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The Guild 7-19-2002 The History of Shoes
North Hampton Museums and Art Gallery ^
Posted on 07/19/2002 5:05:49 AM PDT by BigWaveBetty
Early Shoes
The simplest way to protect feet was to grab what was handy bark, large leaves and grass and tie them under the foot with vines. In hot countries this developed into the sandal made from woven palms, grass or plant fibres and attached to the foot with toe loops. Examples of early sandals have been found in Japan, Polynesia and America.
We know that early man used the skins of slaughtered animals for clothing, eventually discovering how to tan and preserve them. In cold countries shoes were made from animal skins to give better protection and keep the feet warm. A piece of treated skin with holes punched around the edge was put under the foot and laced with a leather strap that acted as a drawstring to hold the shoe in place around the foot. This was an early example of the moccasin.
The earliest footwear in Britain must have resembled the pampootie from the Aran Islands, Ireland. Few early shoes have survived. Fragments of Bronze Age footwear have been found in excavations but not enough to determine styles. But from the Roman times onwards many shoes have survived suggesting that there were many more shoe styles than one would expect.
Roman Shoes
The Romans produced a variety of footwear. They arrived in Britain wearing the military sandal, called the caliga, which exposed the toes, had a lattice patterned upper, front lacing and a heavily nailed sole. Other styles were the calceus and the gallica, both with a closed toe a style more suited to the British weather.
After the Romans left, Britain began producing its own styles, usually a closed toe leather shoe with an oval or round toe shape. The ankle shoe was popular in the 9th Century and was made as a turnshoe, which meant the separate upper and sole were thonged together inside out and then turned. Some of these shoes were straights, made for either foot.
Medieval Shoes
Footwear styles continued to change during the Medieval age. The sole and upper were no longer thonged but stitched together with thread and the toe became a sharp point, known as scorpion tails, they began to get longer in the 1320s and became known as pikes, crackowes or poulaines. The length of ones toe was an indication of status. The King and his court had shoes with the largest toes. This style wasnt worn by women. The ankle shoe remained popular, it was usually side laced with three pairs of holes.
The pointed toe disappeared at the end of the Middle Ages and was replaced by round and square toe shapes. At first a sensible size, toes became larger and larger. During the reign of Henry VIII soles reaching 6½ inches wide were common and known as foot bags.
Another popular style was a low cut shoe with a strap and buckle fastening across the ankle and a square toe. Both styles could have slashed decorations on the toe.
Tudor Shoes
After 1500, a blunt pointed toe returned, followed by a round toe in the 1590s. From 1570 shoes develop latchet ties which tie over the tongued front. Its about this time that heels emerge. By the end of Elizabeth Is reign heels grow to 2-3 inches, all footwear is made straights and sides are opened up. During the reign of Charles I, flamboyant knee boots are popular.
17th Century
Pair of men's mules 1620-30
In the 17th Century, men wore shoes and mules with a square toe, often blocked and domed. Women decide that a pointed toe is more feminine. An important innovation in 1660 was the buckle to fasten a shoe. Samuel Pepess writes in his diary of 22nd January 1660, "This day I began to put on buckles to my shoes".
At first popular with men, women eventually wore them too, replacing ribbon latchets with buckle latchets.
.........
Click on the image to find out more.
18th Century
Click on image to view several varieties.
In the 18th Century, womens shoes reflect the elaborate patterns of their dresses and have similar embroidery and trimming. Bands of metallic braid were popular as decoration on shoes. The silver or gold braid was transferred from one pair of shoes to another. Other characteristics include pointed toes, ribbon and buckle latchet ties, a white kid leather round between the shoe sole and upper and high covered wooden heel. Mens shoes became quite plain made of black leather with pointed toes and low heels.
By the end of the 1760s, thick heels begin to thin down but became not very strong, the top becomes wider and more wedged like, producing in the 1770s, the Italian Heel for women's shoes. Towards the end of the 18th Century and beginning of the 19th Century women's shoes became lower and lower cut, heels became lower until they disappear altogether and the pointed toe is replaced by first narrow oval toes and then square toes. Shoes become so dainty made from satin and silks that ribbon ties are added to keep the shoe on the foot.
19th Century
Click image to view several varieties.
The 19th Century is characterised by the predominance of boots both for men and women. Popular styles were the Blucher boot with an open tab front and lacing, cloth boots with side lacing, the elastic sided boot, the button boot, and the Balmoral boot, which was front laced with a closed tab. Apart from boots, women wore court shoe style shoes in a variety of different materials, from satin and silk to reptile and drawn leathers. Men had a choice between the Oxford shoe, with front lacing and a closed tab and the Derby shoe, with front lacing and an open toe.
20th Century
The 20th Century has seen a variety of shoe styles and the rise of the shoe designer. From 1920s bar shoes to 1930s co-respondent two-colour shoes to 1940s utility styles to 1950s brothel creepers to 1960s winklepickers and stiletto heels to 1970s platform soles, shoe designers have been prominent throughout the 20th Century, but the 1980s and 1990s have seen greater success for shoe designers such as Patrick Cox, Red or Dead, Emma Hope and Jeffery West.
20th CENTURY FASHIONS
MODERN DESIGNS
Click image to find out more about 20th Century Fashions and Modern Designs.
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TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: guild; theguild
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To: BigWaveBetty
Ron Jeremy? Is that who that guy is? GROSS! He does an infomercial for some kind of herbal male enhancement product. I came across his little perverted show late one night. The people who were with him were absolute freaks, of the Jerry Springer/Howard Stern/Jenny Jones variety. I should have guessed his occupation.
