SHOEBIZ TRIVIA

What does the word “stiletto” originally mean? The correct answer is “little dagger”. The Italian stiletto had a strong period of popularity in the 1950s, replacing the chunky styles of the 1940s and complimenting the postwar “New Look” in clothes. Later problems with carpets and flooring in general brought the competition between common sense and fashion into a new arena. Check it out here!

Which shoe style for men was named after a British city with a famous university? The correct answer is Oxford. A dictionary definition of an “Oxford shoe” is merely “a low shoe laced over the instep”. There is no exact date for its introduction but it developed in popularity during the first two decades of the 20th century. A style of trousers which was very wide at the ankles became fashionable in the 1920s and was known as “Oxford bags”. Check it out here!

Which elastic-sided boots were popular during the early 1960s? The correct answer is “Chelsea Boots”. The boots had in fact been invented over 125 years earlier. Amongst other things that made them popular again in the 1960s was the fact that the Beatles were sometimes known to wear them. Check it out here!

Back in the 1320s in England the popular styles of footwear included “pikes”, “crackowes” and “poulaines”. What was the most notable feature of such styles? The correct answer is the toes of the shoes became a sharp point. The sharp point was known as the “scorpion’s tail”. The length of one’s toe point became an indicator of one’s high status. The King and his court had the shoes with the largest toes. This style wasn’t normally worn by women. Check it out here!

During the reign of Henry VIII soles reaching six and a half inches wide were common. What was the name given to this sort of shoe? The correct answer is “foot bags”. The pointed shoe had disappeared at the end of the Middle Ages and was replaced by round and square toe shapes. At first they were a sensible size but gradually became larger and larger until they became “foot bags” Check it out here!