Shoes

"This day I began to put buckles on my shoes" wrote Samuel Pepys in 1660; over the last four centuries, shoes have shown as great and fashionable variety as any other item of costume. Every part of the shoe has undergone repeated change, whether it is the heel, first introduced at the beginning of the period, and rising in some cases to a height of over 6 inches towards the end of the 19th century, or the toe, now round, now pointed, now square. Within each chapter the author describes developments in these different parts. Materials, too, have changed over the years, and include leather, silk, wool, linen, plastic and others. June Swann recounts these changes against their historical, social and technical background, with the aid of contemporary descriptions, showing the strength of opinions aroused by shoes in every century. The author is Chairman of the Costume Society and a member of the International Council of Museums Costume Committee.