In the 18th century, society was relatively stable. Europe and Eastern countries engaged in small-scale trade and continued to occupy the colonies of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Cultural goods from China and Oceania flowed into Europe. Exoticism became popular in the Western world. Baroque style, by this time, has also transformed from luxury and exaggeration to slenderness and grace. This is the Rococo era.
The 18th century France was the fashion center of Europe. Rococo style emphasized gorgeousness and elegance. The styles of shoes were mostly shallow high heels and half high heels. The toe of the shoe is beautiful, thanks to the exquisite embroidery on the face and decorated with precious stones. The materials are mostly satin, woven cotton, and lambskin. You need to wear a layer of leather shoe covers when you go out. At this time, shoes began to pay attention to the matching of clothing, colors, fabrics, and embroidery details, and gradually embarked on the road of aesthetics. Men's shoes are popular with smooth black leather shoes with red or pink heels. The overall characteristics of men are also colorful and gorgeous. (iRococo gorgeous shoes of the time)Shoe buckles also appeared in this period, which was a very successful invention at that time. The meaning of shoe buckles symbolizes education and status.
But after a period, this kind of simple straw shoes no longer met their needs. The rock dwellers on the Iranian border began to wear shoes made of animal skins. The earliest leather shoes were produced in this way, using a few pieces of leather and leather cords. Wrap the feet directly, the original shoes do not distinguish the left and right feet. (Figure 1, Animal leather shoes about 5,500 years ago found in the caves of Armenia by archaeologists)
In ancient Greece, before the Middle Ages, the earliest shoes were woven from wheat straw, plant fibers and papyrus. The uppers were decorated, and the soles were wooden soles, leather soles or cork soles. In 395 AD, they were favored by the barbarians. The barbaric invasion, the sandals that were popular in ancient Greece were ended in the Byzantine civilization. In Greek art, shoes were deified, with high-lace sandals and boots, and a pair of wings on the shoes, which played a very important role in ancient Greek mythology. In the early days, only kings and persons with status had shoes to wear, which was a status symbol. (Figure 2, Deified shoes in ancient Greece)
Foot binding was a practice introduced in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and became more and more popular in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). From the age of 5 to 8, the bones of the girl’s feet were broken and then wrapped tightly to prevent growth. The ideal model of a woman's foot is to imitate a lotus blossom and is ruled not to exceed three to four inches in length. Girls with very small arches are regarded as the most important marriage material, but cruel customs make it almost impossible for many to walk.
These tiny feet are decorated with exquisite silk or cotton shoes, embroidered with exquisite shoes. Chinese upper-class women are often buried with many pairs of these shoes. Although several prohibitions were imposed on this custom (the first prohibition was introduced by the Manchu Emperor in 1645, and the second was imposed by the Kangxi Emperor in 1662), foot binding in China has always been in the early 20th century. A common custom.
Medieval Europe is an era that is quite profane to fashion, but Italian shoe styles are enriched. From the end of the 12th century to the early period of the 13th, the structure of the shoes changed more in line with the human body, and the shape of the sole changed from a straight shape to a thin waist shape.
In the late 14th century, shoes appeared hollow designs, carved patterns, heights also changed, and materials were diversified, the most common being cloth, leather, and wood. Due to cultural reasons, the prohibition laws of medieval Italy played an important role in the fashion manufacturing and consumer market. Shoemakers began to appear in this period, and the first shoemaking union in the Italian peninsula was established in Bologna in 1144.
"Pianelle", the sole is extremely high, shaped like a deformed sponge cake sole, and the shape is a bit like today's open-toed slippers. People wear these shoes to prevent their socks from being contaminated by dust and dirt on the street when they go out. At the same time, at the time, men's Pianelle was the same as women's Pianelle, the difference is that men's Pianelle did not show toes. This kind of Pianelle was popular for 200 years at that time. Pianelle has many symbolic meanings. Like the Chinese three-inch bound feet (In the past, a womanhad to have a pair of small feet to be called a beauty), they restrict women's travel. (Figure 3, Pianelle)
In the 17th century, there have been great changes in the shoe materials at this time. Pianelle is no longer popular, and another form of high-heeled shoes has appeared, which is different from the 90-degree vertical thick soles. Most of them are pointed and mainly embroidered fabrics. Sharp and beautiful, men are also the main customers for high-heeled shoes. They feel confident and great when they wear them. The one who pioneered this trend was Louis XIV, the most authoritative king in Europe.
