Shoes
“A shoe is not only a design, but it’s a part of your body language, the way you walk.” (Christian Louboutin). Our love of heels began in the eighteenth century, changing the way we walk for centuries to come. Come and read about how shoes developed across the Georgian period, and how this in turn transformed how we move.
Wellies: Britain’s Favourite Footwear?
Today the word ‘wellington’ describes a waterproof rubber boot, however it originally referred to a new shape of leather boot named after military Commander Arthur Wellesley.
Refined and Resplendent: Regency Shoes 1800-1830
A distinctive period for both conflict and refinement, the Regency period deepened the remarkable transformations in the design of shoes that had already begun.
Raising a Nation: ‘The Ceaseless Clink of Pattens’
Protective clogs, pattens or overshoes were essential pieces of footwear, offering much needed protection against wet weather and the mud found on the streets.
Furnishing the Foot: Shoes 1700-1760
Shoes in the early eighteenth century were designed to complement the luxurious fashions of the period, adding a final flourish to an outfit.
Footwear for an Enlightened Age: Shoes 1760-1790
From high heels to low heels, and fabric to leather, shoe design underwent revolutionary changes between the 1760s and the 1790s.
Concealed and Revealed: The Secret Life of Shoes
Little is known about the superstitious practice of concealing worn shoes in domestic dwellings, a tradition which continued to be performed in the late 1800s.