The history of shoes has about 30 thousand years. During this time, many styles and models have changed, but still it remains the most necessary and important wardrobe item.
Shoes of ancient times
According to the conclusion of scientists who studied and analyzed the found remains of primitive people, the structure of their skeleton and leg bones, the first samples of ancient shoes appeared at the end of the Paleolithic era in the western part of Europe. It was during this period that changes began to occur in the structure of the foot of ancient people: the little toe began to decrease along with the general shape of the foot, which was due to wearing narrow shoes.
The history of footwear began with the cold snap that occurred during this period and the foundation of the first ancient civilizations: in order to protect themselves from the cold, people began to put on animal skins and wrap their legs in pieces of leather. For insulation, a layer of dry grass was placed between the skin, and bast from tree bark was used as fasteners.
History of shoes in hotter countries such asAncient Egypt is associated with the appearance of sandals, which people wore to protect their feet from hot sand, and they always walked barefoot indoors. Sandals were sewn together from papyrus or palm leaves, tied to the foot with leather straps. In their manufacture, patterns were used that were the same for both legs. We althier Egyptians wore sandals with beautifully decorated straps. Another type of footwear popular in ancient Egypt, found at the excavations of settlements, is very similar to modern slippers with a closed toe.
Shoes in Ancient Greece
How shoes looked like in Ancient Greece can be judged by the frescoes depicting the Greek gods: these were “crepe” sandals, which were attached to the leg with lacing almost to the knee. According to historical data, it was the Greeks who first began to sew shoes according to symmetrical patterns for the right and left legs.
In addition to sandals, among ancient Greek women, "endromides" were popular - high boots with a sole and a leather top sewn to them, which was tied with a long lace in front, and the toes looked out. The trendsetters were hetaerae, who wore the most exquisite, richly decorated shoes. Women's sandals, which left the inscription "Follow me" on the sand, were in vogue among the hetaerae, and "peaches" (boots-stockings) were also very popular.
Another type of footwear, high-platform kothurni, became famous thanks to Greek actors who wore them during performances so that they could be seen by the entire audience.
Shoes in Ancient Rome
Ancient Roman shoes were divided by social status and gender:
- calceus - closed shoes with laces in front were worn only by plebeians;
- solea - Greek-like strap sandals, poor Romans could only use 1 strap, rich patricians 4;
- women wore only white shoes, men wore black;
- festival shoes were red and richly decorated with embroidery and stones;
- military shoes worn by Roman soldiers - strong shoes with nailed soles called caligae;
- actors could only wear slippers with ropes socci.
Ancient Israel became famous for its great variety, where shoes were sewn of very high quality, using wool, leather, wood and reed. These were shoes and sandals, shoes and high boots. Shoes with high heels also appeared on the land of ancient Israel, in exclusive models of which beautiful bottles of incense were attached to the heels.
Scythian shoes
The history of the shoes of the Scythian peoples, who were the progenitors of the Eastern Slavs, shows that the most popular among them were high soft leather boots, which were tied with straps, multi-colored ornaments sewn from patches were used as decoration. They wore boots over felt stockings. The tops of such boots were sewn together with a mosaic of pieces of fur, colored felt and leather. The pants were specially tucked inside the boots to demonstrate the beauty of the shoes.
The shoes of the Scythian peoples were outwardly similar to the high fur boots worn by the northern peoples in Russia. Women's boots were not so high, but they were made of red leather, they were decorated with patterns, a red woolen strip with leather appliqués was sewn in at the junction of the head and top.
The most original feature of the Scythian footwear is the richly decorated soles of the boots, embroidered with beads, a multi-colored thread from tendons. A similar trend of decorating the soles existed among the Asian steppe peoples, who had the custom of sitting with their legs folded with their heels out.
Shoes in Medieval Europe
The history of European footwear was marked in the Middle Ages by the fashion for “bullet shoes” with turned-up toes, which were so long and so richly decorated with bells that they had to be tied to the leg so that one could walk normally. In the 14th century, representatives of noble families were required to wear such shoes by decree of King Philip the 4th of France.
