Footwear

Anatomy of a Shoe

2011-08-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

Breast

The Front of the Heel under the Arch

Cap

The Toecap

Counter

Overlaid piece at the back of the Upper

Feather

The part of the last and the shoe where the upper's edge meets the sole

Insole

A piece of leather or other material between the sole and the foot

Puff

A light reinforcing inside the upper which gives the toe its shape and support

Quarter

The part of the back of the upper, which covers the heel

Seat

The concave part of the heel that fits into the shoe and into which the heel of the foot sits

Shank

A piece of metal inserted between the sole and the insole lying against the arch of the foot

Sole

The piece of leather or other material that comes in contact with the ground

Stiffener

The inside stiffening of the upper, covering the heel and giving the back of the shoe support

Throat

The Front of the Vamp

Top Piece

The part of the heel that comes in contact with the ground.

Topline

The Top edge of the upper

Upper

The piece of the shoe that covers the foot

Vamp

The part of the upper that covers the front of the foot as far as the back as the joint of the big toe

Waist

The part of the last and the shoe that corresponds to the arch and instep of the foot.

Construction of a Shoe

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Over one hundred operations go into the construction of a shoe. The first and most important of these is the creation of the last. The last is a hand-carved wood or moulded plastic replica of the human foot. The last determines the contour of the arch and how evenly the wearer's weight will be distributed throughout the foot. A different last is required for each shoe style and size to be produced

Before a shoe can be made, as many as thirty-five measurements are taken from a footprint to show the distribution of the body weight. The maker judges the symmetry of the toes, calibrates the girth of the instep and ball of the foot, and calculates the height of the big toe and the contour of the instep. He or she must also estimate how the foot will move inside the shoe. All of these ratios must be addressed without compromising the architectural beauty of the shoe design.

For a heeled shoe, the maker visualises the heel height, than determines the size of the throat. Next the appropriate height of the shoe's quarter is established. If it is too high it will rub the tendons, and if it is too low, the shoe will fail to grip the foot properly.

Crucial to the fit of a shoe is the measurement of the shank curve, including the ball and instep. This is where the body's weight falls when the foot is in motion.
Using the last as a guide, the pattern maker cuts out the shoe upper and lining. The edges are then bevelled to ensure a good fit and the pieces are then sewn together. Next, a toe box is constructed, the counter is added, and the leather is soaked so it will easily conform to the lines of the last.
The upper is positioned on the last, tautly stretching it before nailing it tightly onto the last. The upper dries on the last for two weeks before the sole and the heel can be attached.
The final steps are to trim the welt, pare the heel, burnish the sole and add the insole lining. Last the shoe is polished and buffed, and it is ready for sale.

Types of Socks

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Trainer/Sneaker/Ankle socks

Diabetic sock

Traditional Footwear

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Abarka

Geta

Specific Footwear

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Ballet shoes

High-heeled footwear

Climbing shoes

Clogs

Foot thong

Football boots

Safety footwear

Ski boots

Snowshoes

Surgical shoe

Pointe shoes

Swimfins (flippers)

Indoor Footwear

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Slippers

Socks

Types of Sandals

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Mandals

Flip flops (thongs)

Slide

Chaco

Types of Shoes

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Athletic shoes (also known as trainers or sneakers)

Brothel creepers

Diabetic shoes

Espadrilles

Galoshes

Pumps/Court shoes

Kitten heels

Lace-up shoes

Derby shoes

Oxford shoes

Brogues

High-Tops

Loafers (also known as penny loafers)

Mary Janes

Moccasins

Monks

Mules

Platform shoes

School shoes

Skate shoes

Tap shoes

Types of Boots

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Chukka boots

Combat boots

Cowboy boots

Go-go boots

Hiking boots

Kinky boots

Motorcycle boots

Platform boots

Riding boots

Derby boots

Thigh-length boots

Ugg boots

Valenki

Waders

Wellington boots

Winklepickers

The Anatomy of a Shoe

2010-10-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

Breast

The Front of the Heel under the Arch

Cap

The Toecap

Counter

Overlaid piece at the back of the Upper

Feather

The part of the last and the shoe where the upper's edge meets the sole

Insole

A piece of leather or other material between the sole and the foot

Puff

A light reinforcing inside the upper which gives the toe its shape and support

Quarter

The part of the back of the upper, which covers the heel

Seat

The concave part of the heel that fits into the shoe and into which the heel of the foot sits

Shank

A piece of metal inserted between the sole and the insole lying against the arch of the foot

Sole

The piece of leather or other material that comes in contact with the ground

Stiffener

The inside stiffening of the upper, covering the heel and giving the back of the shoe support

Throat

The Front of the Vamp

Top Piece

The part of the heel that comes in contact with the ground.

