Iconic Fashion Moments: Platforms
Photo Courtesy: Vivienne Westwood Website
Photo Courtesy: Click-less High Heel Protectors
The year was 1993 and Naomi Campell was cat walking down the Vivienne Westwood runway in 9-inch platform heels, then she fell and the moment went down forever in fashion history.
Naoomi Campell is one of the highest-paid and well-respected models in the industry, and she has more than a couple of iconic fashion moments to her name.
Vivienne Westwood, the designer of the shoes also has an iconic reputation in the fashion industry, her signature looks always having the capability to appear to someone with a more trendy style, whilst still appealing to the more Avante-Garde fashion enthusiast.
This exact moment, of the blue snakeskin 9-inch platform heels being the culprit of Naomi Campbell's runway tumble is exemplary of the duality of Vivienne Westwood designs, and further, the duality of the platform shoe. A 9-inch blue snakeskin shoe is so outlandish that almost no consumer would buy it. But the platform shoe has always been on-trend and is a cult classic among people with all different styles.
In this post, we are going to take a trip back in time and examine the history of platforms, all the way from 600 B.C.E to the present.
Throughout history men and women alike have worn platforms to represent their high social status. Platforms have also been used for more functional purposes, like to avoid wet streets. A traditional Japanese show called the Geta highly resembles a platform flip flop. Throughout European history platforms have been worn by the elites, some platforms being so unfunctional that they add 20 inches of height and require two servants to assist the wearer when walking. A Chinese version of the platform called the Qixie was a dainty, feminine version of the platform.
The platform has also always been associated with intense sex appeal.
In the 1900s platforms entered the mainstream and began to be worn by both men and women. They also started to gain appeal with the wealthy and famous.
In the 1990’s it was Vivienne Westwood who brought the platform back into high fashion through the 9-inch platform shoe.
Campbells infamous fall sparked an intense surge in platform popularity, and everyone from the Spice Girl to Marilyn Manson made platforms their signature look.
As of late, platforms have continued to make a splash in the fashion world. Items like the Balenciaga's Croc platforms or Alexander Mcqueen’s Armadillo boots can be seen on anyone from fashion icons such as Lady Gaga, to teens shopping at the mall or in school. Proving that platform shoes are endlessly versatile and timeless.
Naomi Campbell's fall has persistently stayed on the periphery of the public eye, with videos of the fall resurfacing on 5, 10, and 15 year anniversaries and interviewers constantly asking Naomi about the shoe. British Vogue even brought Westwood and Campell together to meet for a youtube video.
The timelessness of the platform shoe and the iconicness of Naomi's fall proves that fashion items and the moments they create truly do live forever.
Sources:
Throwback Clip Post: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/models/a32276215/naomi-campbell-1993-runway-fall-vivienne-westwood-video/
Video of The Fall:
https://www.glamour.com/story/naomi-campbell-revisits-those
Platform Trends of today:
https://www.instyle.com/fashion/shoes/naomi-campbell-vivienne-westwood-platform-shoe-trend
Vivienne Westwood History:
https://www.crfashionbook.com/fashion/g27041863/vivienne-westwood-vintage-photos/?slide=12
Information of the shoes:
History of Platforms:
https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/the-unknown-history-of-platform-shoes
Vivienne and Naomi meet:
