Antiquity: The Pharoah, the Sandal, and the Wars Men Wage

Dear Friends,


Below is the start of the antiquity bit from "A Mile in his Shoes." Currently a broad overview, I'm searching for suggestions on how to incorporate tidbits of historical factoids and clever ways to SHOW that shoes are, in fact, a symbol of power without saying it as such. Anything helps!

Much love,

Hillary

The triad of antiquity’s remarkable civilizations – the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians – all had social hierarchies based on the rule of one, though Greece and Rome did respectively boast democracies and republics, however corrupt. There were inherent classes in these hierarchies, which determined where one might live, what work one might do, and the luxuries one might be able to afford.  Our tale begins in the 700s A.D., specifically 735 A.D., the start of the Roman Empire.

At the start of their empires, Greeks and Romans had in place sumptuary laws, which dictated a kind of dress code. For instance, Grecian women were only allowed to wear three garments at one time, so often women would go barefoot. These laws also arranged by income how much a family could spend on clothing. The Romans passed laws (stated in the Lex Fannia, 161 BC) restricting the amount of color any particular class could wear: peasants – one color; officers – two; commanders – three; members of the royal/ruling household – up to seven, including the color purple, reserved specifically for royalty, and scarlet, available only to royalty and high noblemen. Some three hundred years later, under Emperor Lucius Claudius Domitius Aurelianus (270 – 275 AD), the colors red, white, yellow, and green were reserved exclusively for women (J.A. Brundage, Sumptuary laws and prostitution in late Medieval Italy, 1987). It is not a surprise then that, in all three of these cultures, shoes played a large role as a visual status clue for passersby. The higher ups – the Emperor and the Pharaoh, the senators and the Parliament – all had on their feet significantly better shoes than their lower class “inferiors.”

In Egypt, where the climate and land didn’t always dictate a need for shoes (sandals), any footwear was a symbol of class or of military membership, although what today we would describe as “middle class” Egyptians also had access to sandals for special occasions (funerals, weddings, etc.) or for times when their feet were likely to get hurt (long migration, travel to foreign land, etc.).

The poorest Egyptians, however, did not have access to sandals at all. Regardless of whether or not they could have potentially afforded a pair, they could not purchase shoes. It is very likely, though, that the poorest citizens could not have afforded sandals, which were often soled with leather and intricately stitched. Made in a way similar to the construction of baskets, Egyptians sandals were often built up with thread and material, creating a sort-of cradle for its wearer’s feet.

Since most citizens, including the wealthiest, opted to go barefoot most of the time, that left room for shoe makers to create elaborate and showy sandals for the pharaohs. King Tutankhamen, for instance, had 93 pieces of footwear, mostly made from wood. Several pairs had depictions of King Tut’s enemies on the soles, and another pair boasted fastening buttons. During the transition of Ramses III to Ramses IV, Egypt’s citizens were instructed, “Be ye attached to his sandals, kiss the earth in his presence, bow down to him, follow him at all times, adore him, praise him, magnify his beauty” (J.H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, p. 245). To our modern day standards, this Old Navy flip-flop predecessor may not carry any desirability, but to the ancient Egyptians, sandals held a special importance and meaning that not only symbolized power, but also equated shoe-wearers with beauty and mystique.

Ancient Greek sandals differed from their Egyptian contemporaries in design. Grecian sandals normally had one or two bands across the front of the foot, a thong between the big and second toes, and interwoven straps that ascended slightly above the ankle (modern equivalent: gladiator sandals), although the wealthy could have different designs made for or accessories attached to their sandals. Those with money could afford to have their sandals dyed in almost any color; could pay someone to create elaborate designs with the best-available material (leather); and wealthy women could have such precious items as pearls or gold. Ancient Greek women also made the platform sandal (corthornus) fashionable. Traditionally the wealthiest women had many pairs of shoes, which her slaves would carry around in her sandalthique, a carpetbag specifically for shoes.

Also different between the Egyptians and the Greeks was the fact that all socioeconomic classes had access to shoes, affordable material varied greatly between the plebeians and the noblemen. Commoners and slaves generally wore wooden shoes, although some might have been able to afford felt or linen. Countrymen and priests’ shoes were often made from felt or linen as well.

Greeks who could afford to or needed to stand on ceremony (such as priests, dramatists, and senators) additionally had the option of wearing shoes besides sandals. Actors wore shoes called sykhos; nymphidiai were wedding shoes for females; shepherds wore karbatine, the influences of which were still popular amongst German peasants in the sixteenth century; Greek gods were often depicted wearing endromis (fur-lined boots) also popular amongst soldiers. Still, most Greeks in day-to-day lives opted for sandals, functional in the Mediterranean climate and with the option to dress up if one had the means.

