The Platform Heel Obsession: Why Vivienne Westwood Started Something the Rest of Fashion Can't Stop

There is a particular kind of confidence that only a platform heel can give you. It is not subtle. It is not apologetic. It is, by design, a declaration — and no one understood that better than Vivienne Westwood.

When Westwood sent Naomi Campbell toppling down the runway in those iconic nine-inch Super Elevated Ghillie platforms in 1993, she didn't just create a fashion moment — she rewrote the entire vocabulary of what a heel could mean. The platform, in her hands, became a form of feminist armour: towering, theatrical, and entirely unapologetic. Decades later, the obsession she sparked shows absolutely no sign of cooling. From Vivienne Westwood platform heels to the sculptural offerings now emerging from the ateliers of Aquazzura, Paris Texas, and Loeffler Randall, the elevated sole has become one of fashion's most enduring power moves.

So what makes the platform heel so perpetually compelling? Part of it is architectural — the platform distributes height more evenly across the foot than a stiletto, making taller silhouettes genuinely more wearable. But the deeper appeal is purely visual. A platform commands a room. It changes your posture, your gait, your entire relationship with the floor beneath you.

The Loeffler Randall Loretta is a masterclass in how to do the platform heel with modern restraint. Crafted in rich black velvet — a fabric with its own inherent drama — the Loretta offers genuine elevation without veering into costume territory. It is the kind of shoe that works as hard for a cocktail party as it does for a night at the theatre. The velvet absorbs light rather than reflecting it, which makes the shoe feel luxuriously confident rather than flashy.

Pair it with wide-leg tailoring, a sleek midi skirt, or — for a nod to Westwood's own maximalist DNA — a structured velvet blazer in a contrasting jewel tone. These are black heels that earn their place in a serious wardrobe.

Beyond the platform specifically, the broader conversation around elevated heels has never been richer. Brands like Christian Louboutin have long played in this space — his platform red-soles have been a staple of the fashion-forward woman for years — while a new generation of designers is approaching the elevated heel with fresh architectural ambition.

— The platform distributes height more evenly across the foot, making it simultaneously the most dramatic and most wearable of all heel architectures. —

Paris Texas has emerged as one of the most quietly brilliant names in elevated footwear. The Roman label approaches each silhouette with the same rigour a couturier might bring to a gown — every angle considered, every material chosen with intent. Their slingback styles in particular have attracted a loyal following among women who want genuine presence without unnecessary noise.

The Paris Texas Lidia — scattered with crystals across black leather — channels the Westwood spirit in the most direct way: decoration as disruption. The Marielle wedge slingback, meanwhile, takes the platform principle and softens it into something more wearable for daytime dressing. And the Rene Caovilla Lily in black satin with crystal trim is the definition of an evening heel — pure Old Hollywood glamour retranslated for a contemporary wardrobe.

Then there is Aquazzura, the Florentine house founded by Edgardo Osorio in 2011 that has, in just over a decade, become one of the definitive voices in luxury footwear. Osorio's genius is for the kind of shoe that makes a woman feel both beautiful and powerful simultaneously — never one at the expense of the other.

The Aquazzura Hold Me Crystal sandal in warm nude satin — encrusted with crystals at the ankle strap — is the kind of shoe that needs nothing else. Wear it with a barely-there slip dress or full-length gown and let the heel do all the talking. The Tequila in light copper is equally magnetic: a richly embellished 85mm sandal that captures candlelight in the most extraordinary way. These are the party heels that become the story of the night.

For those building a more playful edit — or hunting the perfect wedding guest heel — Loeffler Randall offers two further standouts this season.

The Penny in pale pink with its voluminous pleated bow is pure romance — the kind of shoe a Westwood muse might have worn to a garden party if she'd decided to be charming rather than confrontational that afternoon. The Mareka in gold-toned embellished leather is the more versatile of the two: equally at home at a cocktail reception or a candlelit dinner date.

The through-line connecting all of these — from the velvet Loretta to the crystal-scattered Aquazzura — is that same sense of intention that Vivienne Westwood brought to every shoe she ever made. A great platform heel, a great elevated sandal, a great designer heel of any kind, is never just an accessory. It is a point of view. It is the last thing you put on and the first thing anyone notices.

At Lola Dré, we've curated the very best of what the designer heel world has to offer right now — whether you're looking for a true platform, a crystal-embellished sandal, or something that simply makes a room take notice.

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