(Nicole Rudolph Image via Instagram) (Video Courtesy: Nicole Rudolph by Youtube Channel ..read more

( Nicole Rudolph Image via Instagram ) (Video Courtesy: Nicole Rudolph by Youtube Channel ..read more

(winklepickers Image via http://gentlemansgent.blogspot.com/) After the deeply sexual couplings of rock & roll, the '60's brought a very strange phenomenon i.e. a dance with absolutely no body contact whatsoever. Permissive society had arrived so there was no need to simulate sex within dance. Young adults adapted the rhythms of R&B and moved the 'in crowd' from dance halls to small clubs called discos. The Peppermint crowd twisted. (Video Courtesy: GNRSlashLover by Youtube Channel) In 1961 the champion of the Twist was Chubby Checker who wore two tone basket weave boots on stag ..read more

(Race across America 1928 Image via charleskastner.com) From the beginning of the 20th century promoters profited by staging endurance events and contests of every torturous sort. One pinnacle of endurance madness was the 1928 transcontinental foot race across North America. Dubbed the Bunion Derby it was a 3,400 mile race from Los Angeles to New York. The purse $25000 for the winner and $23500 to be split among nine runners up. These were quite considerable monies for that time. The marathon attracted 421 competitors and each had to pay $100 entrance fee. The event was the brainchild of a ..read more

( Orderic Vitalis Image via The History Jar) According to Grew and de Neergaard (2004 p.113), Orderic Vitalis the 11th century monk recorded much of the social events of his time,and attributed Fulk le Réchin (1043 - 1109), as the originator of the poulaine (pigaches or Pigage). Orderic Vitalis noted French aristocratto as "a man with many reprehensible, even scandalous, habits." (Fulk le Réchin Image via Find a grave) According to Rossi (1976), Fulk le Réchin suffered painful bunions and ingrown toenails and commissioned his cordwainer to craft him a designer pair of shoes to accommod ..read more

( Penny Loafers Image via Charles & Keith) Currently as fashion trends go and in our celebrity led culture we are experiencing a similar run and glamour is back with a vengeance. Male fashion is also experiencing a similar renaissance with the English Look and Preppy shoes or Penny Loafer the coolest gear for the feet. Preppy is an American term which describes a university type from privilege background, men in the thirties were influenced by a well cut suits worn with shoes of distinction. ( Penny Loafer Image via reddit.com) A popular shoe was the Penny Loafer or Norwegian Mocca ..read more

(sand shoes Image via Breaking Tales ) In the 19th century when a five working day week became norm, urban families clambered to visit the seaside particularly in the summertime. Working boots were discarded as day trippers wanted shoes to stroll across the sand. Sand shoes were lightweight canvas topped rubber soled shoes and thanks to vulcanisation of rubber, they were cheap, flimsy and usually wore out after a day’s wear. (Plimsolls Image via PicClick UK ) To help reinforce the shoe, a thin flat rubber band was wrapped around the shoe and because this looked like a plimsoll line on ..read more

(Batsa Shoe Museum Image via wikipedia ) "On A Pedestal: From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels ," was the title of an exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum in 2010. On display were rarities from around the world featuring the chopine (platform) from 16th century Italy to the fashionable high heel of the 17th-century. Reviewed 10/04/2022 ..read more

( Aphrodite image via metmuseum.org ) In antiquity, efforts to control personal regulation were related to the general mode of living rather than of dress. The Greeks had some laws relating to clothing, such as; women could only wear three garments at a time. This may account for why most women went barefoot. The amount of money to be spent of clothing was also regulated by the wealth of the family. (Cato the Elder image via wikipedia ) Sumptuary laws in Rome included the Lex Orchia which was passed in 187 BC. This related to the number of invited people who might attend a feast. The L ..read more

(Convict Shoes Image via Sydney Living Museums) (Video Courtesy: Sydney Living Museums Youtube Channel ..read more