India, Oct. 25 -- Look down. How many inches do you prefer? Tsk, tsk. We're talking about your shoe preferences. High heels once signified peak femininity and allure. A six-inch heel screamed "Look at me!" They made a woman seem sexy, powerful, out of reach. Fashion is more forgiving now. Tabloids track how many "fancy flats" Kate Middleton owns. Japanese women are pushing back against rules that made heels compulsory in the office. No one's judging you for showing up to a party in one-inch slingbacks. Low heels are trending, and we're all obsessed with shoes that feel like a hug on our feet. Here's why. Until the pandemic, "people used to consider the design over the comfort of a shoe when they bought it," says Amol Goel, founder of Louis Stitch footwear. "After the pandemic, they became concerned with not putting undue stress on their bodies." When Goel launched their brand in 2020, stilettos made up 40% to 45% of the market demand. Now, it's just 24%. "Nobody wants to sacrifice their personal comfort for style today." Neha Kumthekar co-founded the footwear label Oceedee in 2015. Most of their early customers were Millennials. They went in strong, with heels that were four inches or higher. "Eventually, we realised that we had to give Indian women what they really wanted. A 2.5-inch heel is the sweet spot that most women are comfortable with," Kumthekar says. Now, 80% of their portfolio features heel heights of 2.5 inches and below. Loafer heels and sliders are their top categories now. "The emphasis is on shoes that keep up with you, not shoes you have to structure your whole day around," says Laksheeta Govil, founder of the footwear brand Fizzy Goblet. "We don't compromise on comfort anymore. In fact, it's one of the new aspects that has come to define luxury," says Tanushri Biyani, founder of bridal footwear label Anaar. It's not just enough for a shoe to feel good or make you look stylish. It must "reflect confidence, versatility and ease, too". This means that soles have to be lightweight, and the position of the pain points have to be calibrated to the arch of the shoe perfectly. Louis Stitch has designed their own AI-supported software to create shoes that feel comfortable in both smaller and larger sizes. They've increased the thickness of the socks - the padded, cushioned part that rests above the sole - from 3 mm to 9 mm. "If you get the shoe to mould to the curvature of the foot, you've got a comfortable shoe." Kumthekar noticed that the first thing customers did when they came to the store was to pick up a shoe and prod the top part of it. So, they focused on comfier cushioning made of memory foam padding. "In a couple of days, it 'remembers' the shape of your foot and thus makes for a more comfortable wearing experience." Stilettos will never go completely out of style, says Kumthekar. "Getting your first pair of high heels is a defining moment in girlhood." During festivals, there's a surge in demand. But there's been a larger shift in how we view fashion and femininity. "We were all fascinated by the visuals of glamorous women such as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. Today, that kind of messaging has changed," says Kumthekar. "We're confident, but in a more internal rather than outwardly demonstrative way."...