Spool heel

A spool heel is a heel that is wide at the top and bottom and narrower in the middle,^[1] so resembling a cotton reel.^[2] Spool heels were fashionable in Europe during the Baroque^[3] and Rococo^[4] periods. Other periods of popularity include the 1860s^[5] and the 1950s.^[6] Spool heels are characterized by an hourglass shaped heel .i.e., thick at both ends and thin in the middle. This look has been popularized by John Fluevog.

A low spool heel has a small distinctive flare at the heel bottom. Higher spool heels are close to resembling a stilleto heel, but with a flare at the bottom.

Spool heels provide a lot of comfort of the wearer and are considered a more practical heeled shoe option.

References

1. Chambers, Bernice Gertrude (1942). Color and design in apparel. Prentice-Hall. p. 462. OCLC 1703151.
2. Pratt, Lucy; Linda Woolley (1999). Shoes. Victoria and Albert Museum. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-85177-285-8.
3. Baker, Georgia O'Daniel (2000). A handbook of costume drawing: a guide to drawing the period figure for costume design students. Focal Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-240-80403-3.
4. Girotti, Eugenia (1996). Footwear. Chronicle Books. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-8118-1469-0.
5. Barton, Lucy (1963). Historic costume for the stage. W. H. Baker. p. 441. OCLC 331332.
6. Probert, Christina (1981). Shoes in Vogue since 1910. Abbeville Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-89659-241-4.