Compared to the Greeks and Egyptians, Romans had a relatively large selection of shoe choices. But unlike with the Greeks, the poor often went barefoot. Geographically speaking the Roman Empire covered a very large area, and its climate was more diverse than that of the Grecian or Egyptian empires, with territory stretching from modern-day Spain to Armenia, and covering sparse deserts in modern-day Turkey as well as the snow-covered mountains in Gaul, modern-day France and Switzerland. Scholars have taken great strides to study and understand this powerful ancient culture, and have learned that Romans were particular about appearances. From roads to aqueducts to shoes, the Romans had an intricate social system and seemed to prescribe to the adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Romans were especially careful to assign appropriate footwear to their soldiers who consistently fought other empires and tribes to advance Roman rule. Roman legionary soldiers and auxiliaries wore carligae, Roman marching boots, which are related to sandals but offer considerably more support and protection. Constructed from three layers of leather, which covered the toes and laced up the center of the foot on the ankle, carnigae also provided iron hobnails nailed into the soles for added traction, reinforcement, and armament. Unlike modern military boots, carnigae designers specifically left the boot open so as to lessen the possibility of painful blisters as well as foot fungi and diseases such as trench foot.

Romans did not place much value on assigning specific shoe types for the sexes, other than the fact that oftentimes women’s’ shoes were made of a finer, softer leather. Rather, Romans assigned very specific class and status roles for their shoes. For instance, a shoe worn by an older, wealthier man would not be worn by anyone outside his class or even by a younger man in his same class bracket. Slaves weren’t allowed to wear shoes at all, and the poorest of Roman society oftentimes couldn’t afford shoes, although by law they could wear them. Criminals, on the other hand, were outfitted in heavy wooden shoes that made escape harder. Rome’s wealthiest and most important had a plethora of shoes to choose from and equally as many rules to follow regarding wearing them. It was considered bad manners for the wealthy to not wear shoes (except at certain events wherein slaves would go through an elaborate ritual of washing their masters’ feet) and not all shoes were appropriate for all occasions. For instance, true Roman sandals – rather scantily bound – were more of an inside shoe than an outside shoe, and very often slaves would carry sandals around for their masters so that they might be appropriately dressed in any situation. Heavier duty sandals (boots, in Roman terms) were appropriate for outside wear.

Following that logical, in typical Roman fashion, the more distinguished the wearer the more distinguished the dress. This meant that the wealthy and even some middle class Romans could afford sandals with intricate designs, dyed fabric, or ornamentation, while the poor were stuck donning decidedly unmarked shoes. This was also true of Roman dress, and was simply one way in which Rome worked tirelessly to visualize social class, or to be more accurate, exemplify status.  

Shoe Timeline 7: 1980s-1990s

•1980s

What’s going on?  The great marker of the 80s is consumerism.  Ronald Reagan followed by Richard Nixon ran the White House and Capitalism tasted good.  Greed tasted good.  Privatization tasted good.  Gone were the corner stores!  They couldn’t hold a candle to these new-fangled malls that sprung up everywhere.  The baby boomers are 40 years young, and are happy to spend their cash to buy the American dream:  stuff.  As a rebellion, their children go punk rock or join a hair band.  It’s a tripped out world, because most people could afford it.  Hell, even women now could earn a living.  After their place in society has been tossed around haphazardly for the last eighty years, women are finally welcomed into the work force – and I feel I should make this clear – while men are working in it as well; not just because of a labor shortage.  Granted, these workingwomen are competing in a man’s world and are generally being undercompensated for the work they’re doing, but hey, equality apparently takes time.

Other milestones of the 80s included the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989); the assassinations of John Lennon (1980) and Ronald Reagan (1981) and the assassination attempts of Margaret Thatcher (1984) and Pope John Paul II (1981); the first personal computer, the boombox, the walkman, MTV, Pacman, Nintendo, and the VHS tape; the beginning of the AIDS pandemic; the Chernobyl nuclear crisis (1986); an all of a sudden everybody hated smoking, a pastime that had been absolutely loved for decades.  I blame it on the mullet.

Sid and Nancy

Grandmaster Flash

What were they wearing?  What you chose to wear in the ‘80s depended on a lot of factors, including, but not limited to: gender, race, class, age, and association.  For instance, if you were a woman in the work force, you might choose to masculinize your appearance by wearing a muted, tailored suit.  If you were an emerging African-American hip-hop artist, you might choose more vibrant neon colors and baggy pants.  If you were a punk rocker, you might shop at Hot Topic (founded 1988) to fight the establishment.  Like during the ‘60s, people had the option to buy an identity, and while they may not have had any of the ideologies or personal qualities to back it up, they could sure dress the part.

In the ‘80s we see celebrities who continue to serve as icons of pop culture.  Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Prince in the pop scene; Bon Jovi, R.E.M, and Metallica in the rock scene; Courtney Love, Sid Vicious, and The Clash led the punk scene; the Beastie Boys, Run D.M.C., LL Cool J, and Grandmaster Flash ushered the hip-hop scene into mainstream culture.  Depending on what you identified with, you could easily go out and buy any one of these identities at the nearest mall.  In fact, for younger people, it was fairly standard to find your niche, dress like it, and call it individuality.

For workingwomen, going out and dressing like Madonna would not have added any legitimacy to their cause.  Instead, workingwomen decided to bulk up to appear more masculine – and I don’t mean they started taking steroids and pumping iron.  Oh, no.  Bulking up for women in the ‘80s meant shoulder pads and hairspray.  Bulky shoulders and big hair added stature to a woman’s otherwise, well, womanly physique.  No leg warmers or stirrup pants for these corporate broads:  power suits all the way!

