Over 100 different operations go into the construction of an individual shoe

In Europe it wasnt until the eighteenth century that womens shoes were different from mens.
13. The first ladys boot was designed for Queen Victoria in 1840
14. Six-inch-high heels were worn by the upper classes in seventeenth-century Europe. Two
servants, one on either side, were needed to hold up the person wearing the high heels.

15. Grecian shoes were peculiar in reaching to the middle of the legs.

16. The present fashion of shoes was introduced into England in 1633.

17. In the ninth and tenth centuries the greatest princes of Europe wore wooden shoes.

18. Slippers were in use before Shakespeares time, and were originally made rights and lefts.

19. In the reign of William Rufus of England, in the eleventh century, a great beau, Robert, the
Horned, used shoes with sharp points, stuffed with tow, and twisted like rams horns.

20. The Romans made use of two kinds of shoesthe solea, or sandal, which covered the sole of the
foot, and was worn at home and in company, and the calceus, which covered the whole foot and
was always worn with the toga when a person went abroad.

21. In the reign of Richard II., shoes were of such absurd length as to require to be supported by
being tied to the knees with chains, sometimes of gold and silver. In 1463 the English parliament
took the matter in hand and passed an act forbidding shoes with spikes more than two inches in
length being worn and manufactured.

22. Up to 1850 all shoes were made with practically the same hand tools that were used in Egypt as
early as the 14th century B.C. as a part of a sandal makers equipment. To the curved awl, the chisel-
like knife and the scraper, the shoemakers of the thirty-three intervening centuries had added only a
few simple tools such as the pincers, the lapstone, the hammer and a variety of rubbing sticks used
for finishing edges and heels.

23. In 1845 the first machine to find a permanent place in the shoe industry came into use. It was
the Rolling Machine, which replaced the lapstone and hammer previously used by hand shoemakers
for pounding sole leather, a method of increasing wear by compacting the fibres.

24. In 1858, Lyman R.Blake, a shoemaker, invented a machine for sewing the soles of shoes to the
uppers.His patents were purchased by Gordon McKay, who improved upon Blakes invention. The
shoes made on this machine came to be called McKays.

25. In 1875 a machine for making a different type of shoe was developed. Later known as the
Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine, it was used for making both Welt and Turn shoes. These machines
became successful under the management of Charles Goodyear, Jr., the son of the famous inventor
of the process of vulcanizing rubber.

26. High heels for women are believed to have originated with Catherine de Medici, a 16th century
Italian noblewoman who was short in stature and wanted to make a bigger impression when she
arrived in France to marry the future King Henry.

27. In 18th century legislation designed to create paved walkways within cities allowed women to
wear less practical shoes with higher heels

28. Sneakers were first made in America in 1916. They were originally called keds.

29. The open-toed shoe became fashionable in the 1930s as a result of the new vogue for
sunbathing.

30. Roger-Henri Vivier is credited with inventing (or at least re-popularizing) the stiletto heel in the
1950s.

31. Despite all of cutbacks during World War II, high shoes were very in style. Designers created tall,
uplifting heels using materials that werent rationed, like wood straw and snakeskin.

32. The boots Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in are still floating around in space.

Types of Shoes

33. Boots were first worn in cold, mountainous regions and hot, sandy deserts where horse-riding
communities lived. Heels on boots kept feet secure in the stirrups.

34. Sandals originated in warm climates where the soles of the feet needed protection but the top
of the foot needed to be cool.

35. Pumps These are shoes where the foot is supported all around the shoe front, back and on
both sides and can have an ankle strap. The sole is a one piece type with a heel of any size with a
high heel pump often called a stiletto.

36. Open toe shoe This is basically a pump shoe as described above where the front is cut away to
expose all of the toes. When this is done to only expose the big toe or middle toes using a smaller
cutaway it would be refered to as a peep hole shoe.

37. Wedge Shoe This is any type of heeled footwear where the there is no gap below the sole
meaning the full length of the base of the shoe makes contact with the ground.

