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This article is about footwear. For other uses, see Shoe (disambiguation).
Shoes on the grass
Shoes on the grass
Women's shoes on display in a shop window, 2005.
Women's shoes on display in a shop window, 2005. Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include
Fashion shoes
Fashion shoes

A shoe is an item of footwear. Footwear consists of Garments worn on the feet, for protection against the environment and Adornment. Shoes may vary from a simple flip-flop to a complex boot. In Footwear and Fashion, flip-flops (also known as thongs, jandals, slippers, or pluggers) are a flat backless usually A boot is a type of Shoe that covers at least the Foot and the Ankle and sometimes extends up to the Knee or even the Hip. Shoes may have high or low heels, although in western cultures, high heels are considered a women's style. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Shoe materials include leather or canvas. Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making Sails Tents Marquees Backpacks and other functions Athletic shoe soles may sometimes be made of rubber. An athletic shoe is a Generic name for footwear designed for Sporting and physical activities, and is different in style and build than a Dress shoe

Contents

History

The earliest known shoes date from about 8000 to 7000 BCE and were found in Oregon, USA in 1938[1]. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the However, the materials used for making shoes do not normally last for thousands of years, so shoes were probably in use long before this. Physical anthropologist Erik Trinkaus believes he has found evidence that the use of shoes began in the period between about 40,000 and 26,000 years ago, based on the fact that the thickness of the bones of the toes (other than the big toe) decreased during this period, on the premise that going barefoot results in greater bone growth before this period. Biological anthropology, or physical anthropology is a branch of Anthropology that studies the mechanisms of biological Evolution, genetic inheritance Erik Trinkaus, PhD ( December 24, 1948) is a prominent Paleoanthropologist and expert on Neanderthal Biology and human evolution [1]

Parts of a shoe

Gluing a new outsole to an athletic shoe
Gluing a new outsole to an athletic shoe

Sole

The bottom of a shoe is called the sole.

Insole

The insole is the interior bottom of a shoe, which sits directly beneath the foot. Many shoes have removable and replaceable insoles, and extra insoles are often added for comfort or health reasons (to control the shape, moisture, or smell of the shoe).

Outsole

The outsole is the layer in direct contact with the ground. Dress shoes have leather outsoles; casual or work-oriented shoes have outsoles made of natural rubber or a synthetic imitation. Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process The outsole may comprise a single piece, or may comprise separate pieces of different materials. Often the heel of the sole is rubber for durability and traction, while the front is leather for style. Specialized shoes will often have modifications on this design: athletic cleats have spikes embedded in the outsole to grip the ground; many kinds of dancing shoes have much softer or harder soles. A cleat is a type of Shoe designed especially for Sports played on Grass or dirt such as soccer or American football. Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic

Midsole

The layer in between the outsole and the insole that is typically there for shock absorption. Some types of shoes, like running shoes, have another material for shock absorption, usually beneath the heel where one puts the most pressure down. Different companies use different materials for the midsoles of their shoes. Some shoes may not have a midsole at all.

Heel

Women's fashion boots
Women's fashion boots

The bottom rear part of a shoe is the heel. Its function is to support the heel of the foot. They are often made of the same material as the sole of the shoe. This part can be high for fashion or to make the person look taller, or flat for a more practical use.

Vamp, or upper

Any shoe has an upper part that helps hold the shoe onto the foot. In the simplest cases, such as sandals or flip flops, this may be nothing more than a few straps for holding the sole in place. Sandals are an open type of Footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps or thongs passing over the instep and around the ankle In Footwear and Fashion, flip-flops (also known as thongs, jandals, slippers, or pluggers) are a flat backless usually Closed footwear, such as boots, sneakers and most men's shoes, will have a more complex upper. This part is often decorated or is made in a certain style to look attractive. The U.S. Patent 3,355,535 , from 1967, describes a method for producing a shoe-upper (Hain 1967).

Accessories to shoes

  • Shoe polish: a waxy material spread on shoes to improve appearance, glossiness, and provide protection.
  • Shoe brush and polishing cloth: used to apply polish to shoes.

Types of shoes

Shoes made from real crocodile skin, in a conservation exhibit at Bristol Zoo, England.
Shoes made from real crocodile skin, in a conservation exhibit at Bristol Zoo, England. A crocodile is any Species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the Subfamily Crocodylinae) Bristol Zoo is a Zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Dress and casual shoes

Dress shoes are categorized by smooth and supple leather uppers, leather soles, and narrow sleek figure. A dress shoe (US English is a Shoe to be worn at Smart casual or more formal events Casual shoes are characterized by sturdy leather uppers, non-leather outsoles, and wide profile.

Some designs of dress shoes can be worn by either gender. The majority of dress shoes have an upper covering, commonly made of leather, enclosing most of the lower foot, but not covering the ankles. This upper part of the shoe is often made without apertures or openings, but may also be made with openings or even itself consist of a series of straps, e. g. an open toe featured in women's shoes. Shoes with uppers made high to cover the ankles are also available; a shoe with the upper rising above the ankle is usually considered a boot but certain styles may be referred to as high-topped shoes or high-tops. A boot is a type of Shoe that covers at least the Foot and the Ankle and sometimes extends up to the Knee or even the Hip. Usually, a high-topped shoe is secured by laces or zippers, although some styles have elastic inserts to ease slipping the shoe on.