Louis XIV used his wisdom to promote commercial development and the circulation of goods through many wars and court expenditures. During his 72 years in power, he developed the power of the king to the peak and made himself the greatest in French history; ruling the longest time king, so under his strong influence, the trend of high heels intensified in the European continent. He himself was less than 155 cm tall. In addition to wearing a wig, he asked the shoemaker to make high heels up to 5 inches high. The leather on the heel was dyed red., The color that symbolizes members of the nobility, only he and ministers can wear it. (Figure 4, Louis XIV's cherished shoes)
In the 18th century, society was relatively stable. Europe and Eastern countries engaged in small-scale trade and continued to occupy the colonies of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Cultural goods from China and Oceania flowed into Europe. Exoticism became popular in the Western world. Baroque style, by this time, has also transformed from luxury and exaggeration to slenderness and grace. This is the Rococo era.
The 18th century France was the fashion center of Europe. Rococo style emphasized gorgeousness and elegance. The styles of shoes were mostly shallow high heels and half high heels. The toe of the shoe is beautiful, thanks to the exquisite embroidery on the face and decorated with precious stones. The materials are mostly satin, woven cotton, and lambskin. You need to wear a layer of leather shoe covers when you go out. At this time, shoes began to pay attention to the matching of clothing, colors, fabrics, and embroidery details, and gradually embarked on the road of aesthetics. Men's shoes are popular with smooth black leather shoes with red or pink heels. The overall characteristics of men are also colorful and gorgeous. (Figure 5, Rococo gorgeous shoes of the time)Shoe buckles also appeared in this period, which was a very successful invention at that time. The meaning of shoe buckles symbolizes education and status. (Figure 6, The shoe buckle that symbolized status at that time)
In the 18th century, the queen of Louis XVI was obsessed with shoes, Marie Antoinette. She was extremely luxurious in her life. It is said that she would change her shoes several times a day, and each shoe was tailor-made by a craftsman. Each pair is exquisite and priceless. She has lived in the palace since she was a child, and she does not understand the suffering of the people at all. The entire treasury gave her beautiful clothes and shoes.
In the last ten years of the 18th century, shoes have undergone great changes. Men's shoes have become more functional, practical, and comfortable, and they have become popular. Women's shoes have become protective, personal, and lighter. The heel height has changed, and mid-heeled shoes and flat shoes have appeared.
The emergence of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century changed society. The style of the previous aristocracy was no longer popular, especially high heels. At this time women began to work, flat shoes, sandals and shoes became the best choice for workers. At this time, the United States became the birthplace of industrial shoemaking. The development of mechanization greatly reduced the cost of shoemaking, while Europe still relied on hand-made shoes. It was not until the end of the 19th century that Europe switched to machine production. Traditional handmade shoemakers can only barely survive at this time. At the end of the 19th century, high-heeled shoes that had disappeared for 100 years appeared again, but they were different from the cumbersome and gorgeous styles before. After they were introduced to the United States, they formed a simple and highly suitable style. (Figure 7, American machine-produced wool women's boots)
In the 20th century, the development of footwear was unprecedented, and all kinds of materials were used in the shoes making. There was also a new profession that was appeared, which is fashion designer. This time the significance of shoes once again undergone major changes, originally sponsored shoemaker process, the process that was originally handled by the shoemaker has now been divided into two parts: design and production. At this time, TV media also appeared, and the shoe market was booming. Different tastes and professions wear different shoes; therefore, shoes are no longer a status symbol.
Canvas shoes were born in the 1920s, and people have more leisure activities. Basically, it focuses on sports. In 1917, Converse produced the first pair of canvas shoes, which is a representative of a young culture. In the 1920s, after the First World War, military boots became a symbol of male unruly, bloody, and strong with their tough appearance and sonorous sound when walking. Cowboy boots also emerged at this time.
In the 1930s, the discovery of high-heeled sandals, this new design did not appear vulgar because of the exposed sandals. Women wearing evening dresses and high-heeled shoes quickly became popular, and they were sought after by most women for a while. In the late 1930s, platform shoes and platform shoes also gradually became popular. (Figure 8, Open-toed high heels from the 1930s）
Because of the war, the raw materials for shoemaking on the market are scarce. Shoemakers have found plant fibers; hemp rope; reptiles; fishing nets; water pine. The shoe master Salvador Ferragamo, he weaves coconut tree leaf fibers and then dyes them and adds a kind of cellophane as the raw material for the upper, the sole is made of cork and cork with a certain thickness. The heels are decorated with brightly colored patterns on the heels for aesthetics or decorated with shiny gilded glass. These are the platform shoes of the early 20th century. (Figure 9, Platform shoes made by Ferragamo）
In the 1950s, stiletto heels were born. The stilettos have a heel that is as tall and thin as a dagger, like a long nail, designed and invented by designer Roger Vivier.
The Beatles booties in the 1960s, the Beatles are the super fashion icon in the 1960s, their rebellious styles reached the resonance of the young people. People began to wear the clothes worn by the idols and cut the hairstyles of the idols, so that the short boots worn by the idols became popular. In addition to the classic style, the Beatles ankle boots are produced in this way. The Beatles ankle boots have a Chinese-style men's high heel. The boots are usually ankle-high, and the toe is relatively pointed.