38. Mule This type of shoe is one which has a heel but has no support around the ankle and rear of
the shoe or another way to describe it is as a heeled flip flop. These can be completely closed at the
front or cut away as an open toe or peep hole shoe.

39. Mary Jane This can be a flat or heeled shoe which like a pump encloses the foot all the way
around it. The front of this shoe will be square or very slightly rounded with a cross strap running
across the foot central between the ankle and toes.

40. Boots These are shoes which completely enclose the foot and can come in flat, wedge and
heeled styles. There are various types with the shortest being the Ankle high boot which reaches just
above the ankle then its the Knee high boot which stops just before reaching the knee and the Thigh
high which covers the leg all the way to the thigh. Two lesser known boots are the crotch boots
which reach all the way up the leg to the crotch and the Chap boot which is a modified crotch boot
which has a piece of material which reaches over the hips and secured around the waist with a belt.

41. Sandals These are where the sole of shoe can be flat, wedged or heeled and the upper part is
made up of straps which can be arranged in any form to secure the shoe. This means that the toes
and most of the sides and top are uncovered and the straps can even go up the leg towards the knee
and this type of sandal is often called a gladiator sandal. Oxford This is the name given to a shoe
which encloses the foot and is laced up along the top this can be a flat, heeled or wedge styled shoe.

42. DOrsay This is a shoe which has no sides but has a support at the heel area and the toes are
covered this can be with or without an ankle strap.

43. Platform this is a shoe which has a multiple layered sole to elevate the wearer.

Women and shoes

44. A poll of 1,057 women by the Consumer Reports National Research Center for shopping
magazine ShopSmart found U.S. women on average own 19 pairs of shoes although they only wear
four pairs regularly while 15 percent have over 30 pairs.

45. According to Glamour, the average woman will buy 469 pairs of shoes in her lifetime. All in all,
she will end up spending $25,000 on shoes.

46. Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos owned 1,200 pairs of shoes.

47. What Madonna wears: Being one of the most elegant women all over the world, Madonna is a
shoes collector. Her wardrobe today contains several hundreds pairs. Some of her shoes are so
precious and fragile, that Madonna never puts them on and keeps carefully packed in silk paper.
Only sometimes she takes them out of the wardrobe, has a look at the shoes- and then hides them
again. However, the singer does not disdain to wear less luxurious shoes, for example, Adidas or
Converse sneakers. Usually she buys a new pair long before this design appears in the shops.

48. A new report indicates that on average, women begin wearing at age 12 and continue doing so
until theyre 63.

49. Altocalciphilia is the condition of having a high heel fetish, as in Carrie Bradshaw had a
borderline case of altocalciphilia.

Symbolism and Superstition of Shoes

50. In Biblical times a sandal was given as a sign of an oath.

51. In the Middle Ages a father passed his authority over his daughter to her husband in a shoe
ceremony. At the wedding, the groom handed the bride a shoe, which she put on to show she was
then his subject.

52. Today in the U.S. shoes are tied to the bumper of the bridal couples car. This is a reminder of
the days when a father gave the groom one of his daughters shoes as a symbol of a changing
caretaker.

53. In Hungary the groom drinks a toast to his bride out of her wedding slipper.

54. Shoe dreams deal with walking certain paths in our lives. If you are wearing tight Shoes, the road
you are traveling is hard, and much sorrow is involved. Comfortable Shoes indicate you are in a good
place in your life and success is around the corner. Buying Shoes indicates you still have quite a
distance to travel until you reach your goals. Dirty, worn-down Shoes encourage us to examine our
spiritual walk, or ask us to take a walk of faith.

55. Superstition says that to dream of losing a shoe predicts an illness. This may originate from an
old rural superstition from the UK that advises to burn a smelly old shoe in the home to avoid
infection in the house. Dusty shoes indicate an unexpected journey and shinny shoes mean
happiness in love.

56. In the Western world, tossing old boots in the wake of departing ships was thought to insure a
sailors safe return home. This tradition is carried out in modern times by tying shoes to the car
bumpers after a wedding. This action is said to:1, assure a happy home life; 2, keep a husband from
wandering; 3, and all the roads a family takes will always lead back to the home.

