What is The History of Shoes?

Middle Ages Proved to be a Blooming Period for Fashion Ideas in Footwear.

5/5 - (5 votes)

Infographic on History of Shoes

Shoes are one of the things in history that have evolved a lot. There was a time when they were specially made by craftsmen instead of undergoing factory processes. Having a history of more than thousands of years, they’ve come a long way. Let’s trace their fascinating timeline.

Old Times (1250 BC – 476 BC)

Ancient Egyptians used to wear sandals. These were made from raw leather, papyrus fibre, and palm leaves. They were tied at the foot’s end. Initially, the Pharaoh and clerics only used to wear them but as time passed, they were available to all the ancient Egyptians. Their color used to signify the class of the wearer.

Shoe models in Roman and Greek differed in style from the Egyptian ones. Here sandals had many laces and went all the way up to the knees. There was no distinction in the shoes for men and women. However, the shoes were divided in terms of social class. Sandals were worn by only free citizens in Greece, which distinguished them from slaves. In Roman culture the rank of a soldier could also be determined by the sole and the laces in their shoes.

In Celtic lands, shoes were typically made of wood and were mainly slip-on style. For peasants and the poor, they were the dominating footwear.

The Middle Ages (476 – 1453)

Middle Ages, despite being called the dark ages, proved to be a blooming period for fashion ideas in footwear. This is the time when heels appeared, however, at first, these were worn by only men. Pointed shoes and other trends in shoes also came during this time.

At the beginning of the ages, espadrilles shoes came from the Pyrenees to Central Europe. They quickly become popular owing to their lightweight and comfort. However, since they were more suited for warmer climates, they couldn’t make their mark in Northern Europe.

Central and Northern Europe, in turn, produced their own shoes – leathered boots. The seams were inside the shoes which strengthened and protected them. There was also one added advantage with these shoes – they could be worn during any time of the year, with the addition of some fur or hay in the colder weathers.

There was also a somewhat peculiar shoe trend going on in China around 10-11th century. Small feet were considered the ultimate beauty standard. That is why the toes were often broken or bent to get fit into shoes of a size.

In the Gothic period, poulaines came to the scene which had long pointed tips (sometimes as long as 19-20 inches) and was considered a bit of unusual footwear. Sometimes they needed to be tied with laces to the legs in order to make the walk more comfortable. Decoration with fancy elements and materials, like velvet, was a norm for these shoes. The longer the tip of the shoes, the higher the status was of the person wearing them.

Early Modern Times (1453– 1918)

During this time, men dictated fashion in footwear. Their legs were considered a beauty standard and thus guided the fashion trends in footwear. Women’s legs were mostly covered under long skirts. Shoes made in Italy and Spain were made with the most fashionable materials and had the fanciest decorations. They quickly became the favourites across Europe.

In the Renaissance period, Europe kings wore high heels shoes which were symbolic of their supremacy. Their heels could be as high as about 12 inches. This, later, became the primary prototype for the platform shoes of modern times. Also, during this time pointed shoes were replaced with a different type of footwear called duck-billed. These had square-wide noses. Ankle boots came into fashion with the arrival of noble knights. They began the trend as they found these shoes highly comfortable during fighting and horseback riding.

Then came the Baroque period, which was marked by the desire to be pretentious and inclination towards greatness. The same culture got reflected in shoes as well. Around this time, they were made from expensive materials like satin, velvet, and silk. They were decorated with gemstones, ribbons, and artificial flowers. Red heels were a status symbol.

Sporting socks with the boots became a trend in the 17th century. Later Baroque got swapped with Rococo. It used Louis heel and buckles for women’s shoes.

It wasn’t until the 19th century, that men’s and women’s footwear styles began to differ. Now, they differed in shape at the front, heels, colors, and style. Fabric footwear became very popular during the Napoleonic era. The men’s footwear heels ranged around 1 inch. This was also the first time when women’s heels were higher than the men.

The biggest turnaround in the production of the shoes came around during the Industrial Revolution. Mass production began as both North America and the United Kingdom invented a sewing machine for the modern footwear. A new method was developed by Jan Ernst Matzeliger that made the manufacturing of 700 shoes pair per day possible. Shoes were available to everyone now. Also, during this time the right shoe started to differ from the left one.

In the 19th century, the popular trend included laced shoes. They became a fashion standard among men. For women, there was the Adelaide model, which had shoes side-laced, woven, and with a low heel.

Modern Times (1918 – today)

As American pop culture thrived, there came new trends in footwear in the latter half of the 20th century. There was a desire to stand out and be unique. New structures and cheaper raw materials changed the footwear styles tremendously. Hollywood icons also shaped their popularity. For example, Audrey Hepburn made kitten heels look fashionable while the Beatles helped Chelsea shoes become a popular item. Change in heels trends came about with an increasing number of working women. High heels gave way to platforms and low heels.

Sport shoes were also thriving. They were first made for the basketball players. Towards the end of the 19th century, Keds were invented. These sports shoes were very comfortable and had a rubber sole. In roughly 2.5 decades, these shoes were patented, and their mass production commenced.

Nowadays, footwear style changes every season, for what was used to shift once in a decade or 100 years in early ages. Now, we have a plethora of style and designs to pick from, thanks to the technology.