History’s Most Fascinating Footwear

Published September 8, 2012
Updated January 11, 2018

History’s Fascinating Footwear: The Slap Sole

Slapping a flat sole to the bottom of a heeled shoe once had a purpose. Toward the beginning of the 17th century, men would place a sole on the bottom of their boots so that their heels wouldn’t sink in the mud. Eventually, the idea caught on with fashionable women’s shoemakers. While the sole was attached to the ball of the shoe, it was not fixed to the heel. Thus as women walked about, the clacking sound–one associated with wealth and sophistication–could not be avoided.

Slap-Sole Footwear

Source: Zoom

The Paduka

Paduka

Source: BBC

The paduka shoe is without a doubt the quintessential footwear of India. Worn by everyone from the wealthy to the impoverished, paduka shoes–essentially a knob and a sole–were decorated according to social status. While most paduka shoes were wooden, more well-off wearers would have theirs made with ivory, teak, sandalwood and wire.

Paduka Shoe

Source: WordPress

Fascinating Footwear: The Sabaton

The foot has always been a vulnerable body part in battle. That’s why throughout the 13th and 16th centuries, men would place menacing, metal casings atop them for protection. Known as sabatons, the footwear typically ended in a sharp, tapered point and served as both armor and weaponry. Certain royalty was permitted to sport sabatons up to nearly three feet long.

Sabaton Footwear

Source: Roy King

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.