Shoes: A Brief History

by Linda Woolley, Lucy Johnston

Changing styles in footwear have always captured the imagination and communicated the priorities and ambitions of the wearer—during the reign of Henry VIII, exaggerated shapes and wide toes were footwear’s reflection of the aggressive social climate of the court, while engravings of Queen Victoria show impossibly narrow slippers, worn in pursuit of 19th-century ideals of daintiness. This colorful book provides an engaging overview of the history of footwear.

Genres: Fashion, Fashion History

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2015

Reviews

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really care that much about shoes. I have never been a shoe person personally, I have always had the fewest amount of shoes of any (female) person I know. But I do love the history of fashion, and so I do need to know a little about the history of the shoe, so I read this. It's a perfectly nice little V & A book, and it would be great for someone who really does like shoes.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give the book 3.5 stars. It was interesting. I enjoyed reading about the development of shoes. I found it annoying that frequently when describing a shoe, the plate the author refers to is somewhere else in the book.

[Jane Night]

I think this is an excellent reference book if you need to know about shoes from a particular time period however I found it far to dull to read cover to cover.

There are some lovely pictures of museum pieces.

[Betty Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating little book. I'm currently getting into reenacting and it was great to learn more about the history of footwear.