What makes a shoe a fetish shoe
It is not only the height of the heel. Construction and detail decide it — usable buckles and D-rings, hardware, lockable straps, an extreme angle underfoot, or a shape that makes no allowance for ordinary walking at all. Some models in this category are built for the look and the scene rather than for crossing town.
Materials and hardware
Patent leather is the most characteristic choice — it reflects light, holds its shape and photographs best. Matte leather reads rougher and tends to appear on models with heavier hardware. Metal buckles, loops and eyelets are not merely decorative: on many models they are there to clip or lock to.
Height, and what to add to it
Heels here routinely go beyond eighteen centimetres. What decides the experience, though, is not the number itself but the difference between heel and toe — on a model with a tall platform the angle underfoot is far gentler than on an equally high shoe without one. The most extreme types, such as ballet heels, go further still and make no allowance for walking at all.
Before your first pair
Choose the size carefully — at extreme heights an error in length tells far more than it would in an ordinary shoe. Start with shorter wear and let your feet adjust. And if you are going for a lockable or otherwise restrictive model, think in advance about how you get out of it, and keep the key within reach.
How the category divides
Dominatrix heels stand on stilettos and trade on authority and the sound of a step. Lockable models add a padlock to the buckle. Ballet heels set the foot vertically on the toe. And pony play has a shaped sole resembling a hoof. Each of these groups has its own page with a fuller description.
