What high heels looked like the year you were born

The Roaring Twenties were the first time skirts were short enough to actually show off shoes, so it's no surprise that they started to get more stylish.

Buckle shoes were really trendy, as they feature small embellishments.

One of the most popular heel trends of the 1920s were T-straps, referred to as "strap shoes" back in the day.

Strap shoes either had a single strap, a double-crisscrossed in an "X" pattern, or a double- or triple-strap straight across.

As the decade went on, these straps got thinner, and cutouts became popular.

During the Great Depression (which primarily lasted from 1929 through the early 1930s), there was an emphasis on comfort over style, so while women were still wearing high heels, they weren't wearing anything too outrageous.

Low, square heels were extremely popular, as were wide straps. Although T-straps continued to be popular for a few years, it was really low-heeled Oxfords that took off during this time.

In the 1940s, wedges took the place of pumps. One reason was because of the restrictions placed on heel height due to leather rations — to get around that, cork-heeled wedges became popular.

Up until around 1946, close-toed heels were the shoes every woman wore, partly because it was considered impractical to wear shoes that exposed your toes.

But after the war, all bets were off, and peep-toe shoes became all the rage.

When the 1950s began, fashion got a little more exciting. One way to show that off was with ankle-strap heels, which became very popular in the early 1950s.

Lucille Ball wore a lot of tall ankle-strap heels and shoes throughout the early '50s, and Marilyn Monroe was also photographed in strappy heels.

In the early 1950s, high heels were taller and strappier than they ever had been before.

As the decade progressed, things became a bit more demure. Pumps with delicate details, like bows, were especially trendy. 

In the late 1950s, pointy-toed heels started to become more popular and they really took off in the early 1960s. 

Although taller heels had been extremely popular in the 1950s, women grew tired of them.

In the early 1960s, it was all about kitten heels, which were more comfortable and elegant back then. For example, actress Audrey Hepburn was one celebrity who made black kitten heels pretty famous.

The early 1960s were all about Mary Jane styles, with the wide strap, the low and chunky heel, and the rounded toe. T-straps also made a comeback during this time.

In the mid-1960s, shoes became a little more embellished with buckles.

Celebrities were regularly photographed wearing buckle pump heels. Another popular style was pilgrim shoes, which had low heels and elegant buckles that looked more sophisticated than the name let on.

In the late 1960s, celebrities like actress Natalie Wood were photographed wearing white knee socks with heels, and that quickly became a very popular style.

Who could forget the popularity of go-go boots? 

Althoughtechnically not always heels (many were flats, although they could be heeled as well), these tall, sleek boots in white or bright shades were a must-have.

In the early 1970s, horsebit pumps became more trendy than buckle pumps. Horsebit refers to the signature metal hardware on top of the shoe.

The style has actually seen a huge resurgence today with the popularity of Gucci loafers.  

Another 1970s' style that has come back in recent years is knee-high heeled boots, or even heeled boots that went over the knee.

These were made popular by stars like Ali McGraw, an American actress and model. 

The 1970s were known for platform heels.

In the early part of the decade, they totally took over in every form: clogs, sandals, heels, and boots. It was hard to find heels that didn't feature the platform style.

One really trendy version of chunky platform heels were those featuring slingbacks, which were really trendy in the early 1970s.

Platforms were so huge in the 1970s that even guys wanted to get in on the fun. It wasn't uncommon to see men wearing platforms throughout the early years of the decade.

With the popularity of platforms, it isn't exactly surprising that the kitten heel trend started to fade away. In its place came low block heels, especially popular with loafers.

Aside from platforms, clogs are one of the most popular shoe trends from the 1970s.

They were funky-looking and usually involved a very high heel, some platform, and some more of a block heel.  

Throughout the decade, wooden heels became a huge trend, whether they were in the form of platforms, clogs, mules, wedges, or block heels.  

Welcoming in the 1980s were shoes with chunky heels and huarache-style crisscrossed straps.

Sneakers were really the biggest shoe trend of this decade, but these heels were also pretty standard.

In the early 1980s, shoes got a little more colorful. Neon pumps were very popular, but so were bright-white heels.

In 1983, Vanessa Williams was photographed in peep-toe heels, which is just one example of how the vintage trend came back into style.

White pumps and heels, in general, were really popular. Women weren't only wearing them with dresses — they were also pairing them with pantyhose.

Patent leather was huge in the 1980s in terms of both pants and, yes, heels. 

Satin heels were another major trend in the 1980s, especially when looking for the perfect shoe to pair with bridesmaids' dresses.

Bonus points if they came in outrageous colors. 