Men’s fashion, on the other hand, took an enormous step backwards.  As if the ‘60s and ‘70s never happened, men were right back into square suits and thin ties.  They managed to add a bit of necessary spice in their bold-printed shirts, though.  We can all be boring all the time.

What were they wearing on their feet?  Shoe factories boomed in the ‘80s, which meant a rise in shoe sales, particularly among women.  Additionally, this meant a rise in designers, and whom you wore in the ‘80s became equally if not more important than what you wore.  As aforementioned, buying into an identity was of great importance, and the identity couldn’t be completed without the proper footwear.  ‘80s youth had a veritable feast of choices from sneakers to neon heels and everything in-between.  Power suit-donning donning women had the option to take the more masculine approach – loafers or mannish Oxford pumps – or to claim back a small bit of femininity and wear a sling back spike heel.  All men had to do was dig in their closets and dig out the old reliables:  loafers, Oxfords, brogues, all in black or brown, of course. 

•1990s

O.J. Simpson and his notorious gloves.

What’s going on?  It is during this decade that America, having apparently exhausted all its other options, declares wars on nouns, most notoriously the war on drugs and the war on terror.  This decade oozed with violence and unpleasantness, including the quincentenary of Columbus’ “discovery” of America.  While many red-blooded Americans acted like this anniversary was the 4^th of July on steroids, others protested it as violent and racist, furthering offering the ever-evolving political divide. 

The Spice Girls

We’ve also got some notable suicides, deaths, and murders to mention.  Biggest doozy:  the Rwandan genocide (1994); between 500,000 – 800,000 Tutsi and Tutsi supporters were killed by the hands radical Hutus who were tired of not having power.  Second biggest doozy:  the Columbine High School Massacre (1999); two troubled youth shoot twelve of their peers before killing themselves, making it the biggest high school shooting in history and influencing many other schools to institute lockdown drills. Honorable mention doozy:  Dr. Jack Kevorkian is charged with multiple homicides for practicing euthanasia. And now for the celebrity category.  Biggest Doozy: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were allegedly murdered by – oh, wait, excuse me – allegedly not murdered by O.J. Simpson (1995).  Second biggest doozy:  Princess Diana and her lover, Dodi Fayed die in a car crash in Paris (1997). Honorable mention doozy:  John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and his sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, continue the Kennedy curse when their plane crashes off Martha’s Vineyard (1999).  And last but not least, doozies for political change.  Biggest doozy:  21-year old Matthew Shepard is beaten to death for his sexual orientation, sparking national concern for the welfare of LBGT citizens while simultaneously adding fire to a heating debate on the legitimacy and morality of homosexuality in the United States (1998).  Second biggest doozy:  Kurt Cobain, front man for the grunge rock group, Nirvana, takes his own life (1994).  Copycat suicides ensue, and officials worry that Generation X might be a little too into their music.  But Generation X doesn’t hear because they’ve got their headphones on.  Honorable mention:  Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the Queen, dies of AIDS (1991).  His death is one of many that increase support for people with AIDS.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.: Excellent '90s TV.

Additionally, music has taken a strange and wonderful turn.  There are suddenly myriad sounds available.  The ‘90s saw the birth of the boy band as well as Britney Spears (before she went off the deep end), Weird Al Yankovich, Alanis Morisette, Marilyn Manson, and grunge rock, while it continued to support the sounds of the ‘80s. 

Plus, there are a lot of channels on TV.  So if you can’t find anything else to do during the ‘90s, just curl up on your couch, eat some Doritos, and drink Pepsie endorsed by the Spice Girls.

Kurt Cobain and grunge style.

What were they wearing?  Thanks to Kurt Cobain, the kids of the ‘90s were grungilicious; torn overalls, greasy long hair, and rocker tees.  That, or they were like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless: micro minis, uncomfortably long socks, baby doll dresses, and belly shirts.  It’s no wonder that such a staunch dichotomy appeared in fashion, given the state of the nation.  Either you were happy – or, more probably, clueless – or you were disillusioned with life in general and took it out on your clothes. 

Women of the ‘90s took their fashions from the ‘80s and shrunk them.  The smaller the better.  Mid-drift revealing shirts coupled with short acid wash jeans was an absolutely acceptable look, although not for the office.  But, unfortunately, moreso than in any other decade, summarizing ‘90s fashion is a sweeping generalization. The fact is that, from the ‘80s onward, people had a lot of choice in what they were wearing and, as much as fashion was about buying into an identity, it was also about self-expression. 

The same rule applies for men, but I can happily note that they are no longer refined to their conservative styles.  They’ve got flannel, they’ve got jerseys, they got cargo pants, and they’ve got bomber jackets.

Air Jordans, baby.

What were they wearing on their feet?  It’s impossible to pin down exactly what everybody was wearing because style was so diverse.  However, some of the more popular choices included the scene included the Air Jordans, Jellies, skate shoes, platforms, and Hush Puppies. 

