That might be excellent news for some, but very bad news for anyone who has embraced flats and enjoyed wearing them so much that they can’t imagine giving them up.

Because wearing high-heeled shoes is an art that must be perfectly mastered, and it is not without its hazards – or aches and pains.

It requires a certain dexterity – and force of habit – that many women may have lost since the onset of the pandemic.

From catwalks to the street

From February and March, during the fall-winter 2022 Fashion Weeks, the first signs of a high-heel comeback were starting to be seen.

With boots and ankle boots, thigh boots and pumps, high heels made many appearances on the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris, although several designers preferred to offer collections that allowed them to juggle between flat and high-heeled styles.

Off-White, Giambattista Valli, Fendi and Prada are some of the major fashion houses that have helped heels take off this winter.

The trend should gain much more momentum from spring 2023, with a host of designs featuring towering heels, in various shapes and forms.

This was spotted on the catwalks of Rokh, Akris, Vivienne Westwood, Bottega Veneta and Loewe.

However, while some brands have opted for a radical return with stilettos, most have preferred more ‘comfortable’ models to ease us into the trend without going too high too soon.

A measured return

For the moment, unless you really want to, there’s no need to go all out with the highest of stiletto heels.

The biggest fashion houses, as well as ready-to-wear brands, are betting on a more gradual return with heel shapes that seem, at first glance, more comfortable – and less painful.

Platform shoes will be among the top models of 2023, with rounded, sculptural or even totally eccentric designs, while round or square heels will also be in the mix.

But stiletto fans will also be able to find their heel of choice, since the offer will be highly diverse for the spring-summer 2023 season, with a small selection of more classic pumps, with a thin heel of between eight and 12 cm.

And this ushers in the idea of a wardrobe that’s a little stricter, if not more elegant, or at least more conventional.

This inspiration contrasts starkly with the return of normcore, a wardrobe comprising basics and clothing staples that are often a world away from notions of elegance.

The rise of foot Botox

Though this high-heel comeback is still in its early stages, it is already being reflected in the US by a totally unexpected phenomenon: an unprecedented craze for foot Botox.

According to several American dermatologists, these injections could temporarily relieve the pain inherent to wearing heels, and especially the sudden return to wearing heels, which can make anyone who’s out of the habit of walking in this type of shoe suffer even more.

Opting for platforms or chunkier heels, whatever form they may take, could therefore be wise in order to pick up the trend without having to resort to botulinum toxin injections, or more generally, to suffer unnecessarily.