57. In matters of love, if shoes are placed on the left side of the bed in the form of a T it is said
that a vision of your love will come to call in your sleep. Do not put your shoes souls up under your
bed, as superstitions indicate this will cause nightmares and cramps.

58. Placing shoes caddywampus in your doorway is a good way to outsmart devils from entering
your door. Place one shoe with toes facing out the door, and the other shoe with toes facing in
this is said to confuse dense little demons and keep your home evil-free.

59. Placing shoes on top of a table is symbolic of death. The origin of this superstition comes from
the times of hangings in which convicted prisoners were hanged with their shoes still on. Upon
letting loose of the noose, their shoes would tap on the surface the association was translated to
table tops.

60. Itchy Feet: An itching foot foretold a long journey from which the person would derive pleasure
(or walk on strange/foreign ground). If it was the right sole then the person was either going
somewhere they would be welcomed; or would undertake a task and be successful in it. The
opposite was true for the left sole. Itching feet could also mean a sign of sorrow and some believed
it was the forecast of a new shoes. In the Middle Ages shoes neede to be broken in which might
mean a sorry situation, also the ida of new shoe may related to a death in the family.

Shoes Etiquettes

61. Leaving Your Outdoor Shoes at the Door: In Japan it is customary for a person entering
establishments or homes to leave there outdoor shoes at the door and slip into a pair of slippers.
This custom has evolved into a custom for many people in every culture. The proper shoe etiquettes
depend on where you are and what the preferred custom requires.

62. Shoes ETIQUETTES IN ISLAM: When putting on shoes, begin by placing the right foot into the
right shoe first. When removing the shoes, remove the left shoe first. Do not walk while wearing one
shoe only, either wear both shoes or remove both.

63. According to the Code of Jewish law (the Shulchan Aruch), when putting on shoes, the right shoe
goes on first. When tying shoes. the left shoe is tied first. When shoes are taken off, the left shoe
comes off first. This custom is based on the belief that the right is more important than the left.
Therefore, the right foot should not remain uncovered while the left is covered. Shoes should be tied
from the left since knotted teffilin is worn on the left arm.

64. On the historic day of mourning, Tisha bAv, Jews are prohibited from wearing leather shoes.
The same prohibition applies on Yom Kippur to show remorse and penance. In the Book of Isaiah
(20:2), Isaiah is commanded to remove his sandals as a sign of mourning. Shoes also play a part in
the mourning period after a death. During the period of shiva, the seven days of mourning, leather
shoes may not be worn. In Talmudic times, both the pall bearers and the mourners went barefoot.

65. The question of shoes also arises in Jewish burials. The body of the deceased may be wearing
shoes, but only if the shoes are made of linen or cotton. Most Jews are buried in a shroud which
covers the feet, so the issue never arises.

66. It is against the law to take your shoes off if you have smelly feet in a theatre in Winnatka,
Illinois.

67. It is illegal to walk down a street in Maine with your shoelaces untied.

68. In Ohio, women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public.

69. In North Dakota, it is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.

Chinese shoes facts

70. In the early 10th century, Emperor Li Yu of the Southern Tang dynasty in China ordered one of
his slave girls to bind her feet in silk ribbons and dance on a platform littered with golden lotus
flowers. From that day on, foot binding was often associated with the term golden lotus.

71. Foot binding was seen as a sign of beauty and attractiveness. Once a girl was of marriageable
age, prospective mother-in-laws would come around and pick a wife for her son by the appearance
of the girls feet.

72. Since foot binding made it virtually impossible for women to get around on their own, many
peasant women did not bind their feet. They had to work in the rice fields, and later the tea
factories, so they had to be able to use their feet.

73. The shoes of palace women during the Qing Dynasty (1644 1911) were red. Accompanied by
beautiful figures and thick soles, they were very fancy and honorable.