Shoe Timeline Part 6: 1960-1970

•1960s

What’s going on?  What isn’t going on is the more appropriate question.  As Bob Dylan said just five years before he plugged in his guitar and caused a notable stir, “The times they are a changin’.”  And they were in constant shift.  Rebellion against the nuclear family and “the man” came to a head, with many different sectors threatening a revolution, which never came.  Hippies and freaks, heads and druggies, Dr. Timothy Leary and the Beatles, the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe, Charles Manson and the Sexual Revolution, One the Road and the Beatniks, the Black Panthers, Civil Rights Movements, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a slew of assassinations, the British Invasion and eastern influence: indeed, many factors contributed to the melting pot of unrest and unrest turned into creation.  Suffice it to say, the 1960s isn’t an easy decade to pin down in a paragraph.  An important thing to keep in mind is that, in the middle of the country, many Americans are still holding onto the ideals and ideologies made so popular in the 1950s, while, on the coasts, a population of people (primarily youth) is beginning to “tune in, turn on, and drop out.”  There was a big philosophical dilemma amongst this subculture, and that was how to maintain a greater good while still receiving personal satisfaction.  They answered this question with communal living, drugs, music, and protests.  The majority of people who weren’t involved in this movement were scared of it.  They found hippie practices immoral and devastating to the previous decade’s “family friendly” atmosphere.  Arguably, the hippies were both, but they were also central to the shift of consciousness in America, when, for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, there were real things to care about; big things that affected millions of people worldwide. The end of the '60s was a tumultuous one, culminating in the Manson murders, the height of the Vietnam protests and the institution of the draft, the Rolling Stone's answer to Woodstock where the Hell's Angels kill several concert-goers, a huge police raid of a gay nightclub in San Francisco, and the break up of the Beatles.

 What were they wearing?  Women’s fashion became an enormous industry in the ‘60s.  Although in the previous decade women had been slaves to fashion, there was neither the modeling industry nor the 70 million children of baby boomers coming of age.  The ‘60s learned quickly to cater to this demographic and made excellent (if not highly depraved) work of commodifying identities.  By the time the hippie movement became a “fad” (1967, three or four years after it became a movement), any corner shop sold love beads, tie-dyed shirts, Go-go boots, and miniskirts. And, with the installation of Twiggy, one of the world’s first big-name models, women had quite a few identities to buy into. 

Men, too, had fashion icons during this time, most notably those four boys from Liverpool.  Yes, the Beatles, whose “mop top” label served well as a style for society to emulate, were much more than just architects behind a new music scene.  Still, this was initially a conservative look; not a far cry from the suits of the past decades.  As the ‘60s became more and more, well, the ‘60s, men’s fashion had an extreme makeover.  Think Austin Powers, in his velvet purple suit and frilly undershirt, add a five-inch wide psychedelically decorated tie and you’ll have a fairly accurate image of where fashion grew to during the decade.  In between, we had more people following the Beatles’ influence.  When they left their suits for Nehru jackets, people followed suit.  When they grew their hair even longer, people followed suit.  And the worst of the worst in fashion – and this is not the Beatles’ fault – polyester suits that stayed popular into the 1970s. 

Additionally popular during this age were the Beatniks, a group Jack Kerouac had form in 1948 and who remained active through the 1950s, though not nearly as popular.  (Can’t imagine why…) Essentially a group of starving artist hipsters, the Beatniks dressed in black with accompanying black berets and mutually lamented in emotional discontent, then wrote about it.  Similarly starving artists (read: youth who felt disenfranchised but not motivated to join the hippies) began to copy this style, with the apparent hope that dressing like a Beat would encourage artistic development and/or get them a publishing deal.

The Beatle Boot

What were they wearing on their feet?  Women had a variety of shoes to choose from.  The population that stayed away from the movements of the ‘60s kept their feet in stilettos, but others migrated to significantly lower, clunkier heels and Go-go boots and other platform shoes.  For men, the Beatles had in influence even in their footwear.  The “Beatles Boot,” also known as Chelsea or ankle boots, boasted most popularly a pointed toe (though version came with a rounded toe) and a small, Cuban heel.  These shoes were popular with men throughout the decade.  The more conservative man still had his Oxfords and loafers to fall back on, but they missed out on the Crayola box of colors and new materials (like suede!) that shoes were coming in.  The ‘60s made up for decades upon decades of stagnant men’s fashion. 

Hippies had a whole different scene going on on their feet.  The shift towards natural life meant that hippies wore moccasins, sandals, or often no shoes at all.  (We’ll see this barefoot movement come back into style at the turn of the century.)  For the hippies, their general style of no shirts, no shoes, and no service, coincided perfectly with the undefined freedom for which they were searching.

•1970s

What’s going on? After the tumultuous end to the ‘60s in which revolutions imploded yet most everybody was still generally disillusioned, the game changed a slightly.  The ‘60s had left some significant marks, including some tangible ones, like civil rights and women’s liberation.  (I know what you’re thinking:  wasn’t there already a women’s liberation?  Yes, in the 1910s and 1920s, but then the 1950s happened.)  Due to these new societal advancements, there were elements of both extreme tension and free expression rampant in society.  The once-disenfranchised masses now wanted to rub in the faces of the people who had stifled that same freedom – namely white males.  Of course, there is such a thing as too much freedom in America, particularly for women, and, despite the pretext of freedom, white males still held the majority of the power.  So they pushed Valium and other mood stabilizers. Valium, the best selling pharmaceutical from 1969 – 1982 offered to help stave off housewives’ boredom as well as help working women balance their busy schedules; in reality, it put women back in their presumed place.

