Horse riding men of the 10th century used boots that fit in the stirrups. This is why cowboy boots have heels. In the 10th century, the wealthy owned horses so heels became synonymous with aristocracy and the upper class instead of gender.
The ancient Greek actors used costumes to identify the characters they portrayed. To denote status, platform shoes were worn. There were comic actors and tragic actors. Comic actors wore socks and tragic actors wore heels.
Wooden clogs were designed first in Holland by the peasant class and spread throughout Europe. They were the most common type of work shoe in Europe during the Industrial Revolution.
Do you know how sneakers got their name? In the late 1800s, these type of shoes were being made with rubber soles. This made them very quiet and people could walk without making any noise.
Andy Warhol’s When the first prototype shoe arrived for him to inspect, he felt it wasn’t quite right but couldn’t figure out why. He saw one of his assistants painting her nails. She used a bright red polish. He grabbed the nail polish and painted the sole of the prototype, thus designing the Loubotin.
Did you know that women who earn $150,00 or more per year wear heels to work more often that women who make less than $40,000?
There is a real disorder associated with shoe addiction. There is an area in the prefrontal cortex of the brain called the
Loafers became popular because of Audrey Hepburn. She wore black leather Ferragamos in the film, Funnyface. Her character was a beatnik bookstore clerk who rebelled against the current fashions. She made them look great on women and so loafers became just as popular with women as men.
The popular Doc Martens were created with air-cushioned soles. The shoe was released in 1960, but it wasn’t until the 70s when they became popular with Britain’s punk movement.
The wedge shoe was invented by Salvatore Ferragamo in the 1940s because Italy was cut off from trading with other countries. He started experimenting with cork and soon the entire area between the heel and sole was solid.
Japanese sandals inspired the popular Havaianas. The Zori, which was the standard Japanese sandal was mad of rice straw soles and fabric straps. This explain the textured pattern on the foot-bed of Havaianas.
Many people believe that Jeffrey Campbell is a fictional persona representing the company but Jeffrey Campbell is real and created the successful and popular shoe line.
Shoes were first measured by the Brits in the early 1300s. King Edward II ruled the three barleycorns were equal to one inch making this the standard for measuring and sizing shoes.
Dorothy’s ruby slippers were the most expensive pair of shoes ever sold. They were sold at auction for $660,000 in 2000.
Ancient Romans first introduced right and left shoes but it wasn’t until the 19th century thatPhiladelphia was home to the first pair of shoes designed for each foot.
In 1840, the first boot for ladies was designed for Queen Victoria. They’ve been a hit ever since.
In today’s modern society, almost everyone owns shoes. You can’t go into a store without wearing a pair of shoes. The designing of shoes will continue to evolve and there will be plenty of fashion nightmares and fashion favorites.