The Fascinating History of shoes
The Fascinating History of shoes In Mesopotamia, (c. 1600-1200 BC) a type of softshoes were worn by the mountain people who lived on the border of Iran. The soft shoe was made of wraparound leather, similar to a moccasin. As late as 1850, most shoes were made on absolutely straight lasts, with no difference between the right and the Believe it or not, the accessories that currently cover your feet have a 40,000-year history. It’s hard to imagine a time before the invention of shoes. Yet what started as a practical venture has grown into a varied, booming industry just as concerned with art as it is with functionality. Though all shoes share basic characteristics, their coloring, materials, and designs have transformed drastically over thousands of years in the fascinating history of footwear.
The Fascinating History of shoes
From archeological and paleoarcheological evidence, experts hypothesize that shoes were invented around in the Middle Paleolithic period approximately 40,000 years ago. However, it wasn’t until the Upper Paleolithic period that footwear was consistently worn by populations. The earliest shoe prototypes were soft, made from wraparound leather, and resembled either sandals or moccasins.
Jump ahead a few thousand years to the beginning of modern footwear. In Europe’s early Baroque period, women’s and men’s shoes were very similar, though fashions and materials differed among social classes. For common folk, heavy black leather heels were the norm, and for aristocrats, the same shape was crafted out of wood.
• In the 18th century, fabric shoes like the silk pair below were very much a la mode.
19th Century Shoes
In the early 19th century shoes were made with a right foot and a left foot instead of being interchangeable. Men very often wore boots in the 19th century and it became acceptable for women to wear them too. However at the end of the century it became fashionable for women to wear shoes again. In the 19th century shoes had laces rather than buckles. In the early 19th century a new type of boot was named after the Duke of Wellington. At first they were made of leather but from the 1850s they were made of rubber.
20th Century Shoes • In the 20th century with rising living standards there were a huge variety of styles of shoes. In the 1920s womens shoes were often decorated with beads. During the Second World War because leather was in short supply some people wore clogs rather than shoes. Then in the late 1950s stiletto heels became fashionable for women. In the 1950s some women wore slip on shoes called mules. For men in the late 1950s shoes with long pointed toes called winkle pickers were popular. In the 1960s boots for women came back into fashion and in the 1970s shoes with platform soles were popular for both sexes. Meanwhile trainers were designed in 1949 by Adolf Dassler. Flip flops were invented in 1956. The famous Dr Martens boot was introduced in 1960
During the Great Depression, black and brown shoes dominated the American market. Shortly after, Oxfords became a popular male choice and cork-soled, platform shoes grew popular among women. Though men’s shoe styles remained relatively unchanged following World War II, women’s shoes made another dramatic alteration in their appearance. Women’s shoes were now arched, sophisticated and made to highlight the foot. Delicate heels grew narrower as the decade progressed.
These days, there are shoes for every occasion, mood, and preference. There has also been a movement away from styles that focus primarily on comfort and function, as many designers are shifting interest from a matter of practicality to that of aesthetics. Celebrities like Lady Gaga have introduced the world to footwear that’s more art and armadillo than it is clothing. If footwear trends continue in this fashion, we can expect the shoes of the future to be even more out-of-thisworld.
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind� is the famous quote by Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. The boots that he wore when he took the first steps on the moon are now floating in space somewhere. His boots were discarded before coming back to Earth for fear of contamination.
This research was made by the Students on ICT classes.
June 2019