Shoes have come a long way in the thousands of years since primitive man first donned bark and animal skins. Initially used to give protection to feet from harsh temperatures and rough land, shoes have evolved into an editorial of haute couture and style, a sartorial reflection of class, rank, and wealth. Take a stroll through history with this carefully researched, lavishly illustrated survey of footwear by R. Turner Wilcox, the fashion editor of Women’s Wear Daily from 1910 through 1915.
What did Tutankhamen’s burial sandals seem like? What shoes were the height of fashion in Paris on the turn of the century? The answers are all inside, at the side of hundreds of meticulously detailed images of each type of footwear conceivable: papyrus sandals from ancient Egypt, Chinese silk wedges for binding the feet, high wooden clogs for navigating muddy streets, English cavalier boots finished with rosettes and buckle trim, French taffeta dancing shoes, satin-and-lace boudoir slippers, kiltie golf brogues, jodhpur boots, American saddle oxfords, and so a lot more. Spanning centuries of styles from simply practical to distinctively dazzling, The Mode in Footwear is a true find for fashion editors, illustrators, costume designers, and shoe lovers of each kind.