74. In the shoe family, Chinese-style embroidered shoes, which have been deemed as a perfect
combination of the shoe culture and the art of embroidery, are a 100-percent handicraft creation by
Chinese people. Deeply rooted in Chinese culture, they are reputed as Chinese shoes.

75. Many young people believe embroidered shoes add a touch of elegance to the modern woman
without looking too conservative. And more than 20 ethnic groups still wear embroidered shoes as
part of their characteristic dress. Embroidered shoes have become more than footwear these days
they are one of the nations cultural treasures.

76. Auspicious Wedding Shoes: During the wedding ceremony, the bride usually wears special
wedding shoes. For example, in Southern Fujian Province, the bride has to wear a pair of shoes
embroidered with patterns of a turtle or a deer, which symbolizes blessing, happiness, and longevity
after marriage.

77. In China one of the brides red shoes is tossed from the roof to ensure happiness for the bridal
couple.

78. In ancient times, males were referred to as Qian (symbol of heaven in the Eight Trigrams, or the
eight energies in the Tai chi martial art), and females, as Kun (symbol of earth in the Eight Trigrams).
Womens shoes are therefore called Kun shoes.

79. During the Han Dynasty(206BC-220AD), when a woman was getting married, she usually wore a
pair of wooden sandals painted with colorful patterns and fastened by colorful ribbons, both of
which were seen as auspicious symbols.

80. During the Southern Dynasty(420-589), if a man was to take a wife, he had to first present to the
woman a new pair of silk shoes when delivering betrothal gifts. The custom continued in many
places, such as in Ningbo and Yinxian cities of todays Zhejiang Provincein East China, during the
dynastys Guangxu Period.

81. The Sifting Shoes Custom: There is an interesting custom called sifting shoes among todays
Zhuang Ethnic Minority people today. When two young people get married, the brides sisters escort
her to the bridegrooms family. Then a wedding ceremony is held, in which the bride and
bridegroom make formal bows to the grooms parents. After that, the escorts sing songs together
before the bridegrooms family lay out the wedding banquet, during which the ritual of tea or wine
serving is held. As the escorts are beginning to take leave, a young man brings out a sift (container of
sort) and begins sifting shoes.

Some extreme facts

82. Biggest Shoes in the World: Marikina City owns the distinction of having crafted the worlds
largest pair of shoes, each measuring 5.5 meters long, 2.25 meters wide and 1.83 meters high. The
heel alone measures 41 centimeters or 16 inches. The P2-million shoes can reportedly fit to a 37.5-
meter or 125-foot giant. Around 30 people could put their feet into the colossal shoes
simultaneously.

83. The most expensive shoes: Ruby Slippers from House of Harry Winston: $3.000.000. This Ruby
Slippers is the most expensive and as well as spectacular and splendid slippers in the world. This
slippers is the achievement of Ronald Winston, the designer of the House of Harry Winston. The
beauty of design coming from 4,600 rubies of 1,350 carats. This shoes has adorned the feet of Judy
Garland.

84. The Bata Shoe Museum, located in Toronto, Canada, is the only shoe museum in North America.

85. The Guinness World Record for most people running in high heeled shoes is 155.

86. 80 craftsmen will touch one pair of Stuart Weitzman heels during the 6 to 7 weeks of production
time it takes to make them.

Shoes in fairy tales

87. Cinderella is the obvious firstthen theres Andersons Little Match Seller, who has her shoes
stolen by ragamuffins. Theres also the girl from The Red Shoes, which is quite a creepy and
wonderful story. The mermaid from The Little Mermaid feels as if shes walking on knives all the
time, though that isnt really shoes. On to Grimm. Theres the little sister in The Almond Tree who
gets a pair of shoes from her dead brother. Theres The Shoemaker and the Elves, though I dont
think that has anything to do with women, if thats your topic. The girls in The Twelve Dancing
Princesses wear out their shoes. If you want to go as far as Hoffman, Clara from The Nutcracker
defeats the mouse king by throwing her shoe at him. Dont forget the iron shoes in which Snow
Whites stepmother dances to her death at the happy ending wedding.

