Ancient Egypt

The earliest traces of shoes were shown in ancient murals by the Ancient Egyptians around 200 B.C. These shoes are more commonly known as sandals and were made of wood, goatskin and papyrus and many of these sandals had a point at the end as well. The more elaborate sandals, which also had a small heel, were reserved for the Pharaohs and these designs became even more elaborate with gold and jewels with each new rising Pharaoh.


This image was adopted from: http://pro.corbis.com/images/PG13634.jpg?size=67&uid={60E1C267-75D5-4508-8522-D8F842135104}

12th Century - High Middle Ages

Was he really trying to hide his deformed toes? According to history, King Henry II of England created this long pointed boot in order to hide his deformed feet in 1154. Either way, it started a trend in the court and led to the development of pointed shoes up to 30 inches long in the 13th Century. However, these shoes were restricted for Kings and Queens.



This image of King Henry II of England was adopted from: http://media.photobucket.com/image/king%20henry%20II%20%25252B%20pointed%20shoes/midtowng/henryII.jpg

14th Century - Late Middle Ages

The Poulaine or crackowe were extremely long pointed shoes popularized in Poland during the late 14th Century and in the 15th Century. According to Wikipedia, Sometimes the point of the shoe would need support from a whalebone or a string tied to the leg (just below the knee) to stop the point getting in the way when they were walking. King Henry IV of England banned these extreme pointed shoes from being worn in the 16th Century and required all shoes to be a maximum of 2 inches long.

This image was adopted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poulaine

16th Century - Renaissance

Leonardo da Vinci is credited with inventing the high heel, primarily for Catherine d'Medici's wedding at the age of 14 to the Duke of Orleans in 1533. Catherine d'Medici was so small that she wore these two inch heels to exaggerate her height. These heels set the trend for many women thereafter, including Mary Tudor "Bloody Mary".

This image was adopted from: www.mysexyhiheels.com/history/history.html

18th Century - Rococo Period

From mistress of Louis XV to style icon, Madame Pompadour's narrow pointed embroidered shoes was one of her biggest fashion innovations during the Rococo Period in late 18th Century France. The "Pompadour" was a heel so high and narrow that many women fainted at court because they tried to hide the actual size of their feet. Madame Pompadour had heels with every sort of embellishment, including silver piping, a variety of brocades and silver buckles and she once "wore red heels in defiance of public opinion," according to Eliza Azria in "Costume: Fanciful, Historical, Theatrical".

Two modern shoe designers, Sergio Rossi and Charles David have even created a pump called "Pompadour" after her innovative design.

This image of Madame Pompadour was adopted from: http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%82%AC%EC%9A%A9%EC%9E%90:Applebee/%EB%B2%88%EC%97%AD_%EC%98%88%EC%A0%95_%EB%AC%B8%EC%84%9C/%ED%94%84%EB%9E%91%EC%8A%A4%EC%9D%98_%EB%A3%A8%EC%9D%B4_15%EC%84%B8

The image of Sergio Rossi's Pompadour pump was adopted from: http://lifestyleforlease.com/uploaded/product_images/thumb_big/1232281236Sergio%20Rossi%20pump%20brown%20sz39%20pompadour%20Prima.jpg