What were they wearing?  One of the more notable expressions was the turn to fashion androgyny.  Many of the fashions from the ‘60s carried over, including the ever-flattering muumuu, and everybody wore them without too much regard for gender rules.  A good word to classify fashion from this decade is “chaotic.”  Women could wear a miniskirt one day and a granny dress the next; and, for that matter, so could men!  Other options included bell-bottoms, halter-tops, painter’s pants, hot pants, and hip huggers.  Of course, no woman was complete with her Ferra Fawcett feathered hair-do! 

Once again, men had a golden decade in fashion.   Well, erm, that is to say they certainly weren’t constrained.  Rule of thumb:  if it was loud and kind of painful to look at, men wore it.  Their fashions were generally rollovers from the sixties – like the polyester suit and wide ties – but the 1970s put these already garish fashions on steroids, introducing clashing patterns and unnecessarily bright colors.  Needless to say the fashion police were on sabbatical during this decade.

What were they wearing on their feet?  If you weren’t wearing sneakers or anti-establishment shoes, you were wearing PLATFORMS!  The age of disco and its complementary big shoes encouraged all disco lovers – which was essentially everyone except rockers and conspiracy theorists from the ‘60s – to sport this gaudy footwear and to shake their groove things, shake their groove things, yeah, yeah. 

Shoe Timeline Part 5: 1940-1950

•1940s

What’s going on?  War.  Another World War, in fact, because evidently, the First World War – you’ll recall, the war to end all wars – didn’t quite cut the mustard.  Once again, Europe was ticked off at Germany, whose economy had depleted so rapidly after World War I that the people were looking to cling to any shred of hope, any leader who was eloquent and motivating.  Enter: Adolf Hitler.  America didn’t officially enter into the war until 1941 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, though America had been supplying weaponry to the British.  When Hitler declared war on America a few days after Pearl Harbor, America, content to have their war with Japan and be done with it, was placed in an interesting predicament. Solution? Join the allies. And ultimately drop the first atom bomb.  Suddenly, just like during World War I, everyone was doing their all for the war effort.  Women found themselves back in manufacturing plants, making weapons for the war; men lied about the age to enlist. What persisted throughout this era, though, was the cinematographic dreamland that was Hollywood.  It had helped America get through the Depression, and it’s glitz, glamor, and big screen depictions of better times continued to remain a small source of optimism. 

What were they wearing? Although Parisian fashion fell out with the multitudes the decade prior due to the lack of funds to support fashion, when the Germans occupied Paris, Parisian fashion was not only out, it was entirely unattainable.  Additionally, with most manufacturing plants designated to making weapons and things essential for the war – like uniforms and boots for the winter – big wigs put restrictions on how much fabric was permitted for those left at home.  Consequently, designers had to cut some corners and voila!  Coordinating separates.  A-line and pencil skirts matched with feminine blouses or a simple jacket.  The lady’s suit – a shorter skirt with a straight jacket – came into fashion at this time, particularly because eveningwear became too callow.  I guess nobody really felt like dressing to the nines while reports came in daily about the latest casualties in Europe. 

Dior's "New Look"

It’s hard not to feel badly for men of this era.  Women at least received some sort of new look, despite the shortage of available materials, whereas menswear was simply stripped.  Their fall back – the suit – was now manufactured without vests or pockets, and their pants were no longer allowed to have pleats or cuffs.  Too much fabric.

By 1947, though World War II and its aftermath dominated the ambiance of the 1940s, designers were ready to get back to the cloth.  It was during this year that Christian Dior came out with a look that would influence the fashion for the next decade, appropriately called the “New Look.”  Dior returned the “feminine silhouette” to women’s fashion – read: another tiny waistline.  Men, on the other hand, got their suits back.  And they were better than ever!  Men could buy them in an ever-increasing array of colors, and also at their disposal were hand-painted ties featuring anything from foliage to pin-up girls.  The war does funny things to people. 

What were they wearing on their feet?  Because leather was strictly for military use, designers had to get creative.  They dug around in their bag of creative ideas and found reptile skins, cork, and mesh were the most durable materials.  In a sense, designers of the 1940s were quite ahead of themselves:  alligator handbags and snakeskin boots were right around the corner!

For men, Oxfords remained a popular style, but Brogues and Moccasins were also in fashion.  Women had some limited choices due to limitations on material, which also meant that heels could only rise to one inch in height and only came in six colors.  Come the 1950s, you can bet those women were missing those one-inch cork heels.

•1950s

What’s going on?  Baby boomers and Elvis’ pelvis.  Ed Sullivan and the Yankees.  Leave it to Beaver and the nuclear family.  Housewives and father knows best.  Marilyn Monroe and American Bandstand.  In many ways, the 1950s was to World War II what the 1920s was to World War I.  Suddenly people had money again, and those who had survived the war were back with their families.  And, thanks to FDR and his G.I. Bill, had money for a home and for education.  This was a very family-centric decade, when televisions first became household items; food more consistently came from a Supermarket than a farm; gender roles were identified and not broken; Americans took to their cars (and to their hula hoops!); and damned if everything wasn’t just-so. 