The 15th century brought a new fashion for shoes: shoemakers began to sew only blunt-toed models, and as the toe part expanded and enlarged, the back began to narrow. Already at the beginning of the 16th century. shoes had to be tied to the feet at the level of the instep. At this time, high heels trimmed with leather appeared, and also, due to the passion for hunting, boots with very high tops - “over the knee boots” came into fashion, which were comfortable while riding horses.
Fashionable shoes in the 16th century were for men: it was men who could flaunt their new red boots with heels, and women hid their shoes under puffy skirts, and no one saw them.
And only from the beginning of the 17th century, when shorter skirts became fashionable, women were able to show their fans elegant silk, brocade and velvet shoes with small heels. Rich ladies wore shoes richly embroidered and decorated with stones.
The baroque and rococo epochs were marked by the flourishing of luxurious ballroom shoes, richly decorated with bows, beads, ribbons. The models themselves were sewn from expensive fabrics and leather of various colors (red, yellow, blue, etc.). To decorate men's over the knee boots and for the convenience of riding, spurs were added to them.
At the end of the 18th century, during the Enlightenment, the place of cloth shoes was taken by more practical leather shoes, which both women and men began to wear with pleasure. Boots had comfortable fasteners or lacing, a small glass heel, winter models were decorated with fur.
Wooden shoes
In ancient times, wood was rarely used as a material for making shoes, because it was considered quite rough and restricting movement. The only exception is the manufacture of soles for sandals, which in ancient Rome were tied to the foot with pieces of cloth and put on the feet of captives so that they would not escape.
In Europe in the 16-18 centuries, wooden "clogs" (or clogs) with thick soles, which were attached to the leg with a metal hoop, came into fashion. Richwomen wore them so as not to get dirty with street dirt. The poor peasants used to have galoshes with a wooden bottom and a leather top, in which it was convenient to walk in the mountains.
Clogs and overshoes have gained great popularity in the Netherlands and northern France because of their durability and comfort: in such shoes you can walk in wetlands without the risk of getting your feet wet. It was made from wood species that did not crack: poplar, willow, etc. In 1570, a guild of shoemakers specializing in the manufacture of clogs was created, some Dutch peasants still wear such wooden shoes during field work.
Wooden shoes later became popular in England, where they were worn by peasants as everyday shoes, which were replaced with leather boots on holidays.
Shoes for warriors
Ancient Roman warriors began to use sandals as footwear due to the fact that they had to walk long distances over rough terrain. Military sandals were reinforced with straps and nails. Later, they began to use boots that were laced along the upper part of the lower leg, and the class and rank of a warrior could be determined by the decorative elements.
Since ancient times, warriors have worn boots, most often red, because they did not show blood during battle or bloody blisters after exercises. Later, with the introduction of the uniform, military footwear began to be made in black. In Europe, boots became popular afterInvasions of the steppe armies in the era of the Migration of Peoples, they began to be worn not only by cavalrymen, but also by cattle breeders.
In the Middle Ages, when the clothes of knights consisted of metal armor, socks of knightly shoes (sabatons) were also made of metal. A sharp plate toe on such a boot served as an additional weapon for a warrior: they could mortally hit the enemy. Later, sabatons began to be made with a rounded toe, they were called "duck feet".
In the 19th century, the British army began to sew for their troops high boots with lacing, nicknamed "Bluchers". According to legend, soldiers of the Blucher army wore such boots during the Napoleonic wars. They lasted as military boots for many years.
In the 20th century. during the First World War, the armies of European states were equipped with "trench boots" with durable thick leather soles. Since 1941, the US Army has been using lace-up leather boots with synthetic soles.
Shoes in Russia
The history of shoes in Ancient Russia begins with the most common, which was worn not only by peasants, but also by poor townspeople - these are bast shoes. Such footwear existed only in Russia, the material for its manufacture was birch bast (linden, willow, oak, etc.). To get one pair of bast shoes, it was necessary to strip 3-4 trees.