Men's shoes

Men's shoes can be categorized by how they are closed:

Various other closings exist but are less popular such as side-elastic closings.

Men's shoes can also be decorated in various ways:

Women's shoes

There is a large variety of shoes available for women, in addition to most of the men's styles being more accepted as unisex. Some broad categories are:

Pumps, known in the US and UK as ballerinas, ballet pumps or skimmers, are shoes with a very low heel and a relatively short vamp, exposing much of the instep. They are popular for warm-weather wear, and may be seen as more comfortable than shoes with a higher heel.

High heels may be shoes with heels 2 inches (5 cm) or higher. They are often seen as having more sex appeal than low heels (see article for discussion) and are thus commonly worn by women for formal occasions or social outings.

Either gender

Women's sandals
Women's sandals

Athletic shoes

Men's and women's athletic shoes and special function shoes often have less difference between the sexes than in dress shoes. An athletic shoe is a Generic name for footwear designed for Sporting and physical activities, and is different in style and build than a Dress shoe In many cases these shoes can be worn by either sex. Emphasis tends to be more on function than style.

Orthopedic shoes

Orthopedic or "comfort" shoes are made with pedorthic and anatomically-correct comfort qualities, such as padded removable footbeds, wide toe boxes and arch support are made especially for those with problematic feet. A Certified Pedorthist, or C Ped is a specialist in using footwear - which includes shoes shoe modifications foot orthoses and other pedorthic devises - to solve problems

Dance shoes

Modern pointe shoes.
Modern pointe shoes. Pointe shoes, also incorrectly referred to as toe shoes, are a special type of shoe used by Ballet dancers for pointework.
Ballet shoes.
Ballet shoes. Ballet shoes, or ballet slippers, are lightweight shoes designed specifically for Ballet dancing
Jazz shoes. This style is frequently worn by acro dancers.
Jazz shoes. This style is frequently worn by acro dancers. Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision Acrobatic elements
A foot thong, viewed from the underside.
A foot thong, viewed from the underside.

Work shoes

Work shoes are designed to stand heavy wear, to protect the wearer, and provide high traction. They are generally made from sturdy leather uppers and non-leather outsoles. Sometimes they are used for uniforms or comfort by nurses, waitresses, police, military personnel, etc. A uniform is a set of standard Clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity A nurse is responsible—along with other Health care Professionals —for the treatment safety and recovery of acutely or chronically Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking They are commonly used for protection in industrial settings, construction, mining, and other workplaces. In the fields of Architecture and Civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the Building or assembling of Infrastructure Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Protective features may include steel-tipped toes and soles or ankle guards. Steel-toe boots (also known as safety toe boots, steel-capped boots or safety boots) are durable Boots or Shoes that have In Human anatomy, the ankle Joint is formed where the Foot and the leg meet

Historical shoes

Footwear has been worn for tens of thousands of years. Shoes of the past include:

Maintenance

Someone who makes or repairs shoes in a shop is called a cobbler.

Shoe etiquette

In most parts of the world (Asia, Eastern Europe, parts of the Middle East and Africa, much of Northern Europe and Canada, as well as Alaska) it is customary to remove shoes when entering a house. In some areas of the United States, especially the Midwest, it is expected that visitors remove their shoes unless a host specifically invites them to leave their shoes on. People do this to avoid bringing dirt, mud or snow into the house. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel In computer gaming, a MUD ( Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension) is a multi-player computer game that combines elements of "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation. For some societies, including those in Asia, indoor footwear may be provided for guests.

In the Middle East, parts of Africa, Korea and Thailand, it is considered rude to show the soles of the feet to others (even accidentally, such as by crossing the legs). In addition, in Thailand, it is an extreme insult for the foot, socks, or shoes to touch someone's head or be placed over it. Although feet touching heads is an extremely rare occurrence in any society, some Muay Thai boxers insult each other by "kicking" the opponent's head with their foot (most Muay Thai kicks are executed with the shin). Muay Thai ( IPA: /muɑɪtʰɑɪ/ muāitʰāi มวยไทย lit Muay Thai ( IPA: /muɑɪtʰɑɪ/ muāitʰāi มวยไทย lit

See also dress code. Clothing is an aspect of Human physical appearance, and like other aspects of human physical appearance it has social significance

Shoes in literature

Shoes play an important role in the fairy tales Cinderella, "Wizard of Oz" and The Red Shoes. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Cinderella ( French: Cendrillon, Slovak: Popoluška, German: Aschenputtel, Spanish: Cenicienta "The Red Shoes" (Danish De røde sko) is a Fairy tale by Danish Poet and Author Hans Christian Andersen In literature and film, an empty shoe or a pair of shoes signifies death.

Sizes

Main article: Shoe size

Shoe companies

See the category shoe companies for a list of shoe companies.

External links

References

  1. ^ Fort Rock Sandals

Further reading

Dictionary

shoe

-noun

  1. A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of leather or synthetic material. Shoes generally do not extend above the ankle, as opposed to boots, which do.
  2. A piece of metal designed to be attached to a horse's foot as a means of protection; a horseshoe.
  3. Something resembling a shoe by function, like a brake shoe.

-verb

  1. To equip an object with a protection against wear.
  2. To put horseshoes on a horse.
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