3 contemporary Shoes designers

88. Jimmy Choo: Malaysian born Jimmy Choo constructed his first pair of shoes at the age of 11. As
a young man, he paid his way through studies at Cordwainers Technical College by working at
restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe factory. In 1986, after completing his schooling, Choo began
creating shoe designs that soon caught the attention of celebrities and fashion industry figures alike.
Voguemagazine featured his hand-made shoes on a record eight pages in a 1988 issue and his star
continued to rise when Princess Diana became a fan of his work. Choo teamed up with British Vogue
accessories editor, Tamara Mellon, in 1996 and together the two co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd. The
company grew at an exponential rate, but the story did not have a happy ending. Conflict arose
between Choo and Mellon. After Choos niece, who had worked for him for years, chose to side
with Mellon, Choo left the company, selling his 50% for only 10 million. Since then, Choo has
focused on designing his exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture line. One of his goals is to establish a
shoemaking institute in his native Malaysia.

89. Steve Madden: American shoe designer Steve Madden has enjoyed great success and suffered
considerable lows over the course of his career. Madden went from personally visiting boutiques
trying to convince them to buy his first shoe designs to being the CEO and founder of Steve Madden
Ltd., a company that was enjoying dominance over the teenage girl demographic in the world of
shoes in the 1990s. The good times ended in 2002 when Madden was convicted of stock
manipulation, money laundering and securities fraud. He was forced to resign as CEO and sentenced
to 41 months in prison. Madden served 31 months of his sentence while holding the position of
creative and design chief at Steve Madden Ltd. During his time in prison, he proposed to his director
of operations, Wendy Ballew, was treated for substance abuse problems and continued to draw a
$700,000 salary from his company. Since he was released, his company has only grown more
successful and his designs continue to appeal to teens and 20-somethings.

90. Christian Louboutin: Known for the distinctive red sole on all of his shoes, Christian Louboutin
designs footwear to help a woman feel confident and empowered. The red sole trend began in 1992
during the early days of Louboutins high-end shoe line. The designer sought to spice up the look of
a shoe that lacked energy by painting the bottom with red nail polish. Soon the shiny, colourful
sole became a signature aspect of his shoes. Louboutin has even patented his red sole design as a
trademark in the United States. Louboutin first developed an awed love of shoes as a child of 12
when he ditched school in favour of watching the showgirls in Paris nightclubs. He never finished
school and soon poured all his energy into bringing the stiletto heel back into fashion around the
world. The 1990s and 2000s saw a trend of sky-high heels measuring 120mm (4.72 inches) and
higher thanks in large part to Louboutins creations. Louboutin is also not afraid to adorn his shoes
with embellishments including jewels, bows, feathers and other decorations. There are more than a
dozen Christian Louboutin boutiques around the world, each uniquely designed and decorated by
Louboutin himself.

Something about Feet

91. Baby Feet Facts: Baby feet grow quickly during the first years, perhaps going through 3 or 4
sizes. During the second year, the growth slows down just a bit, where baby feet may go through 2
or 3 sizes. It takes about 18 years for a childs foot to totally develop.

92. At birth a foot contains 22 bones by school age this will be 45. Over the next 13 -14 years these
will fuse together to create the 26 bones that makes up the adult foot.

93. Baby feet exert a lot of energy, when standing and balancing. This causes baby feet to get very
hot. Baby feet can sweat up to twice the amount of adult feet.

94. Most experts agree that bare feet are best for your baby, up until they start standing and
walking.

95. The average person walks 2,000 miles a year.

96. Plato and Aristotle believed going bare footed diminished the libido and wearing shoes added to
ones sexual power.

97. The best time to try on shoes is usually at the end of the day, when your feet are most swollen.

Finally, 3 sayings about shoes worthwhile to remember

98. I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.

99. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you
criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their


Article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27662088
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/why-our-feet-are-getting-
bigger-9481529.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE5m8xzP7nc
http://www.smartgirl.org/reports/1980471.html