While Obama raised eyebrows for $520 Lanvin sneakers, she has been the modern pioneer of the kitten heel. She's amassed a big collection of Jimmy Choo heels in one- to two-inch heights. At an event to honor recipients of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, Obama wore a carmine viscose jersey dress from Calvin Klein and a pair of salmon heels.
Mandel Ngan, AFP / Getty Images
Bush plays it safe when it comes to fashion, pairing power suits with sensible heels. While in the White House, Bush was a fan of Oscar de la Renta and wore several conservative low-slung (and high-cut) heels with his dresses and suits.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo
Clinton may be a style descendent of Eleanor Roosevelt, using her style choices to project her identity as a glass ceiling-smasher. Her heel choices are conservative and, of course, always carefully match her pantsuits.
Abbas Momani, AFP / Getty Images
Bush represents the Old Guard of American first ladies, dressing conservatively in power suits and low sensible heels.
Michael Gottschalk, AFP / Getty Images
Reagan was a patron of couture while in the White House, famously wearing a $10,000 James Galanos gown for her husband's inauguration 1981. And she channeled that sense of high fashion down to her toes: Reagan's heels were always low but fashion-forward, as is this embellished red pair.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo
Eisenhower left an indelible imprint on fashion: a color named after her favorite shade, First Lady Pink. While she stuck with the sensible and comfortable heels, she represents a shift toward a fashionable sensibility in the White House.
Ed Clark, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images
As first-lady expert Carl Sferrazza Anthony told U.S. News & World Report: "It is always said that Mamie Eisenhower reflected what many Americans were, and Jackie Kennedy reflected what many American women wanted to be." Onassis is often seen as the pioneer of the kitten heel and brought concepts of high-fashion and feminism into a sophisticated and conservative realm through her shoes.
Evening Standard / Getty Images
The statuesque Carla Bruni Sarzoky, who at 5-foot-10 towers 4 inches over her husband, Nicolas Sarkozy. As a result, she's taken a cue from Jackie O., pairing a string of prim Christian Dior dresses with low but still fashion-forward kitten heels, such as this pair by Christian Louboutin. When she's not in kitten heels, Bruni-Sarkozy often wears ballet flats.
Lucas Dolega / Landov
Despite her height, Britain's first lady often opts for high heels. Throughout her pregnancy, SamCam opted for towering heels, some even with platforms. She wore black patent leather stilettos at the funeral of her father-in-law in September, and, to introduce her daughter to the public, stood on the doorstep of 10 Downing in four-inch peep-toe heels.
Stefan Rousseau / AP Photo
Harper, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has a bold sense of style, often wearing colorful printed dresses and florals. With footwear, she's equally adventurous, opting for skeletal-looking spike metallic heels to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his wife, Nobuko Kan, who wore a far more sensible traditional shoe.
Jim Young / AP Photo
The first lady of Cameroon isn't shy when it comes to style, from her lion's mane down to her platform heels. She paired a platform peep-toe pair with a purple pantsuit to meet with Michelle Obama for a tour of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hill, New York.
Hiroko Masuike / Getty Images
Aliyeva, first lady of Azerbaijan, is a UNESCO goodwill ambassador, practicing doctor, and member of her country's national assembly—all in six-inch platform heels.
Sasha Mordovets / Getty Images
