Stepping All Over A Shoe’s Story

From ancient fairy tales to today’s fashionistas, shoes have been tripping through time, skidding across many traditions, carving out their own well-beaten path forever. So, isn’t it about time we delve into the sole’s soul for the shoe’s story?

‘Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.’ Marilyn Monroe

High Kicking into History

From a few coins to thousands of dollars for certain signature styles, this $32 billion-dollar industry knows how to strut its stuff.

The shoe’s original purpose was to protect and provide comfort to the foot invented by Cavemen who’d fashioned their shoes from animal skins. Sandals were a big part of their wardrobe of choice, even ice shoes in museums go back to 3500 BC.

The thongs (flip-flops), were worn by ancient Egyptians, and remain the same style seen today. Cleopatra favoured sandals as a form of foot jewellery because most people went bare feet, and the ancient Greeks loved their platform shoes. Gladiator sandals anyone?

Since the 17th century, shoes were handmade with sewn-on soles. The commercialism of this cottage industry hit its bootstraps in the 19th century to be created purely by machine.

The only thing that has never changed as they always were a status symbol, and their purpose has changed little, it’s just the materials used and style that evolved.

Unlacing the Materials

There are no limits to the materials used for making shoes. It can be anything from recycled plastic bubble shoes to snakeskin, feathers, and Swarovski crystals.

‘I still have my feet on the ground – I just wear better shoes.’ Oprah Winfrey

Other random shoe facts: The rubber heel was patented back in 1899. It’s also rumoured those shoes are still around because it takes a thousand years to break down a shoe’s material. Many shoe manufacturers are aware of this and companies, like Nike, create bio-degradable shoes.

Unbuckling the Shoe’s Body

The shoe’s soul is a layered sole. There’s a mid-soul cushioning the inner sole (the sock protector), and the outer-sole is what comes into direct contact to the ground.

Originally heels were designed for men only to adjust their heights and straighten their postures to pose better. Yep, those men of the royal courts loved their heels believing height was power, and so many fought for higher shoes… Tell that to a bloke in the pub!

The upper parts of the shoe help attach it to the foot, like a strap for sandals. You have the toe box to protect the toes. The Vamp is the material covering the rest of the closed shoe, working up to the eyelet, the tongue, and mouth.

I’m seeing a pattern here.

‘The right shoe can make everything different.’ Jimmy Choo

Traipsing Over The Types

There are many varieties, categories and sub-categories and styles, so here’s just a basic few:

Boots

Throughout the ages, Soldiers conquered the boot department starting with Roman sandals under the Roman empire. In the 1800s the Duke of York backed the machining of boot making to cover the British Empire’s Army and shoes were being sewn up from the 1870s.

So from the simple marching boot, there is the ankle boot, steel-toe boots, riding boots ( or both motorbike and horse riding), cowboy boots, Cuban heeled boots, workmen’s boots, dress boots, hiking boots, Ugg boots, including snow boots and ski boots.

Sneakers/ sports shoes

A sponsorship deal from a shoe manufacturer is considered the holy grail among sportsmen. There are sneakerheads who worship, collect, save, and store unworn styles of this shoe.

Sports shoes also have cleats and spikes to cover various football codes, runners, and golfers. There are special sporting shoes for wrestling, bowling, cycling, various dance shoes and rock-climbers shoes are all part of this category, even roller-skates and ice-skates.

Dress shoes

Men’s Shoe Types:

High tops, oxfords, the Derby shoes, blucher shoe, monk-straps, slip-on and loafers. There’s also come in the variety of plain-toes, cap-toes, wingtip/ brogues shoes.

Women’s Shoes:

high-heeled, kitten heel, stiletto heels. Mules, slippers, sling-backs, ballet flats, court shoes aka the pumps, and wedges.

Other Varieties:

platform shoes, clogs, sandals, boat shoes, diving shoes, orthopaedic shoes, galoshes, and many more.

Shoe Accessories:

Socks! Socks! And Socks! Yes, socks may be their own fashion statement, but they are the number one shoe accessory. Then there’s shoelaces, shoe boxes, bags, polishes, stretchers, deodorants, and the many forms of padded gel inserts.

Did you know: The Prince of Wales, (father to William and Harry) has a valet that irons his shoelaces after each wear.

The Scoop on The Woman’s Shoe

Some shoes are considered erotic art. As wearable sculptures, they can make or break an outfit, and help the woman feel sexier and can also boost their confidence. It’s scientifically proven that women get a happy-high buying shoes which explains why so many go shopping when feeling blue.

Women’s heels only became popular back in the 1950s. They disappeared in the 60s and returned in the 70s by Manholo Blahnick, immortalised as the second man to grace the cover of UK Vogue.

‘Shoes are the quickest way for women to achieve instant metamorphosis.’ – Manolo Blahnik

Heels not only show a sense of style they can also give the illusion of elongating the legs.

Stilettos pronounce the primate mating pose of bum-up, back arched, breasts out and shoulders back! Ah-huh…

Snapping A Heel on Side-effects

Besides denting your bank balance and snapping a heel, long-term wearing of heels my irritate the spine with many complaints made about suffering sore backs and achy feet. It can also do weird things to the veins in the lower legs. Heel tips also ruin carpets and floors.

