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Chelsea boots, with its elastics on the sides making them easy to put on and take off, are one of the most popular boots models around today, used both for casual country make-ups and very elegant dressy stuff, and of both men and women. Here’s the history behind the boot model from its invention about 180 years ago until today.
One thing that more or less all types of classic or traditionally constructed shoes have in common is the use of toe stiffeners to retain the shape of the toe and to protect the foot. The use of stiffeners have come and gone through the centuries, depending on what types of shoes that has been in fashion at the time.
All traditionally constructed shoes have heels, although they are now relatively low on men’s shoes. However, this has not always been the case, but when heels were introduced on shoes it was only for men and high heels have been seen as the most masculine you can wear. Here’s a tour through the history of the heels.
Cordovan is an immensely popular material for shoes and leather accessories, with its special character and features. However, it was not until about 100 years ago that it first started to be used for shoes, since cordovan tanneries were forced to further develop the material after a new invention caused a historical crisis for the cordovan industry.
Tassel loafers are one of the youngest models of all classic footwear, and it came to be after a commision from a well-known actor to the American brand Alden. Here is the story of the emergence of the tassel loafer.
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It is among the finest made shoes you can see today, a collection that Crockett & Jones made for a major international exhibition in 1911. Here’s a close look at some of these masterpieces.
Many technological innovations that have emerged have not survived the test of time, for various reasons. One of these is the pedoscope, an at the time high-tech X-ray device launched in the 20’s, where you simply stuck your feet in an X-ray to see how the feet fit in the shoes.
The fact that different brown shades are very common when it comes to leather shoes, and leather products in general, is due to simple practical reasons historically. This article explains the whole thing closer.
The split toe derby is a model that has been extra popular in recent years. A derby with a so-called apron and then a vertical stitch at the tip of the toe. The history on how the model evolved is, as is often the case with footwear and clothing, about practical function.
These are perhaps the best made shoes I’ve ever seen, with a precision of the work that is extremely impressive. The shoes are a small series made by Crockett & Jones for an International craftsmanship exhibition in Turin in 1911. The story of these and pictures of several of them in today’s post.