101
posted on
07/19/2002 12:39:57 PM PDT
by
pubmom
To: BigWaveBetty
" Tickets cost $25 with the money going to Reno's campaign."Money goes to the Reno campaign? But what has she done for the global AIDS problem? and Haiti?
To: pubmom
;-) Believe it or no, the troll's making a "main stream" movie about his life as a porn worker. Amazed me.
103
posted on
07/19/2002 1:23:37 PM PDT
by
lodwick
To: BigWaveBetty; *The GUILD
WOW! So much to catch up today! I am 5'11'' so I don't wear heals too often (I feel like a drag queen), but I wanted to contribute to Shoe Day and I found these over at nordstrom.com
They have ankle straps, which I am normally against, but they seem to work great on these shoes! I just love them, they look straight out of the 40's or 50's. They look like something I would expect Lucy to wear.
Has anyone ever heard of viviscal before? It's supposed to help your hair grow, but it's fairly pricey.
To: pubmom; lodwick; All
How did that porn king get on our nice, wholesome shoe thread? Be gone, smutmeister! Back on topic:
"Off-the-wall," "hip," trendy," "funky" and "wild" are often used to describe Steve Madden footwear. Whatever the description, young women are flocking into stores to acquire the company's leopard-print pumps, zebra-print loafers, seafoam sandals, even clunky satin-trimmed prom shoes. Steve Madden's 40-plus styles of shoes have an average retail price of $65.
Mr. Madden said the store appeals predominantly to "Generation Y" -- namely, "anyone who listens to the Spice Girls." When Chelsea Clinton headed off last year to Stanford University for her first year of college, she took several pairs of Steve Madden shoes along. According to Ms. Camen, the Secret Service asked that the Montgomery Mall, Bethesda, Md., store be closed one day last August so Chelsea could shop with her mother. Ms. Camen said Hillary Clinton reportedly vetoed a pair of Steve Madden shoes Chelsea wanted because she thought the heels were too high, but Chelsea persisted and bought them the next day. link.
To: Endeavor; lodwick; Carolina; Teacup; All
My computer monitor is about to bite the dust. The screen keeps going black. I'm going to talk with my son about assisting me in ordering a new computer tomorrow.
I may, or may not be here. I'm looking thru the closets for a compatible monitor,,, there surely is one aroundhere somewhere.
To: Iowa Granny
Oh Granny! I had a laptop screen bite the dust last week. That is truly frustrating, isn't it? It was an old laptop but I loved it because it was really thin and light weight. Oh well.
Hope your quest for a monitor is successful.
To: Iowa Granny
I second the nomination for Clark's sandals. I have many pairs and styles. I have tried the Keds leather tennies but did not have good luck with them.
To: mountaineer
Frankenstien Feet
To: Hillary's Lovely Legs
LOL! That's what I told my girls, they actually like those monstrocities.
110
posted on
07/19/2002 3:28:20 PM PDT
by
pubmom
To: BigWaveBetty; Hillary's Lovely Legs
What an interesting subject!! Will come back and read it in depth!
HLL - Thank you for the shutterfly suggestion - I managed to get the pictures uploaded to the thread about Lex....and now can't get back to that thread to link it for you to see. Thanks again for that information.
To: Freedom'sWorthIt; All
I love W, I love the military and I love the flag. And here is a great picture including all three....
U.S. President George W. Bush waves to soldiers at Fort Drum, New York, July 19, 2002. Bush appeared before thousands of soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain Division here to push Congress to quickly approve his proposed increase in U.S. defense spending, including a pay raise for troops. Troops from Fort Drum were among the first Army units to be deployed overseas after the attacks on September 11. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) [Mail to Friend]
To: daisyscarlett; *GUILD
Hillary, Dem shout it out at Capitol WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Clinton got into a closed-door shouting match in the Capitol yesterday with the top Democratic backer of campaign finance reform, sources told the Daily News. Clinton (D-N.Y.) faced off with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) during a luncheon discussion of a landmark fund-raising law set to take effect Nov. 6. When Feingold dismissed warnings that senators could face legal challenges on unpredictable grounds under the new law, Clinton exploded. "Russ, live in the real world," a tight-faced Clinton shouted at Feingold, sources said.(snip)
It was also suggested that political events, like former President Bill Clinton's infamous White House coffees for big donors, could theoretically be criminalized under the new law. The coffees were investigated by Congress and the Justice Department, but no charges were filed.(snip)
Sources paraphrased Clinton as saying she spoke from experience - eight years as Bill Clinton's First Lady in a White House beset with controversy and federal investigations - when she warned that "political adversaries" would make senators' lives hell.
113
posted on
07/19/2002 4:51:41 PM PDT
by
Teacup
To: Teacup
Isn't that hilarious? As if Her Royal Heinous Hillary knew anything about living in the real world!
To: Teacup
Good find - thank you. Just look at the crone, dressed in BlackBeauty, and then notice, please, those freaking talons that she's waving.
Ve are de ruling klass! Got it her mine? Swine!
God only knows she needs SS protection. B!tch.
115
posted on
07/19/2002 5:18:39 PM PDT
by
lodwick
To: lodwick
|
|
All I know is, someone mentioned a brothel... |
116
posted on
07/19/2002 5:24:06 PM PDT
by
Fintan
To: lodwick
To: BigWaveBetty
Mmmmmm.... Shoeeeessss....
118
posted on
07/19/2002 5:29:27 PM PDT
by
Hacksaw
To: BigWaveBetty
This thread is making me laugh like no other FR thread before!
119
posted on
07/19/2002 5:31:47 PM PDT
by
Hacksaw
To: Hacksaw
Hi, nice to see you here! (To everyone else - hacksaw and I freeped Janet Reno a couple years ago when she gave a graduation address at a nearby college, so please give him a big welcome).
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