What were they wearing?  Rosie the Riveter appeared again in World War II, but it’s the 1950s, so it’s time to shove that women’s liberation stuff back where it belongs:  the bottom of the dumpster.  Women’s liberation was having children to raise, a house to clean, parties to plan, and a husband to obey.  And oh, how liberating it was!  No more pesky jobs or working, no, no! A woman’s place was a home.  With a broom and some dish gloves, but don’t forget the pearl necklace.  In all seriousness, though, if there were one word to describe this decade it would be “prepilicious.”  It was considered normal for women to don themselves with Dior’s “New Look” (1947) and other similar designs.  From a very young age, mothers taught their daughters to be ladylike, wear their poodle skirts and cardigans, their pearls and their white gloves, their petticoats and their pedal pushers.  Adult women accentuated every ladylike curve, and the media encouraged them to constantly play up their femininity.  Often, this meant wriggling yourself into the modern version of a corset: the girdle.  Once again, the natural form was out, and the illusion of having an hourglass figure and a Scarlet O’Hara waist was a sign of a life well lived.  And don't forget the stockings!  After living with them for the better part of a decade, they were at long last available again...and to all women to the apparent elation and appreciation of all men!  Aren't you just shrieking with joy?

If the women of this decade dressed conservatively, men from this decade were downright boring.  Except for their socks.  Their Day Glo colored socks were quite exciting.  But other than the occasional James Dean or Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli-type “rebel” dressed in a leather jacket and jeans with a Pompadour hairstyle, most men wore – are you ready for this? – grey suits.  Flannel was the fabric of the time, and the television assured Americans that every workingman after returning from work placed his hat on the hat stand and said, “Honey, I’m home!” 

What were they wearing on their feet?    

The 1950s saw the birth of the stiletto heel, which some attribute to designer Roger Vivier and others to designer Charles Jourdan.  Regardless of which sadistic man created this shoe, the ideal 1950s woman added to her womanity with a pair of stilettos in which she vacuumed, made dinner, entertained, and sat around the house complaining about how much her feet hurt.  Meaning “thin-bladed knife,” the thin, long heel of a stiletto – often only half a centimeter thick and five inches tall or more – is a dangerous and highly impractical shoe.  Uneven sidewalks, water grates, tile floors, and dirt all wreak havoc on stiletto wearers, who must teach themselves to walk in such heels to avoid near certain calamity.  However, as many advocates will happily point out, their purpose is not practicality, but rather a certain aesthetic.  In the 1950s that certain aesthetic was femininity, and stilettos replaced hats, pearls, and even gloves as the must-have accessory.  Not owning a pair of stilettos was a sure sign that your had resigned yourself to a life of spinsterdom, where you would live in a house alone with ten cats and lament about never having the joys of children to nurture or the comfort of a strong, loving American man, or all the materialistic goods the nuclear life entailed.  Additionally, it was necessary to own as many as possible to pair with any outfit you might so desire to wear.  God forbid your shoes didn’t perfectly coordinate with your dress!

Younger girls, school age or younger, thankfully didn’t wear stilettos; although you can be certain that dear old mommy bred her from an early age to want to.  Instead, they wore loafers, pedal pushers, or ballet slippers, all with those adorable little bobby socks. 

As you might have expected, men’s shoes are still a bit boring.  Oxfords were still popular, as were buck shoes, and Converse sneakers.    

Shoe Timeline Part 4: 1920-1930

•1920s

What’s going on?  With the war to end all wars ended, the 1920s were a time of celebration.  Full and functional factories plus a climbing stock market meant that many people had money to burn and were looking for fun, which they found in Speak Easies, bathtub gin, the Model T Ford, and the first movies with sound.  Flappers abounded, suffragettes fought for women’s rights, and optimism soared:  it was a great time to be alive!

What were they wearing?  Thanks to Hollywood messing with your head again, you probably think flappers were found all throughout the roaring ‘20s.  Well, they weren’t.  In fact, they didn’t appear until 1926 and the phase only lasted for about two years.  Before the flappers, women’s fashion hadn’t changed much.  After the flappers, skirts were shorter – a daring knee length – and shoulders were broader.  Day-to-day women’s fashion reflected the androgynous trend the flappers started.  Shapeless dresses that flattened the bust and cinched below the waist so as to not emphasize any curves, coupled with a short haircut made women appear almost mannish, if it weren’t for their heels and makeup.  Remember, too, that an ongoing movement led by women for a woman’s right to vote was in full swing in the ‘20s, so fashion, as it does, followed popularity, and echoed the sounds of suffragette voices crying: We want equal rights with men.  Apparently that included dressing like them.

Are those some absolutely enormous pants,
or are you just happy to see me?

Men had two new options for pants:  knickerbockers and baggy pants (1925).  Knickerbockers came in four styles – plus-four, plus-six, plus-eight, and plus-ten – depending on how far below the knee you wanted them.  Many – saw these pants as frivolous – despite their popularity with society’s upper echelons – and Oxford University banned them in 1925, at which time they conveniently introduced the baggy pant. 

