Aybe Footwear of the Renaissance Period
The European Renaissance which lasted from 1450 to 1600 is characterized by renewed interest in art and the age of exploration. It was also a time of refinement and extravagance in fashion (Yue, 1997, p.36). Footwear was a big part of men’s fashion during that period. In the beginning the shoes were lo9nag pointed and are generally worn for indoor use. Leather clogs with wooden soles are worn for outdoor use weather. The long-toed poulaines were style of shoes with extremely long toes and very popular during the 15th century. They are worn by men and women but men’s are the most extravagantly long.
French Poulaine Thigh-boots, 1460s
1434 mid century 1475-80
Both men and women wore narrow shoes with pointed toes. They stayed in the fashion longer in Northern Europe. Pattens or wooden clogs with cloth straps over the instep were worn over the poulaines and other soft shoes indoors and in public areas.
Eventually, the shoes became less pointed and more rounded. Poulaines went out of fashion and a soft broad-toed, low cut slipper became popular. Most were calf length, form-fitting and laced up sides. At the turn of the century, they became duck billed with ribbons tied across the top of the foot. These shoes were named as “duck’s bill”, “bear’s paw” or “cow’s mouth” (Yue, 1997, p.36). This shoe became fashionable especially among men. On the other hand, women’s shoes are less extreme.
Gradually, the toes became wider and wider standing out as much as eight or nine inches. They are stuffed and shaped into rolls and sometimes made to look giant toes (Yue, 1997, p.36). Towards the end of the period, the slippers became more natural and slipper like. Shoe makers began slashing and pricking to give the shoes a better fit. At the end of the renaissance period, the most popular mode of footwear was the footed hose.
Women’s footwear was also not neglected. There were many extravagant designs and trends. Women had to put a restriction on the width of their toes if they wanted to buy shoes that would fit them. Shoes are limited to six inches in width and in France the shoes were cut with a square shape in the toe. The styles of the shoes were generally associated with the reign of Henry VIII and Francois I from which some styles originated.
Shoes are made out of wood in the platform and leather in the slippers. The shoes are as extravagant as the rest of the outfit. The platform adds height to women and came in height of up to 13 inches with jeweled ornaments. Some slippers had slashes over the toe filled with taffeta. In the late 1400s to the mid 1600s the platform sole became extremely popular. This platform shoe was called the chopine, an overshoe that slipped over a dainty shoe that protects it form mud or dirt. This shoe made its major appearance in the 15th century. It is usually designed with a cork or wood stacked on the sole with a velvet coat. The Venetians made the platform sole as a status symbol which reveals wealth and social status among women (‘Platform Shoes of the 1600s’,2007).
A velvet chopine from Venice, c.1560 A velvet chopin with a wooden sole, Venice, c. 1600
As women strode in the streets, they needed assistance because some of the soles reached up to 30 inches high. They are laughed at the impracticality and the general awkwardness of the shoes. Nonetheless, women who felt the need to elevate themselves from the rest of the world to be recognized as high and mighty wore them. The reason why chopines became popular in France and Italy was because of Anne of Brittany, the wife of two French kings who wore chopines to conceal a slight lameness (V. M & M. S, 1998).
Flat shoes are worn until 1610. Shoes for men and women were flat and are often slashed and fastened with a strap across the instep.
When low heel shoes became popular. The shoes grew elaborate with lace and ribbon rosettes called shoe roses worn by the most fashionable men and women. Backless slippers called pantofles are usually worn indoors. Working men and women also wore boots and shoes to keep their feet dry and warm (‘1600-1650 in fashion’, 2007). They continued to wear many of the old styles.
Heeled shoes with shoe roses
Boots with boot hose, early (left) and late (right) 1630s
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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