Tia Williams | November 15, 2014 9:00 am

Most trends blaze hot for a brief moment in time, only to quickly disappear into the ether (languishing forever in yearbooks and mortifying composition videos). The shelf life for most fashion fads is usually a decade, at most. Not so with platform shoes, a style that reigned from Carmen Miranda and Rita Hayworth‘s 1940s heyday in anticipation of the Spice Girls and Deee-lite-drenched ’90s. Five decades of sky-high cartoonish heels! Their endurance is fascinating, considering they might be the tackiest invention in styledom. We can only attribute their endurance to the fact that they elongate the leg prettily – and they’re showy enough for fans to see them from the low-cost seats.

From David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust boots to the Tori Spelling‘s teen queen pumps, check out the craziest platforms, ever.

[Photos: Getty Images]

Tags: Spice Girls, Tori Spelling, David Bowie, George Clinton and The P-Funk Allstars