{"id":52767,"date":"2012-02-16T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2012-02-16T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/?p=52767"},"modified":"2025-10-18T09:30:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T15:30:31","slug":"kitten-heels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/fashion-trends\/kitten-heels\/","title":{"rendered":"The cat came back \u2014 the resilient kitten heel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Pair<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t know about you, but we\u2019re getting a wee bit tired of the sky high, over-the-top, Rachel-Zoe<\/a>-inspired platform (with all due respect to the ever glamorous stylista, of course). Don\u2019t get us wrong \u2014 we L-O-V-E our heels and would give them up for nothing and no one. But the market (and the streets) tend to be over-saturated with the uber-high platform pump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The return of the kitten heel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That’s why we’re positively tickled to see a lower, more ladylike heel making its way down the runway this season. Known as the \u201ckitten\u201d heel, these dainty beauties are less punishing than a 6-inch boost. Yet they still offer an elegant, chic aesthetic to your daily ensembles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though we\u2019re never afraid to give our all for fashion, we know our feet (and our doctors) will thank us for taking this \u2014 ahem \u2014 step down<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of the kitten heel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the early 1950\u2019s, the kitten heel<\/a> was introduced for teenage girls as a median between the flat Mary-Janes of childhood and the higher heels worn by adult women. The shoe was also known as the Sabrina heel \u2014 a nod to Audrey Hepburn in one of her iconic roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featuring a thin, stiletto-esque heel that measured a puny 2 inches or less, the kitten heel was the perfect way for young women to practice walking in heeled shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end of the 50s saw the beginning of the flower child. And the flower child brought her own shoe to the mix, a thicker stacked or corked wedge heel. With that, our delicate, feline-named-footwear fell out of fashion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trend turned classic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But times changed for the kitten heel in the 2010s, largely thanks to Michelle Obama<\/a>. We saw the shoe hit the runways in 2012 and again in 2019. And that means the kitten heel is fast on its way to earning classic status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And why not? These day-to-night, chic shoes are a great way to streamline your look without breaking your back or your bank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kitten heel top picks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Color pop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Red
Something Navy Utopia Kitten Heel Mule, $39.97, Nordstrom Rack\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n <\/g>\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n <\/clipPath>\r\n <\/defs><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trend nod
<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Slide
DOLCE VITA Kitten Heel Leather Mules, $59.99, TJMaxx<\/use><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pattern fun <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Houndstooth
Houndstooth Slingback Kitten Heel, , & Other Stories<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Girly & embellished <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"White
Jeffrey Campbell Adorn Kitten Heel Mules, $77, Shopbop <\/use><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shine on <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Baby
Calvin Klein Mai Kitten Heel Pump, $45.45, Nordstrom<\/use><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The wardrobe staple<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Black
Dolce Vita Dole Suede & Leather Kitten-Heel Mules, $49.99, Saks Off Fifth<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Just like the hems of our skirts, heel heights will always be going up and down. Our advice to you? Wear kitten heels with a well-cut trouser<\/a> or chic, pleated skirt. Keep your look ladylike and classy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We don\u2019t know about you, but we\u2019re getting a wee bit tired of the sky high, over-the-top, Rachel-Zoe-inspired platform (with all due respect to the ever glamorous stylista, of course). Don\u2019t get us wrong \u2014 we L-O-V-E our heels and would give them up for nothing and no one. But the market (and the streets)… Read More »The cat came back \u2014 the resilient kitten heel<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2221,36],"class_list":["post-52767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion-trends","tag-accessories","tag-shoes"],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":125947,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/kitten-heel-fi-300x150.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebudgetfashionista.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}