There were bast everyday and festive bast shoes, more elegant: pink or red. For insulation in winter, straw was laid in bast shoes, and hemp rope was hemmed from below. They were attached to the leg with frills (narrow leather straps) ormochenets (ropes made of hemp). One pair of bast shoes was enough for a peasant for 4-10 days, but they were cheap.
The oldest Russian leather shoes are pistons, soft shoes made from a piece of whole leather, gathered along the edge on a strap. Over time, boots became very popular in Russia, which were sewn the same way for both men and women. Leather boots appeared in Russia thanks to the raids of nomadic Asian tribes. They were made by leather and shoe masters, who independently prepared rawhide. The sole was sewn from several layers of cowhide, and heels began to be made from it over time.
The top of the ancient boots was cut obliquely so that the front was higher than the back. Usually they were made of black leather, and festive morocco boots were sewn from red, green, blue leather, dyeing it during dressing. Such boots were made in Russia, first from imported material, then from the middle of the 17th century, morocco boots began to be made in Moscow at the factory of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Saffiano boots were made from goat skin, which was specially soaked for 2 weeks in lime mortar, and then carefully polished with a stone to get a shiny surface. They were usually dyed with aniline dyes, in addition, the skin was given a special pattern (shagreen).
In the 19th century. native Russian felted shoes appeared: felt boots and wire rods, which were made from sheep's wool. Their price was high due to the laboriousness of manufacturing, so most often the family had one pair of boots, which were worn in turn.
In the 20th century. in RussiaShoemakers were nicknamed "tops" due to the fact that they worked on the outskirts (shoe workshops were located in Maryina Grove), and worked like lone wolves.
19th-20th century and the advent of the shoe industry
The first guilds and shoe shops appeared in Europe in the era of the development of feudalism, at the same time shoes began to be made in small batches on orders. The quality and appearance of products come first in their activities.
Manufactories began to be founded during the Renaissance, when shoes began to be made in stages, but each pair was still made to order. And only in the 19th century. velvet shoes are being replaced by more practical and comfortable leather boots and boots.
In these years, mass production of shoes begins, taking into account the configuration of the foot, asymmetry and the division of the pair into left-right. The shoe industry is becoming more mechanized, shoe factories appear, where manual labor is replaced by machine tools. By the beginning of the 20th century footwear production grows to 500 pairs per employee, and by the middle - up to 3 thousand pairs.
In the 20th century, shoes began to play an important role in creating a female image: due to the shortening of skirts, women were able to demonstrate their beautiful legs and elegant shoes or boots, women's sandals came back into fashion. Depending on the weather and destination, shoes were worn from leather, satin, suede or silk, and shoes were made not only with laces, but also with hooks and buttons.
In the 1930s, shoe fashion began to change: platforms andwedges. At this time, designers S. Ferragamo and S. Arpad began their activities, who began to professionally engage in the manufacture of modern models and invent new styles. Over time, shoes and boots begin to be made not only from leather, but also fabrics and wood, rubber are used to make the “boot”.
The beginning of the 1950s marked the appearance of a novelty - a small stiletto heel, as well as styles without heels, designed for convenience during dances (rock and roll, etc.). Until now, disputes have not stopped over who became the ancestor of hairpins: the French R. Vivier, R. Massaro or the Italian
S. Ferragamo.
Shoe factories of the second half of the 20th century are already working with incredible capacities, where the process is fully automated and controlled by software. They produce thousands of pairs of fashion shoes every month, made from both natural and synthetic materials.
Fashion shoes in the 21st century
The 21st century is a time of constant improvement of footwear (new lasts, styles and insoles are regularly invented and manufactured), as well as changes in the forms of its sale. Shoes can now be bought in a small boutique, a large supermarket, and online.
Collections of the latest models are presented on the catwalks every season by a large number of countries and famous designers, where there are summer, and winter, and demi-season, and evening shoes. Modern shoes are a variety of styles and models that have been popular for many centuries.ago, and appeared quite recently: these are sandals, and boots, shoes, moccasins, clogs, boots, sneakers and many other various types. Modern designers and manufacturers, equipped with the latest technology, can easily bring all their ideas to life.
