Finding the perfect pair of shoes often means lengthy trips to the shoe store. Some people rely on their footwear to achieve a certain sartorial style, while others see it merely as a tool to protect their feet. But no matter how you look at it, the shoe has been around since 8,000 BCE. It’s not going anywhere.

“I think that people might not realize that the shoe — which many of us consider to be just this humble thing that we slip our feet into in the morning, takes us to where we need to go and we kick off at the end of the day — that one single article of clothing can, in fact, tell us about the culture in which we live in profound ways,” reflects Elizabeth Semmelhack, curator at Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum.

Across history, certain parts of the shoe were merely modified as time progressed. In some cases, the shoe was completely redesigned as a whole. Changes to the shoe reflected the time’s cultural needs.

“Most businessmen don’t wear stiletto heels. Why not?” illustrates Semmelhack. “You don’t wear mukluks at the beach. Why not? … There are so many different types of shoes that are appropriate for different moments, genders, and meaning. I think those meanings can be teased out of the artifacts.”

Sole

Soles were relatively minimal when sandals were worn in antiquity. One of the first platform-like shoes with elevated soles was the Japanese geta that resembled the European patten, but did not require another shoe to be worn along with it. Pattens had elevated heels to protect the wearer from the ground, and were famous for being loud, thanks to their wooden and large construction. In fact, pattens were often forbidden in churches because of the level of noise they made.

The 15th century ushered in the popularity of the chopine, a trend that originated in Venice quickly spread across Europe, becoming especially popular throughout Italy and Spain. It was much like the patten in terms of its elevated sole, but the differences lay in its height. At times measuring over thirty inches tall, the chopine, unlike the patten, did not posses a distinguishable heel but a single, reelingly high platform. It became a fashion statement and its wealthier wearers embellished it with precious stones and velvet.

Unfortunately, the chopine introduced concerns over its wearers’ safety. Women had to be accompanied by servants to aid their walking. In fact, the shoe was eventually outlawed in Venice after several cases of miscarriages in pregnant women who had suffered chopine-related falls. Afterwards, the average height of the sole shrank, and the platform shoe was not nearly as popular — especially with the debut of its main competitor, the high-heeled shoe. It was only in the late 1900s that platform shoes — specifically platform high-heels — thrived once more.

Heel

While the heel was certainly present in Renaissance shoes, it only started to develop its own character in Europe during the Elizabethan era. High heels and pumps were introduced, while Italian pantofles and Venetian heeled slippers replaced their non-heeled counterparts. Louis XIV in particular flaunted a significant heel in his footwear, most likely due to his lack of height. His heels were often red, which soon became a growing trend.

In 17th century France, the heel became increasingly important when women wanted to differentiate their style of footwear from men’s. Women’s heels were much taller than men’s, and were often over six inches tall. However, following the French Revolution in 1792, heels became obsolete, as people opted to instead wear more practical, less cumbersome footwear..

It was not until the early 1900s that the heel gradually reappeared; by the 1930s, pumps were back. However, the beginning of the Second World War meant that much of the leather that was previously used for footwear was dedicated to war supplies. As a result, heels were often limited to one inch in height, and six choices in colour.

As the war came to a close, the stiletto made its first appearance. It had height, and was thought to offer its female wearers some added sex appeal. Women who did not want the extra height but wanted something similar to the stiletto heel settled with the kitten heel — a shorter alternative. It was popularized by actress Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s, and appealed to younger women.

Toe

In Antiquity, sandals were the primary form of footwear worn around the world. Dwellers of Ancient Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire sported open-toe sandals. One famous feature of the sandal during the time was Ancient Egypt’s peaked toe. The front of the sandal was lengthened to form an upward peak. The right to wear peaked toe sandals was reserved for the Pharaohs. Centuries later, the start of the Renaissance period saw the rise of poulaines — which also sported long pointed toes.

By the end of the 16th century, poulaines were replaced by shoes that were the exact opposite: the duck’s bill. What was once a long, pointed toe became a much squarer and wider one. Both men and women wore these shoes, though the men’s were more exaggerated than their female counterparts.

The Perfect Shoe?

“There is no ‘shoe,’” Semmelhack explains. “It’s not as though there’s been a march towards some perfect thing to put on every person’s foot for every occasion, right?

“The perfect form of footwear might be one thing in one situation. When you’re on the beach on vacation, a mukluk might not be the perfect choice — you might want a flip-flop. That would be the perfect shoe for that moment. So, I think that there is no evolution of the shoe. I think that there are myriad time periods, myriad cultures and myriad moments in history when different types of footwear have been innovative for very specific purposes, making them the perfect form of footwear for that moment. I think that the answer to that the perfect shoe is the one you want to be wearing at the moment.”

Shoe Lexicon

Poulaine

A shoe popular with both men and women in Europe in the 15th century, these somewhat farcical foot-coverings were famous for their extremely long and pointed toes. They made walking around really fun!

Geta

A clog and flip-flop hybrid from China, which is still worn as traditional footwear in China and Japan. It consists of a wooden platform with a cloth thong strap.

Chopine

A women’s platform shoe that made waves in 15th to 17th century Venice. Popular with both courtesans and the nobility, the chopine reached dangerous heights — like, actually. People got hurt.

Patten

The closest thing to clogs in the Middle Ages. This was the foremost footwear in Europe from medieval times to as late as the 19th century, and was typically made with a wooden sole.