The baggy pant measured anywhere from 22-40 inches wide (big enough to hide a pair of knickerbockers comfortably underneath for those inevitable rule breakers).  Americans loved this British pant, particularly in Tweed or flannel.

What were they wearing on their feet?  Again, men had their fallback black patent leather shoes for the formal occasions.  Casual wear required two-tone shoes, either black and white or tan and white Oxfords.  Fringed tongues and lace-ups were the most popular variety.

Women had some outrageously cute shoes during the ‘20s.  Bar shoes (a.k.a. shoes with straps) were enormously popular during this decade of frivolity because one could party-hardy and their shoes wouldn’t fall off.  Ankle straps and t-straps were the most popular varieties and were for evening and afternoon respectively.

•1930s

What’s going on?  Well…the fun is over.  As of 1929, the stock market – booming the decade before – crashed.  And many people are left without work and money.  To add insult to injury, there is very little water in the Midwest and torturous storms called dustbowls decimate property and kill civilians who can’t help breathing the stuff in. The United States battles The Great Depression while Adolph Hitler rallies for Aryan control of Germany.  Displaced farmers, bludgeoned by drought and poverty, press their luck and head out to California, the Promised Land. 

What were they wearing?  When your family’s farm has gone under, you can’t afford to put food on the table, and your life has otherwise turned into a country song, you start to put things into perspective, which is what had to happen in the 1930s when people realized that all the fun they’d had just a decade before was a distant dream.  Only the very, very well off could afford to continue buying into fashion; anyone else couldn’t even afford to look at a Chanel gown.  Thusly, the fashion industry had to create clothes that were inexpensive, classic, and durable.  Women, particularly those women who had once been able to afford the luxury of fashion, didn’t want to be draped in rags.  They wanted dresses that were above fashion (think the classic little black dress, or a straight-legged black, brown, grey, or navy trouser).  So, designers gave women a dress with a higher waistline, an option of mid-length or long – depending on day or evening – and zippers.  Enter the zipper, because nobody could afford buttons.  Fashion sang the most tragic country song of the decade, it would seem, with lyrics that went a little like:  I ain’t got no farm, I ain’t got no money, so I have to wear this crappy dress.  Yes, it’ll last me decades, and I bought it for a nickel, but I miss my furs, nonetheless.  I can’t afford the buttons, so I’ve gotta use this zipper, and I have to wear this clunky shoe, not my silken slipper.”  Actually, contrary to that made up country song, furs were still big in the 1930s; a rollover from the ‘20s, certainly, and one of those luxuries people fought hard for.

Bette Davis

It was during this decade that movies became a hallmark of entertainment.  Even though normal people couldn’t afford the fashions they saw movie stars wear, they could afford the low ticket prices, and gawk at the glamorous outfits worn by the stars of the day, like Bette Davis, Fay Wray, Katherine Hepburn, Mae West, and and Gretta Garbo.  Furs, of course, were a feature, accenting well their empire-waisted gowns with ties at the back.

I’ll give you two guesses as to what men were wearing in the 1930s.  You guessed it:  suits!  You’ll recall suits being popular as menswear since the Rococo fad of the 1700s, whose aftermath apparently robbed men of any fashion creativity.  But never you fear, suits of the 1930s came in a variety of colors:  black, basic grey, charcoal, navy, slate grey, steel grey, and brown.  My, my, what an exciting life of infinite choices!

In 1935, President Roosevelt created the New Deal, which, among many other (more important) things, ushered something new into men’s fashion:  a new suit!  The “London Cut” offered tapered sleeves, high pockets, wide pointed lapels and shoulder pads, pants, shirt, tie and hat, all in the color of the times – grey.

What were they wearing on their feet?  Again, contrary to the made up country song, there was a variety of shoes available during this time, include a style that we haven’t seen since antiquity:  the sandal!  Women had their pick of the cute shoes from the ‘20s, rounded toes with clunkier heels, pumps, flats, lace-ups, slip-ons, buckled, and, yes, sandals.  Sandals began their reinvention as beachwear, but gradually evolved into shoes that were evening and party appropriate.  Another evening shoe was the “plain court shoe” (a pump) with a flirty peep toe and sling back heels. 

Men’s shoes, on the other hand, were pretty darn sobering.  They came in all the colors suits came in (shockingly, except for grey) and retained their two-tones, made even more popular this decade by Fred Astaire.  The one new contribution to men’s shoes this decade was the loafer. 

Shoe Timeline Part 3: 1900-1910

 •1900s

Clifford Barrymore Cartoon
of Teddy Roosevelt with his
freed bear.

What’s going on?  The 1900s saw the development of many a clever invention, including the Model T Ford, the vacuum, Einstein’s theory of relativity, crayons, popsicles, the FBI, baseball, and the health corset.  Yes, it was a golden age for thought!  Unless you were in Russia where free thought (among a montage of other things) was rather frowned upon outside the aristocracy, hence the Russian Revolution.