Topline

The Top edge of the upper

Upper

The piece of the shoe that covers the foot

Vamp

The part of the upper that covers the front of the foot as far as the back as the joint of the big toe

Waist

The part of the last and the shoe that corresponds to the arch and instep of the foot.

The Construction of a Shoe

2010-10-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

Over one hundred operations go into the construction of a shoe. The first and most important of these is the creation of the last. The last is a hand-carved wood or moulded plastic replica of the human foot. The last determines the contour of the arch and how evenly the wearer's weight will be distributed throughout the foot. A different last is required for each shoe style and size to be produced.

Before a shoe can be made, as many as thirty-five measurements are taken from a footprint to show the distribution of the body weight. The maker judges the symmetry of the toes, calibrates the girth of the instep and ball of the foot, and calculates the height of the big toe and the contour of the instep. He or she must also estimate how the foot will move inside the shoe. All of these ratios must be addressed without compromising the architectural beauty of the shoe design.

For a heeled shoe, the maker visualises the heel height, than determines the size of the throat. Next the appropriate height of the shoe's quarter is established. If it is too high it will rub the tendons, and if it is too low, the shoe will fail to grip the foot properly.

Crucial to the fit of a shoe is the measurement of the shank curve, including the ball and instep. This is where the body's weight falls when the foot is in motion.

Using the last as a guide, the pattern maker cuts out the shoe upper and lining. The edges are then bevelled to ensure a good fit and the pieces are then sewn together. Next, a toe box is constructed, the counter is added, and the leather is soaked so it will easily conform to the lines of the last.

The upper is positioned on the last, tautly stretching it before nailing it tightly onto the last. The upper dries on the last for two weeks before the sole and the heel can be attached.

The final steps are to trim the welt, pare the heel, burnish the sole and add the insole lining. Last the shoe is polished and buffed, and it is ready for sale.

Footwear Components

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Adhesives

Buckle

Eyelet

Heel

Hook

Insole

Laces

Reinforcement tape

Sole

Steel shank

Tack

Toe puff

Tread

Welt

Footwear Materials

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Leather

Plastic

Rubber

Textiles

Wood

Jute

Metal

History of Footwear

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Spanish cave drawings from more than 15,000 years ago show humans with animal skins or furs wrapped around their feet. The body of a well-preserved "ice-man" nearly 5,000 years old wears leather foot coverings stuffed with straw. Shoes, in some form or another, have been around for a very long time. The evolution of foot coverings, from the sandal to present-day athletic shoes that are marvels of engineering, continues even today as we find new materials with which to cover our feet.

Has the shoe really changed that much though? We are, in fact, still wearing sandals - the oldest crafted foot covering known to us. Moccasins are still readily available in the form of the loafer. In fact, many of the shoes we wear today can be traced back to another era. The Cuban heel may have been named for the dance craze of the 1920s, but the shape can be seen long before that time. Platform soles, which are one of the most recognisable features of footwear in the 1970s and 1990s were handed down to us from 16th century chopines. Then, high soles were a necessity to keep the feet off of the dirty streets. Today, they are worn strictly for fashion's sake. The poulaine, with its ridiculously long toes is not that different from the winkle-pickers worn in the 1960s.

If one can deduce that basic shoe shapes have evolved only so much, it is necessary to discover why this has happened. It is surely not due to a lack of imagination - the colours and materials of shoes today demonstrate that. Looking at shoes from different parts of the world, one can see undeniable similarities. While the Venetians were wearing the chopine, the Japanese balanced on high-soled wooden shoes called geta. Though the shape is slightly different, the idea remains the same. The Venetians had no contact with the Japanese, so it is not a case of imitation. Even the mystical Chinese practise of footbinding has been copied (though to a lesser extent) in our culture. Some European women and men of the past bound their feet with tape and squashed them into too-tight shoes. In fact, a survey from the early 1990s reported that 88 percent of American women wear shoes that are too small!

As one examines footwear history, both in the West and in other parts of the world, the similarities are apparent. Though the shoemakers of the past never would have thought to pair a sandal with a platform sole, our shoe fashions of today are, for the most part, modernised adaptations of past styles.