Tripping Over Shoe Traditions

Only dipping my toe onto traditions and superstitions involving shoes, the Japanese always leave their shoes by the door. Hindus are the same, and you can find many shoes outside their temples.

They’ve banned shoes in this small village in India or their goddess will make them ill, so guests remove their shoes before strolling into town. And the ancient tradition of the Lotus feet, footbinding, in China is no longer practised.

Empty shoes outside the home is a symbol of death that a family member has died according to Greek tradition.

In Hebrew history when a woman removes her husband’s shoe’s he’s abandoned his duty to home. In other Arab nations, removing shoes is a sign they’ve dissolved a marriage.

‘Shoes are like friends, they can support you, or take you down.’ Unknown

Staring at your shoes is seen as being rude, while showing the soles of your shoes is a sin, or seen in bad taste. It’s also considered a huge offence to dong someone with a shoe that is a custom in Iraq and shoe tossing is a favourite insult to politicians that is almost a universal occurrence.

The Charming Luck of Shoes

We have the thong throwing competition on Australia Day, that came from an old tradition, just changed…

Throwing a shoe at someone was seen as good luck in Olde England. They would also hurl their shoes at bridal parties before throwing rice or grains. They then tied old shoes onto the back of the bridal carriage for luck and fertility. The bridesmaid who found the most pairs of old shoes to tie to the wedding carriage was said to get married next.

Wearing an old pair of shoes on Friday the 13th was for luck and to be kept safe, and a shoe charm worn on the bracelet was for fortuity. Wearing holes in your shoes made you wealthy (umm…)

‘You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.’Dr Suess.

You were never allowed to be buried in your shoes, and it was bad luck to burn shoes. Never have your shoes stored higher than your head, and never put new shoes under your bed because they’ll give you nightmares.

But old shoes pointing toe out from under your bed brings you luck, and you should always put on the right shoe first to get a head start on the day’s luck. It’s a step in the right direction! (Sorry, couldn’t resist)

Fit for Fairy-tales

Beyond the fables of myth there’s the famous Cinderella losing a glass slipper, Dorothy had special ruby slippers to skip that path to Oz and Mary Poppins clicked her shoes to fly. In movieland there are many.

‘One shoe can change your life.’ Cinderella

In the fashion industry, there is the story of the painted red stiletto sole, made famous by Christian Louboutin. While working on a new design, he pinched his assistant’s red nail polish to paint the shoe souls. Today, his universally recognised signature style of the squishy pointed toes and the trademarked red souls is known more for its status than comfort.

Strutting Out That Step

In bare feet, most of us never perfect the fine art of walking until we’re 18 months. Even then we’ll trip over our own feet for many more years after.

However, the heel-toe stiletto strut is a challenge to walk without wobbling sideways. Not only do you have to navigate the many hazards that heels getting caught on the terrain, but many also carry them like you see on race-days down at the track.

‘… sometimes it’s hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes. That’s why we need special ones now and then—to make the walk a little more fun.’ Carrie Bradshaw

As little girls (& boys) we enjoyed dress-up parties in our mother’s clothes. Swimming in Mum’s heels was like teetering on poles, with arms out wide, trying to strut down the hallway.

At school formals, many young girls are spotted wobbling their first tentative steps on wedges. They soon brave the blisters and move onto kitten heels, graduating to mighty mistress of shoes—the stiletto.

‘At 13, in Destiny’s Child, we were told to wear heels, but at first we couldn’t walk in them…’ Beyoncé

The Adult Balancing Act

It’s a learned skill that tackles many factors to walking in heels. There are things like weak ankles, sore backs, or just a lack of balance in being able to perfect the art of creating your own hip-swinging signature stride.

Heeled boots are the only types of shoes that the lead character, Emma, from UNPLANNED PARTY can walk in without falling over. She can’t wear heels and fights with gravity to stay upright in her awkward gait, preferring to stay away from heels. Well, she tries to, and it was my perfect excuse to put shoes on the cover.

My other cover story with heels is AVOIDING THE PITY PARTY, our heroine, Deanne sprints away from her own wedding ceremony in heels.

Can you run in heels?

Or do you slide in sandals like the heroine in A STRANGER’S STORM? Find out why… Psst, this story is FREE.

In the bestseller, THE FOOTBALL WHISPERER boots of many varieties are adorned from horse-riding boots. horseshoes, to footy training boots.

Hiking boots are mentioned (with tutus) in the Australian Bestseller, THE ART OF DUST Yep, tutus and boots worn by little girl starts a whole new fashion trend in a small country town. Check out how.

Finally, shoes were created for walking, which is what goes on in the reader’s favourite, WINTER’S WALK. This story was specifically designed for today’s busy woman to put her feet up and take a few moments to escape to Happily Ever After in her lunch break at the office. Don’t you think you could do with a break?

Go on, put your feet up and kick off those shoes and tap on one of the book covers below…

Thanx for reading.