What were they wearing?  I’m sure you’re curious about the aforementioned health corset.  Well, health professionals – who, it is worth mentioning, are predominantly men – finally got wise to the idea that tight-lace corseting may be damaging to internal organs that spent hours up hours, day after day cinched in a corset and eventually would move to accommodate the changing shape of the body.  But, these health professionals did as health professionals still do and bended to the ways of fashion.  Doctors encouraged women to wear a health or s-curve corset, which actively forced the hips back and the bust forward as a way of making the waist appear smaller.  While this corset did cinch the waist, it was not tight-laced, the lacing being replaced with the ever easy to use hook and eye clips.  But, even if this corset did take some of the pressure off of women’s internal organs, any positive effects were counterbalanced by the horrendous things the health corset did to women’s posture.  Additionally, the health corset created a horrible case of uni-boob, though this is considerably less health adverse. On top of these newfangled health corsets, women wore long, heavy trumpet skirts, big, feathered, hats, and, oh, yeah, the high-necked lacy collars came back! 

You look dazzling, my dear.
Oh, no, wait.  That's me!

Ladies, I’m sure you’ve had the tooth-and-nail experience of trying to get your man in a tux.  “It’s itchy,” he says.  “I can’t breathe with a tie,” he whines, and retreats to his go-to torn pair of sweats.  Well, if you’re the kind of gal who likes a man in a tux, the 1900s might be for you (so consider that next time you time travel).  Just as hard as it can be for you to get your man into a tux, the women of this era likely struggled equally as hard to get theirs out of one.  Tuxedos were worn for all occasions and during all seasons, because, honey, coming off the heels of America’s Industrial Revolution, class was in.

What were they wearing on their feet?  Well, as previously mentioned, men’s shoes didn’t change much.  However, brown and grey were added to the color repertoire. 

I'll take the ones with kitten heels.

Women, too, had little option for footwear because people were still stuck in the Victorian mindset that any flesh that could be seen was sinful, so women covered up their legs with floor-length skirts.  Thus, their shoes were fairly plain and similar to the ones from the late 1800s.  The wealthy, however, had an upgrade in dress shoes.  Silky slippers were out and pointy-toed, heeled shoes custom made to match an evening gown were all the rage.

•1910s

What’s going on?  Well, there was this little thing known as World War I (aka the war to end all wars) that had a firm hand in determining the fate of the…world in many aspects, including stylistically.  Because men were off fighting the good fight – more simply put, smacking down the Germans – middle and upper class women had to step out of their normal housewife and mother positions and get their butts to work!  Of course, working class women had been doing this long before the upper echelons had, yet nobody paid gave this fact much note because, well to put it bluntly, because they were poor.  (We’ll see this theme repeated in about thirty years.)

What were they wearing?  Men between the ages of 18 and 45 pretty much got to wear their service uniforms.  For those younger or older, or those who were sent home or managed to buy their ways out of the war, the dandy look was extremely fashionable.  Wide pants, high collars, bow ties, and bowler hats, straw, or boater hats (depending on the level of elegance), and either a three button cut away frock or a double-breasted straight lined jacket signified one’s status as a dandy and thusly a gentleman. 

Women, many of whom were sent into the workforce for the first time, could, for the first time since the Middle Ages, buy a dress that didn’t require a corset!  Ah, a sweet, full breath of air!  In actuality, the corsets were more or less moved to around the knees in a popular fashion called the hobble skirt that boasted such tightness around that women often couldn’t walk (not that they would want to with their tiny shoes).  But, nevertheless, in the absence of corsets fastened around their waists, women could sit, digest, and carry children without damage to their internal organs or fetuses.  Additionally, fabric became lighter, the colors became brighter, and, generally speaking, the dresses were looser.  It was 

 also during this time that fashion finally had a woman designer – the infamous Gabrielle Chanel opened up shop in response to the majority of male shop owners/designers being sent off to wear.  Even in her early days, Chanel’s fashions were practical but expensive, and a big hit with wealthier clients.  Also a big hit with the wealthy was fur; everybody wanted fur.  Fur: don’t leave home without it. 

 From left to right: "Portrait of a Woman with Fur Coat;" women lounging in Chanel chemise gowns, from Le Petit de la Mode;
Harem pants and an umbrella, for that exotic Eastern look when you get caught in the rain!

It is during this era that we begin to see a large shift in fashion trends: men are confined to one or two styles while women have a large number of options.  They could choose from Chanel’s chemise dresses, sheaths, sacks, tunics, and Harem trousers, just to name a few.   This trend continues throughout the rest of the century.

"Four Little Dudes" with eight little spats.

What were they wearing on their feet?  For men, patent leather shoes – you know, the same-old, same-old – were still popular, but only for formal events.  Spats were the rage for the regular day-to-day, and, in 1917, sneakers (Keds) made their debut. Women, on the other hand, had by necessity finally stopped obsessing over small, corseted waists as a sign of wealth and good breeding, so appropriately focused their attention to making their feet tiny.  As a sign of wealth and good breeding.  The habit of wearing shoes one size too small was a popular custom amongst both men and women, but women would go to such lengths as to cut their pinky toes to make their feet as narrow as possible.  For women, boots were still popular for day-to-day activities, and “Louis” heels – short-heeled, embellished shoes inspired by Louis XVI – were all the rage by night.