The click-clack of stilettos may have once been a familiar sound in CBDs across Australia, but for a time, it seemed COVID, and the casualisation of office wear, may have signalled the death knell for the high heel. Now, the “clackers”, as they were famously referred to in The Devil Wears Prada, are back in lockstep with return-to-office mandates.
Along with more traditional office attire, heels are returning to the corporate world, albeit in a slightly different way.
Tania Dalton, a former stiletto-wearer, now exclusively wears flats.
The rise of flats
The 2010s saw the widespread adaption of streetwear and casual shoes in the corporate world with the explosion of sneaker culture. The pandemic took this to another level, as office workers were sent home, while other flat styles like ballet flats came into vogue.
Tania Dalton jumped on the flats bandwagon a few years ago. The 56-year-old midlife health coach from Melbourne wore heels – typically of the sky-high variety – for more than 20 years, until she developed osteoarthritis in her toes.
“I started work in the 80s, and it was all about suits and short skirts. I never felt properly dressed if I was in flats,” she says of her past life in the corporate world.
“They felt like part of my identity.”
Dalton says she mourned the loss of heels from her wardrobe, which prompted a complete reimagining of her personal style. And quitting them also coincided with a significant juncture in life – menopause – which she says was an opportunity to rethink who she wanted to be.
“Your body goes through these changes, so I’ve used that as an opportunity to really think about what this new style is for me in this next stage of life,” she says.
The new office heel
If the past few seasons of high fashion are anything to go by, heels are certainly making a comeback, with mid-height heels dominating the runways of brands like Prada, Marni and Fendi.
Data supplied by online retailer THE ICONIC reveals heels to be their largest category driver in the past 12 months, with kitten heels a particularly popular style.
And while the sneaker industry remains a billion dollar behemoth, sales seem to be slowing, with a Business of Fashion report showing growth shrunk from a 19.1 per cent spike in 2021 to 2.7 per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, Nike reported a 10 per cent drop in sales in the last quarter of 2024.
Part of this may also be linked to the rise of “corpcore” and the “office siren” trend in 2024, which saw a glamorised interpretation of office wear come into fashion.
While it’s unlikely stilettos will ever return en masse to the office, lower heels seem to be making a comeback.
Libby Allaway, an executive stylist who hosts corporate styling workshops, has been pleased to see the return of heels.
She believes this is driven by a growing fatigue with “loungewear, sneakers, and the dominance of work-from-home fashion”.
Melbourne-based stylist Sally Mackinnon has sensed a similar fatigue among her clientele.
“They want to get back to feeling a bit more polished and professional, but with a more sensible, wearable corporate heel.”
Allaway is a proponent of the psychological sway of heels – that lingering, 1980s idea of power dressing.
“There’s something undeniably powerful about slipping into a pair of heels,” she says.
Jordana Pretorious, a 27-year-old lawyer from Sydney, began her corporate career with a traditional approach to office dressing, donning stilettos and a more conservative wardrobe. But she’s since taken to wearing lower heels, rotating between ballet flats and kitten heels.
“That’s more of a Gen Z thing where our personal style is very much influencing what we want to wear to work,” she says.
Working in a traditional workplace, Pretorious is familiar with the pressure women can face to wear heels – and their associations with power – but feels equally confident in a mid-heel.
“When you put on a pair of heels, you totally feel very powerful … [But] I don’t feel too different if I’m wearing a stiletto or a smaller heel.”
Gen Z Jordana Pretorious favours kitten heels for her job as a lawyer.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Corporate dress without heels
So, how can you emulate the polished look and elongated silhouette created by a heel with a flat shoe?
Mackinnon is a fan of pointed toe flats.
“You still get that very polished, elevated, dressy look without the ridiculous heel height,” she says.
“When you see that pointed toe at the end of a trouser, it has the same effect as a stiletto.”
Dalton, who had to rethink her entire wardrobe after swearing off heels, suggests opting for lengthening silhouettes, like maxi skirts and long dresses, tailored suits and looser fits.
How to take care of your feet in heels
Dr Rudo Makunaya, a podiatrist and founder of The Foot Hub, has noticed a marked decline in patients wearing high heels in the past decade.
Apart from the obvious discomfort, she says issues from wearing heels for extended periods of time include heel pain, issues with the achilles tendon, callouses and changes to toe and foot shape.
If you want to wear heels, Makunaya suggests easing into things, since those not accustomed to wearing heels regularly are at greater risk of injury. She says calf stretches and ankle strengthening exercises can also be helpful.
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday.