History of Shoes 2009

Now in modern times we have come a long way with the designs and styles of Women's shoes. We still have the stiletto and now the wedge heel, the thigh high boots and the gladiator sandals. Prada being one of the great designers our our time. Mario Prada started the label in 1913. He designed shoes, suitcases, trunks and handbags which he sold in Milan, in 2 special boutiques. In 1978, Mario's granddaughter, Miuccia Prada took over the company and made it into one of the highly popular fashion houses and labels today. Designing handbags, which are still one of the highly copied handbags and beautiful shoes. Prada offers elegance and simple designs, yet of the up most quality. Prada designs and makes their shoes in Italy and uses the best materials for their shoes, they are known for their craftmanship. They offer shoes, for work, play and special occasions. A pair of Prada shoes is a must for any shoe lovers closet. The price for a pair of Prada shoes can range from $250 to $1,000. But their elegance of shoemaking and the quality of the materials they use makes the price worth it to own a pair of Prada shoes.

History of Shoes during the 1970's

The 1970's was probably one of the most significant times when the shoe became the most popular item in a woman's wardrobe. (Red platforms, English designed from the 1970's, Brown platforms American designed 1970, Nina) The platform shoe was introduced during this time and it was a must for any woman's wardrobe. Disco's were the big trend and John Travolta's, " Saturday Night Fever" was a huge influence on the disco's and the platform shoes. This was the time of experiment not only with the height of the platform shoes but also drugs and music. The height of the heels were from 6 inches to even some with an 11 inch heel. It is an art to walk in these shoes. Ask anyone from the 1970's and they will say the platform is the most remembered item during this time.

History of Shoes during the 1940's

Andre Perguia was a French Shoe designer. He was born in Nice, France in 1893. He would train in his dad's workshop learning how to make shoes. Then in 1909 he opened a shop in Paris where he would design hand made shoes. He wrote a book " From Eva to Rita Hayworth", in which he stated. " the way to study a woman's personality was to study her feet". He then began to design,
" fetish shoes" as you can see from the image. The heel was over 6 inches and he originally designed these shoes for a famous Parisian signer named Mistiguett. During this time "fetish shoes" was the mark that in people minds they worshiped feet and shoes. High stiletto shoes were very popukar during the 1930's and were considered a fetish and very sexy, which they still are to this day.

History of Shoes during the 1920's

Salvatore Ferragamo started designing shoes for Hollywood's most popular ladies since the 1920's. Salvatore designed his first pair of shoes for his sisters at the age of nine. At this time he had found his calling and ended up studying shoe making in Naples. He then moved to California and here is where he found his success in opening up a shoe store to repair shoes and made to measure shoes. He then returned to Italy and was providing shoes to the most wealthiest women of the century such as, " Marilyn Monroe and Eva Peron. Salvatore is still to this day is designing Women's shoes for the most fashionable and wealthy people.

History of Shoes during the 1600's

During the 1400's and 1600's the platform shoe was referred to as a "chopine" designed in Venice, Italy. It was an overshoe that fit over a more dainty shoe to protect it from dirt, mud or soil on the streets. The shoe became very popular during the 1500's. The shoes were made from wood or cork and then covered in velvet. The heels of these shoes could get to a height of 30 inches. Women who wore these shoes needed assistance when walking down the streets. Courtesans and patrician's mostly wore chopines. It was thought of during these times that the reason why Women wore these shoes was to rise them up from the rest, the higher the sole of the chopine the higher the status of the woman.

The Late Victorian era ( 1878 - 1901). By 1878, women had a very different look. The slim fitting dress with a cuirasse bodice was the look of the Victorian era. " The cuirasse was a corset like and dipped even deeper both in the front and the back extending way down the hips creating the look of a body encased in armour". This type of dress showed off every curve of the woman's body.

Tailored clothing for men especially for men's suits is a must. The comfort of a well fitted suit which fits to their exact measurements. The Men's suit was a staple in the man's closet for quite some time. This was a key item every man should have. The man's suit should fit well, be of high quality and have style as well. Tailored clothing is an art in and of itself. The suit turns out to be a masterpiece and will only fit to the man who purchases it. These men wear suits by Gucci and Dolce and Gabanna. ( 2009)

Edwardian Era:

1901-1919. The Edwardian era represented a new era in fashion. The dresses were slimmer and fitted more to the body. The skirt would curve outwards, over the woman's full behind and then downwards towards her knees. There often was a train that extended to the back of the dress and even was worn during the day. This was carried out in soft, flowing fabrics with little drapery. This type of dress would reveal more of the woman's figure. The sleeves were tight and would flare out at the bottom. The whole effect of the dress was very feminine and showed all the curves of the female body.

Byzantine Clothing:

Men's clothing during this time did not change very much. The clothing consisted of, "tunica's, cloaks, the dalmatic and shoes or boots". The tunica was the basic article of clothing during the Byzantine era. The tunica was trim in the sleeves and loose around the body. The shapes of the garments stayed the same and the only distinguishing feature was the trimmings and the quality of the fabric. This image shows the tunica, from 400 to 1000 AD.

Greek Clothing:

Greek clothing was mostly made from wool or linen. The clothing was made very loose and not fitted to the body at all. Both Men and Women garments were essentially the same. The garments were draped on the body in soft folds. A "Doric Chiton" which is shown here in the picture, was worn in the 16th century. "It's upper edge was folded over to hang down the breast, it was folded around the body, caught together on each shoulder by bins, leaving the arms uncovered".

Roman Era:

Dress for Roman's often signified rank, status, office or authority. Much of Roman clothing was designed to state their social status, mostly for men. Roman's would have colored bands on their tunica, which would indicate rank. Crimson was a popular color. Important men would wear red shoes. Typically Roman garments were made from wool which the women spun the fleece and and then made into thread and wove the cloth in their home. This picture is from the Roman era, 735 BCE - 330 AD.