High Heels. Fashion Femininity Seduction

‘Glorious … the definitive account of how heels came to be at the centre of style photography … this is one book that’s both NSFW and set for pride of place on the coffee table’ – GQ

High Heels is an odyssey through images of beauty, fetish and seduction – a mixture of whimsy, allure and luxury

Lavishly illustrated with a vivid selection of images from key contemporary photographers such as Guy Bourdin, Juergen Teller, Marilyn Minter, Tim Walker, David LaChapelle, Miles Aldridge and Robert Mapplethorpe, this book explores art, fashion and fetish in the cult of high heels stalking down fashion show runways and along city streets everywhere.

click for a list of the photographers

Hundreds of compelling and extremely frank photographs are punctuated by essays and, most notably, interviews with two deities of shoe design, Manolo Blahník and Nicholas Kirkwood.

The introductory text by Ivan Vartanian explores the image of the fetishized high heel as a vehicle for discussing fetishes within photography in general. Among the other topics explored are ideas of aesthetics and the industry forces behind high heel design; the recent technological developments responsible for shoes’ creatively extreme forms; and high heels, gender and representation in film.

About the Authors

Ivan Vartanian is an author, editor and the founder of Goliga Books, Inc
James Crump is senior curator of photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Tim Blanks is an editor-at-large for Style.com
Philip Delamore is Director of the Fashion Digital Studio at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts
Stella Bruzzi is Professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick