In Renaissance Venice, the higher the shoe, the higher your status — literally. Women teetered through the streets on chopines, platform shoes that could soar over 20 inches tall. Originally designed to protect delicate dresses from the city’s grimy, wet streets, these towering shoes quickly became fashion statements. The taller the platform, the wealthier and more important the woman appeared.

Walking in chopines was no easy feat. Many women had to be physically supported by servants just to move around. Balancing became an art form, and some sources suggest that laws were passed to limit their height, though these were largely ignored.

Made of wood or cork and often covered in velvet or silk, chopines were not just footwear. They were power, prestige, and theater on two legs.