Cuban Heels Vs. French Heels
Dear VienneMilano,
What's the difference between Cuban and French heels? And are there other kinds of heels for back-seam stockings?
- Laura P.
Elegant, playful, and sexy, back seam stockings are an all-time favorite style of hosiery. Marked by a seductive line that travels up a woman's leg, this sexy style of hosiery allows a woman to captivate her followers the moment she walks into a room.
Traditionally, stockings were manufactured with a reinforced toe and reinforced heel to hold the stockings together. The back seam connected the foot (from the heel) to the top of the stockings. As a result, most stockings at one point in time had a back seam.
Between the 1940's to 1950's, two prominent patterns were created to caress a woman's heel: French heel and Cuban heel. Additionally, there were other sophisticated designs as well: Havana and Manhattan.
Image source: Vintage Lingerie Blog
French Heel
A darkened reinforced heel joint by a pointy top. While some consider this shape to be pyramidal, we believe it looks more like an Eiffel Tower.
Cuban Heel
Similar to a French Heel, the Cuban heel also features a pyramid – an Aztec style pyramid. Therefore instead of having a pointy top, the heels are joined by a square.
Havana Heel
Considering Havana's relation to Cuba, Havana heels are just like Cuban heels, except this fabulous style is slightly taller and wider.
Manhattan Heel
Inspired by the Manhattan skyline, this sophisticated design features an intricate design combining the French and Cuban heels.
Today, hosiery is no longer made with reinforced toes and reinforced heels. Instead, stockings are sewn from end to end circularly by a machine. Nowadays, the line is actually sewn back onto stockings after each pair of hosiery is produced. As a result, you may also find this classic style of stockings with no designs around the heels, thus the term: Nude heel.
Looking for back seam hosiery? Shop VienneMilano's collection of back-seam thigh highs.
Do you love wearing back seam stockings? And if so, which style of hosiery heels do you prefer? Tell us by commenting below.
