for now?
The heel isn’t necessarily dead.
She’s just on vacation.
And honestly, judging by the number of sneakers walking around Montreal right now…
she might be enjoying it.
