Shoes, Glorious Shoes! Trivia Quiz

Answer: 18th

During the 1700s, especially the 1740s to about 1790 shoes took on a life almost their own! Hair fashion during this time reached a peak of extragavance of style (think of Marie Antionette), and shoes followed suit. De rigeuer for the female were very high heels and brocaded or silk embroidered uppers, often complemented with a painted feather and almost always with a large showy buckle.

The males, not to be outdone, wore mostly black, medium heeled, pointed shoes decorated by large shiny gold or silver buckles.

After the start of the French Revolution, excesses in shoe fashion rapidly declined and more affordable styles with virtually no heel, and manufactured from more practical and affordable leathers became the fashion.

Answer: platform shoes

Remember "Saturday Night Fever" or any of Elton John's 1970s film clips? The chunkier and higher, the more sought after they were! Cork and solid wooden soles abounded. While we might like to believe they are a 20th century creation, the reality is that the Ancient Greeks and Romans wore elevated shoes and in 16th century Venice they were worn by "ladies of the night". Japanese geishas also favoured the style as a height increasing accessory. Everything old is new again!

Answer: Brothel Creepers

How shocking! "Teddy Boys" originated in Britain and wore their shoes with drainpipe trousers which had four inch cuffs. They wore their thick, suede shoes with vivid socks and mothers around the nation were scandalised!

Answer: stilettos

The iconic stiletto ... my kind of shoe! A curved "vampish" shape with very high heels first became fashionable in the 1950s (among certain types of women). They were an alternative to light pumps and "court shoes" which were the epitome of conservatism, and I love them. Probably have to add here that I am quite short! Also should add I am not a "certain type of women".

Answer: Jandals

The earliest footwear recorded in cave paintings are flat based shoes, with a division between the toes. A cave painting in Egypt depicts a sandal, made of what is believed to be papyrus, consisting of a flat base and division between the big toe and next toe to enable the wearer to actually keep it on! The Ancient Greeks also have such footwear recorded, but seem to have a more sophisticated style with leather thonging extending above the ankle.

The New Zealanders call the modern "Thong" type shoe, a "jandal".

It is a matter of much conjecture, but it is thought that the name "jandal" is a shortened form of "Japanese sandal", introduced to New Zealand by John Cowie in the late 1940s, when he commenced mass producing cheap rubber versions of footwear he had seen in Japan, because he thought it suitable footwear for the population in New Zealand.

Answer: China

Foot binding for females commenced in the Royal Palaces of China in the mid 10th century. There are many myths about what prompted this painful, disfiguring practice but the generally accepted theory is that Prince Li Yu, the ruler of ten kingdoms in southern China, was enamoured of a concubine called Precious Thing, who danced on her toes on a six foot high platform shaped like a lotus flower. To gain the Prince's favour, the other concubines began to walk on their toes and eventually foot binding was used to make the feet appear smaller and aid toe walking. The bound feet were clad in highly embroidered lotus shoes made of silk with a high heel.
Originally foot binding was only practiced by the wealthy classes but by the beginning of the 17th century all classes had adopted the practice.
A law was passed in 1911 outlawing footbinding but it still persisted in some areas until Mao Zedong came to power in 1949.

Answer: 1650

After observing the American Indian practice of producing comfortable moccasin style shoes, the colonists started making their own. They were made from animal hides and proved to be so popular in England that the first pairs were exported in 1650. It was not until 1760 however, that the first mass production shoe factory was established in Massachusetts.

Answer: Patten

Pattens came in three styles. The platform sole type raised the foot from the ground by means of a wooden wedge or iron stand sole. A flatter wooden sole type was often hinged and a stacked leather layer sole style allowed more flexibility of movement for the wearer.

They were worn over the thin indoor shoe and were similar to the footwear we know today as clogs. It is thought that the name is derived from an Old French word "pate" meaning hoof or paw.

Answer: Poland

Poulaines were also known as crackows. During the 15th century Krakow was the capital of Poland and the trend began there. The toes were so long that the tips had to be supported by whalebone and tied to the leg (just below the knee) so that the wearer could walk unimpeded. Both the Pope and King Henry IV of England deplored the style but the fashionistas of the era were not deterred.

The style went out of fashion during the 1480s.

Answer: Nike

Nike (named for the Greek Goddess of Victory) and instantly recognizable from the "Swoosh" logo and "Just do it" slogan, commenced life in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports. The first footwear to carry the "Swoosh" logo was released in 1971 and by 1980 Nike had approximately fifty percent of market share. The waffle design sole was developed specifically for athletes but now approximately half the general population, sporty of not, own a pair!

Later, he was sponsored by Adidas.