Sunday 13 April 2014
Timeline
Courtesy of Source: http://thepragmaticcostumer.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/the-three-shoes-every-penniless-historical-costumer-needs/
40000 BC – First archeological evidence of protective foot
covering found in Ice Age settlements.
4000 BC –First recorded mentioning of shoes as “flexible
pieces of leather” came from Ancient Egypt.
3627 BC – Archeologist found the earliest known leather shoe
near one of the cave dwellings in Armenia.
3rd to 1st millennia BC – Many civilizations around the
world used simple leather sandals in their daily life. Egyptian pharaoh
Tutankhamen carried to his tomb exquisite sandals that were engraved with
beautiful golden pictures of gods and religious symbols.
1st millennia BC – Romans used platform sandals made from
wood or cork soles. Buskin shoes were also common in Greece and Rome, where
they were worn by tragic actors, hunters and soldiers.
Around 1000 AD – Shoes and sandals become commonplace across
Europe, but they are often crude and hard to wear for long periods of time.
Saxon wedding ritual in which bride throws one of her shoe behind her back to
determine which of her bridesmaids will be married next was born.
Quiz - History of Shoes
Courtesy of Source : http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/History/History-of-Shoes-271375.html
How much do you know about the history of shoes?
Take this quiz and find out.
High Heeled Elegance - A Memoir
A high-heeled shoe is defined as a shoe whose heal is higher than the the toe. It holds a place place in our society like none other. No other shoe, however, has gestured toward leisure,
sexuality, and sophistication as much as the high-heeled shoe.
Heels have been there since the beginning of
time. Egyptian butchers wore heels, to help them walk above the blood of dead
beasts. In ancient Greece and Rome, platform sandals called kothorni, were used
by actors who would wear shoes of different heights to indicated varying social
status or importance of characters in plays. In ancient Rome, sex trade was not
illegal and female prostitutes were readily identified by their high heels.
During the Middle Ages, both men and women
would wear pattens, or wooden soles, that were clearly a precursor to the
high heel. In the 1400s, chopines, or platform shoes, were created in Turkey
and were popular throughout Europe. Chopines could be seven to eight or even 30
inches high, requiring women to use canes or servants to help them walk. Chinese
concubines and Turkish odalisques also wore high shoes, prompting scholars to
speculate if heels were used not only for aesthetic reasons but also to prevent
women from escaping the harem.
The formal invention of high heels
as fashion is attributed to the rather short-statured Catherine de Medici
(1519-1589). At the age of 14, Catherine de Medici was engaged to the King of
France. She was small (not quite five feet) relative to the Duke and was hardly
considered a beauty. She felt insecure in the arranged marriage knowing she
would be the Queen of the France and in competition with the Duke’s favorite
(and significantly taller) mistress. Looking for a way to dazzle the French
nation and compensate for her perceived lack of aesthetic appeal, she donned
heels two inches high that gave her a more towering physique sway when she
walked. Her heels were a wild success and soon high heels were associated with
privilege.
Most Bizarre Shoes in History
Courtesy of Source: http://listverse.com/2010/08/14/top-10-most-bizarre-shoes-in-history/
Shoes date back to
the 8,000s BC – a very long history, indeed. Over the millennia all manner of
styles and materials have been used for shoes. Some successful (the modern
athletic shoe) and some not successful at all (lotus shoes). This list looks at
ten bizarre styles of shoe from early to modern history.
Okobo
Japan, 18th century – today
Long before the 1970′s and the platform shoes, Japanese maiko (apprentice geisha) had been
wearing Okobo sandals or clogs. The reason for wearing these very high platform
shoes was not solely for fashion, but also for very practical reasons. If you
are wearing a very expensive kimono that
hangs all the way to your feet, you do not want to get mud on it when you walk
outside. Okobo are made of one piece of solid wood forming the sole. Usually
the wood has a very natural finish, or no varnish at all. But during the
summer, maiko will wear black lacquered Okobo. The hight of Okobo shoes
generally measures at 5 1/2 inches (14 cm), and the wood sole is carved hollow,
giving them a very distinctive sound when one walks in them. In fact, the word
Okobo is an onomatopoeia, that is it represents the sound of walking in them. A
V-shaped thong of cloth forms the upper part of the sandal. The color of the
cloth depends on the status of the maiko. For instance, a new maiko will wear
red, while one who has nearly finished her apprenticeship will wear yellow.
Men’s High Heels
Europe, 1700′s
Shoes and stockings
became very important for men in the 1700′s,
when the tailored coat and breeches came into fashion and the focus shifted to
the lower body. Suddenly, it was all about the shapely legs, and men wanted to
wear flattering, fanciful hose and shoes to
accentuate them. Louis XIV also had a thing for high heels with red soles and
heels. It must have been tough being short in stature but lofty in power, so I
guess he thought he would even it up a bit. Of course, what the king does, everyone
else copies, so everyone who was anyone wore high heels with red soles and
heels. After all, what would be more proper to wear with Petticoat breeches,
than high-heeled shoes? Boots went completely out of style in favor of these
new elegant heels, now elaborately decorated with ribbons, rosettes or buckles.
Kabkabs
Lebanon, 14th-17th century
Silver studded Wooden
stilts known as “kabkabs” or “nalins” were once a practical way for women in
the Middle East to protect themselves from dirt and discomfort on wet, muddy
streets and in hot, wet bathhouses. Those belonging to the wealthy were often
richly inlaid with mother of pearl. They were several inches high and had
embroidered leather, silk or velvet straps. The name “kabkab” is derived from
the sound they make when walking on marble floors. The uppers were embroidered
with silver, gold or pewter wire. For special occasions, like a wedding, the
wooden stilts were entirely covered with intricately decorated silver, or with
small silver ornaments. Many times brides were very young girls and, therefore,
small in stature.
Changing Trends in Footwear
The Highs and Lows of Shoe Fashion
Shoes have always been attributed as a fashion statement. With time, they became more of a fashion accessory than a necessity. In this article, I will provide you with a resourceful insight on the changing trends and fashions of footwear throughout history.- The first drastic development that changed the footwear fashion was the French Revolution (1792) when shoe heels all but disappeared. Their demise was motivated by politics and the desire to suggest that everyone was born on the same level.
- in 1810's a new fashion emerged in men that was again high heels. The men started wearing trousers that anchored stirrup straps under the foot. high heels held these straps in place.
- By 1830 the square toed shoes had come into fashion which were especially popular among women and children.
- The 1850's saw the trend of boots in women. These boots protected the women's modesty by covering up their ankles. As this era was famous for long long full skirts, so not much attention was paid towards the beautification of shoes.
- the 1870's saw the rise of "Louis" (hour-shaped glass heels).
- The famous 18th century styled bows and buckles became popular in shows in the 1880s. It was during the same time that embroidered shoes became popular especially the toe front as skirt lengths decreased.
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