18th and 19th Century Shoes

            Shoes during the 18^th century for men and women had somewhat of the same style, besides the flower patterns. Basically all of the shoes had a nice size heel on it with either a square or pointed tip to it. Men shoes and some women shoes had a buckle on the tongue of the shoe. For regular day activities, people would use the ankle high shoes, but for riding horses or working in the field boots were used to cover the leg below the knees. All of the women shoes had the same basic look to it, but they would have different colors, patterns, and heel sizes. In the 19^th century both men and women had a variety of shoes to choose from. Women shoes unlike men shoes were hidden because of their long gowns. During the day men would wear different styles of heavy boots because the European military uniforms made them popular. Midcentury women would wear shorter skirts and made laced boots or ankle-high boots. The actual first shoe for athletes was made during the 19^th century for tennis players. For evening wear or formal events men and women would wear a flat-soled leather or satin slip-on at the beginning of the century, but later on both men and women turned to shoes with heels, such as satin pumps.

            As time goes on, form the 18^th to 20^th century, the styles of shoes have changed upon need. We see the change from a flat-sole shoe to shoes with 9 inch heels, also during the 18^th and 19^th century we seen that men and women both wore shoes with heels. Now you will rarely catch a man in shoe that has a heel to it. The material needed to make the shoes in the 18^th century was basically leather, silk, and wood, now shoes are made from other material such as rubber, mesh, or cotton. But people can still get shoes styles from the past centuries, but they would not be as comfortable and breathable. The best thing about fashion is that styles never really die; they just become over looked until someone starts to wear it on a regular basis. The flat-sole slip-on shoes are back in style now along with the cordones, which was inspired by Argentine writers in the mid 19^th century.