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.
To compensate this, bridal kabkabs were sometimes made as high as two feet. Socially, kabkabs were only worn by women. In bathhouses, however, simple ones, sometimes with a little carving only and a leather-strap upper, were also worn by men.
To compensate this, bridal kabkabs were sometimes made as high as two feet. Socially, kabkabs were only worn by women. In bathhouses, however, simple ones, sometimes with a little carving only and a leather-strap upper, were also worn by men.
Plaited Birch Bark Shoe
Finland, Mid 20th century
In the early part of
the 20th century, women wore bark shoes daily, with cloth foot wrap inserts.
They were also used as overshoes to protect more costly leather shoes against
rain, mud and snow. These shoes were commonly made from Birch bark, but they
could also be made from linden or lime-tree bark. Norway, Sweden and even
Russia have all had their own version of the footwear. The lifespan of bark
shoes is limited to about one week.
Chopines
Italy, 1580 – 1620
Today, only a very
small number of museums have examples of original chopines. The debut of these
shoes was during the renaissance, but they were still the shoe of choice for
many Italian women at the beginning of the 17th century.
Like the Japanese Okobo, Chopines were highly impractical, their primary purpose was to make the wearer stand out. They not only heightened the wearer by up to 18 cm (5 inches) but were extremely extravagant and expensive. These treasured shoes were made of wood, and either covered with fine silk or velvet. They were embellished with silver lace, tacks, and were finished with a silk tassel. The tragic twist to these coveted shoes is that chopines were rarely ever visible, even in paintings from the period, since women always wore long dresses that covered their footwear.
Like the Japanese Okobo, Chopines were highly impractical, their primary purpose was to make the wearer stand out. They not only heightened the wearer by up to 18 cm (5 inches) but were extremely extravagant and expensive. These treasured shoes were made of wood, and either covered with fine silk or velvet. They were embellished with silver lace, tacks, and were finished with a silk tassel. The tragic twist to these coveted shoes is that chopines were rarely ever visible, even in paintings from the period, since women always wore long dresses that covered their footwear.
Heelless Shoes
2007
I decided to put a
couple of modern shoe designs here too, as they are just too bizarre to miss.
Heelless shoes made their debut on Antonio Berardi’s runway in 2007, and were
made famous by Victoria Beckham in 2008. And despite their unnatural and
extremely uncomfortable look, according to their English Italian designer, they
do not cause the wearer any pain. He has said “They are perfectly balanced.
When the girls come for fittings, they look a bit daunted, but by the end they
say it’s just like wearing a regular shoe.” But medical experts have their
concerns, saying that the shoes could lead to permanent damage to the feet,
knees and spine if worn regularly.
Padukas (Toe-Knob Sandals)
India, 1700′s
Ceremonial
padukas, or toe-knob sandals, is the name of India’s oldest, and ultimate
footwear. They were little more than a sole with a post and knob, which was
situated between the big toe and second toe. They were commonly made from
silver, wood, iron or even ivory. There is even a Spiked Paduka used for
masochism. Masochism is for obtaining gratification or sexual arousal by having
pain inflicted upon oneself. Some masochists enjoy a form of aichmophilia (the
love of needles and spikes). Once pain has been registered for 20-40 minutes,
the body will begin to produce opiate-like chemicals to reduce pain sensation.
The release of these chemicals causes anesthetic, euphoric and trancelike
qualities that allegedly enhance sexual sensitivity or experience. Spiked
padukas sandals are worn by Indian Hindu Sadhus, or Holy Men, for this very
purpose.
Wooden Bridal Shoes
France, late 19th century
Out of the Bethmale
Valley, south of the city Saint Girons in the Ariege district, comes this high
pointed bridal wooden shoe. They go back as far as the 9th century, when local
villagers conquered a camp of Moorish invaders, who kidnapped the village
women, and pricked the hearts of their enemy on the pointed tips of their
clogs, in celebration of their victory. The clogs were made in one piece of the
trunks of walnut trees which formed a rectangle with its roots. Later the
branches of a tree were pulled and warped in a special way to pre-shape the
tree for making this type of clogs. Village men created the clogs for their
future brides. It is said that the higher the point, the greater his love for
her.
The Ballet Boot
1980′s-present day
The ballet boot is a
contemporary style of footwear. They started as a fetish shoe, but have grown
in popularity as a general fashion statement, particularly in Japan. This shoe
merges the look of the traditional ballet slipper with the ultimate high heel.
The illusion is to force the wearers feet almost en pointe, like those of a
ballerina using an ultra long heel. The Ballet Boot originally gained
popularity in the 1980′s, and is now available worldwide through specialty stores and online.
You may have guessed, but these shoes are not
intended to be worn for any extended period of time. The shoes (based on the
images one finds on google images) seem to be rather popular with fetishists.
Lotus Shoes
China, from the 10th century to 2009
The Han Chinese
tradition of binding women’s feet to make them appear as small as a lotus bud
lasted well over a thousand years. Shoes from the north, especially Beijing,
had a ‘bow’ shape, an exaggerated curved sole and heel in one piece, often with
leather reinforcements at toe and heel. Style conscious women from Shanghai in
the late 19th century and early 20th century, (then the fashion capital of
China), liked a multiple heel, while those from the southern provinces such as
Guangdong wore shoes often made of black cotton or silk, with a fairly flat
heel. Iron or wooden studs were added in some cases to the soles to raise and
protect the embroidered silk shoe from the dirt of the streets.As part of her
dowry, a woman would make several pairs of shoes as proof of her needlework
ability, as well as her small feet. After her wedding, a bride gave each of her
main female in-laws a pair of shoes at a special ceremony known as “dividing
the shoes.” The last shoe factory to stop mass production of lotus shoes was
the Zhiqiang Shoe Factory. The factory added lotus shoes for old Chinese women
who still had bound feet to it’s product range in 1991. In the first two years,
more than 2,000 pairs of shoes were sold annually. It announced in 2009 that it
will make the shoes only on a special-order basis.
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