Fashion returns to celebrate the ’70s: wedges

Dear Discolovers, today we are focusing on a purely feminine theme that is very dear to me personally… we are talking about shoes!!! In fact, one of the trends that most characterized the fabulous 1970s was wedges, nicknamed “zattere” (rafts) or called “platforms” by the British.

Although their origins date back several years earlier (Carmen Miranda was already sporting them), it was the 1970s that established their success. Like all trends, this one also had a slow and progressive start around 1973, a peak of maximum popularity in 1974/75, and a slow, steady decline after 1976. But trends, as we well know, always return, and in fact, for next summer, many designers have proposed wedges once again, albeit revised and updated.
The 1970s, let us remember, were years of profound social struggle, and fashion was also affected. Wedges, for example, became a fashion must-have of the era thanks to the feminist movement: on the wave of youth protest, the female condition sought symbols of emancipation and full social autonomy in the miniskirt. However, while the mini had represented the “free” woman on one hand, on the other it had reinforced the link between sexy woman and objectified woman—a concept disliked by the feminist movement, which condemned it during the early ’70s at the height of the miniskirt boom for representing women only from an aesthetic perspective. At the same time, folk music was spreading on a large scale, so it was inevitable that fashion would converge toward peasant, rural, and gypsy imagery. This meant floor-length skirts and, above all, clogs. And it was clogs, with their typical wide heel and wooden wedge, that set a trend that spread to common footwear. Starting around 1973, shoes and boots took on this characteristic, and with wedges on their feet, women also saw the height difference between them and men decrease, which could also signify gender equality. The toe of the footwear was slightly squared while retaining some roundness, the sole was strictly wide, and the heel, as mentioned, was wide and high. Wedges were made of wood or (the lower ones) leather. In summer, cork was also used for lighter sandals. There was not much difference between the height of the wedge and that of the heel—perhaps a few centimeters—and this contributed to the comfort of female feet after the stiletto heels of the 1960s.

Even men’s feet, albeit to a much lesser extent, yielded to this widespread fashion. Perhaps the wedge was more of a thick sole (1 or 2 cm), but there were also models of 4–5 cm or more, such as those adopted by the then-rising star Elton John. With the help of very long and wide bell-bottom trousers, it was even possible to cover practically the entire wedge. 1974 was largely characterized by this trend, but in the following years, as with all fashions, the phenomenon began to downsize in favor of a narrower heel and an increasingly smaller wedge.
But now they are back, very similar to those of the era. Personally, I am not a fan… feminists please don’t hold it against me, but a woman in 12 cm heels is a whole
other story. But what do you Discolovers think? Did you wear them… but above all: will you wear them next summer????