The 1980s were not a time of low-key style. High heels were embellished with rhinestones and much more.  

If you lived through the 1980s, it's hard to forget the Dyables trend.

These were simple pumps that could be dyed to match your dress exactly, and they were the most popular shoes for any kind of formal event.

That trend of matching colors exactly made its way into the early part of the 1990s, when it wasn't uncommon to wear black pumps with black tights.

Platforms made a big comeback in the 1990s, especially in the early part of the decade when the most coveted shoe style was platform sandals.

Even platform flip-flops were a thing.

Although not technically a heel, Dr. Martens were such a huge look for the 1990s that it feels weird not to include them.

Plus, they were pretty giant and definitely lent some height. And over the years the shoe brand has also begun offering some styles that have heels. 

Another popular style that seems to define the 1990s were chunky heeled loafers worn with little ankle socks.

Who could forget the iconic Steve Madden platform/flatform sandals? The ultra-wide strap and comfortable material made these look casual or dressy, and are extremely 1990s.

In the mid-90s, Mary Jane style heels started to make a bit of a comeback.

This is best seen in movies like "Clueless," where Cher constantly wore knee socks with heeled Mary Janes, a very popular during that decade. 

As Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik became more popular, so did single-sole heels. 

Thanks to musicians like The Spice Girls, huge platforms stuck around through the late 1990s. In fact, some were comically large.

Partially thanks to Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City," fuzzy-strapped heels were popular. They even sometimes came in platform flip-flop form.

As the decade went on, high heels got a little more strappy. Two-strap heels were popular, as were spider heels (lots of straps crisscrossed on the foot that almost resemble a spider web).

The early 2000s are known for some questionable style moments, and square-toed slides are one example of that. Celebrities like musician Britney Spears were regularly seen wearing them on the red carpet.  

The spider-heel trend stayed on through the early '00s, showing up in all different versions of itself on celebrities on the red carpet, including Paris Hilton. 

Thankfully, the square-toe look didn't stick around very long and, around 2002, pointy-toe heels made a huge comeback. Suddenly, they were everywhere.

Partially thanks to Carrie Bradshaw's frequent wearing of them on "Sex and the City," Manolo Blahniks were *the* shoe to wear in the early 2000s.

Around this time, pointy-toed heels were often paired with very long boot-cut jeans, just peeking out the front.

Another questionable early 2000s trend were toe-strap heels. They literally had a strap that only went on one toe and were seen on the red carpet, worn by musicians like Britney Spears. 

Around this year, wedges came back with a vengeance and were worn by basically everyone. They were more comfortable than some of the strappier heels that had been really popular.

The "it" show of 2007 was the Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Sandal, a sexy Mary Jane-style heeled shoe with a stiletto heel rather than a platform or chunky heel.

Actresses like Julianne Moore even wore them on the red carpet. 

In 2008, T-strap heels came back into style, but they were a bit different than they used to be. These T-strap shoes often featured a very high heel, usually a stiletto or platform.

Around this time, Christian Louboutin took over the shoe world with his classic look: black pumps with a bright red sole. It felt like everyone was wearing them, and those who were not wished that they were.

Heeled ankle boots essentially took over around this year. They could be more casual or more dressed up, but either way, everyone owned a pair.

The Kardashians helped make huge heeled espadrilles a big trend back in 2011. They were tons of different versions of them out there.

Who can forget the year when wedge sneakers were inescapable?

One of the most popular versions were the classic Isabel Marant wedge sneakers, which were often copied by cheaper brands. Everyone wore these until the trend was just exhausted.

Once people got tired of wedge sneakers, they reached for the exact opposite: Valentino Rockstud heels, which completely took over the style world for celebrities and fashion bloggers.

These stiletto-heeled, caged sandals featured lots of "edgy" looking metallic studs.

At some point in 2014, lace-up heels took over completely.

Suddenly, you couldn't go on social media without seeing a photo of someone wearing stiletto heels featuring laces up half their calf.

Style bloggers did something different with footwear in 2015, and tall over-the-knee boots with a high heel became extremely popular.

Around 2016, clear Perspex heels took over the style world, partially thanks to Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West.

Mules were pretty popular in the 1970s and, in 2017, they came back with heels. It was hard to find anyone who didn't have at least one pair.

Chelsea boots have roots in the mid-1800s – and they became trendy once again in 2018.

This time, the boots were popularly worn with a high heel and with added embellishments like studs or alligator-skin texture. 

Although these shoes aren't exactly great for your ankle and foot health, stars like Kylie Jenner helped popularize this type of shoe, which made it look like you had socks on over your high heels.  

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