Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities.
A ballet shoe, or ballet slipper, is a lightweight shoe designed specifically for ballet dancing. It may be made from soft leather, canvas, or satin, and has flexible, thin soles. Traditionally, women wear pink shoes and men wear white or black shoes. Tan coloured slippers - which are unobtrusive and thus give the appearance of dancing barefoot - are worn in modern ballets and sometimes modern dancing by both men and women.
A Beatle boot is a style of boot that has been worn since the 1960s. The boots are tight-fitting, Cuban-heeled, ankle-high boots with a sharp pointed toe, made popular by the English rock group The Beatles, for whom they were originally made. The style can feature either zipped or elastic sides. Beatle boots saw the reintroduction of high-heeled footwear for men.
A blucher is a style of shoe similar to a derby. Its vamp is made of a single piece of leather ("one cut").
Boat shoes (also known as deck shoes or topsiders) are typically canvas or leather with non-marking rubber soles designed for use on a boat. A siping pattern is cut into the soles to provide grip on a wet deck; the leather construction, along with application of oil, is designed to repel water; and the stitching is highly durable. Boat shoes are traditionally worn without socks.
A boot is a type of footwear and a specific type of shoe. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece. Traditionally made of leather or rubber, modern boots are made from a variety of materials. Boots are worn both for their functionality – protecting the foot and leg from water, snow, mud or hazards or providing additional ankle support for strenuous activities – and for reasons of style and fashion.
The Brogue is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or "broguing") and serration along the pieces' visible edges.
Creepers or brothel creepers are a type of shoe which often has suede uppers and characteristically thick crepe soles. The shoes were first developed as a fashion item following World War II. They have been popular on and off with various subcultures ever since.
Chelsea Boots, also known as dealer boots, jodhpur boots and paddock boots, are close-fitting, ankle-high boots. The most notable features are the elastic side panel and tab of fabric on the back of the boot, enabling it to be slipped on and off. The design's history dates back to the Victorian era, when it was worn by both men and women. Chelsea boots were considered an iconic element of the 1960s mod scene. Australian work boots, which are popular in Australia, are another variation based on the Chelsea boot.
A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand. Unsuited to walking and hiking, climbing shoes are typically donned at the base of a climb.
Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Clogs are used worldwide and although the form may vary by culture, within a culture the form often remained unchanged for centuries.
Cowboy boots refer to a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a Cuban heel, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally made from cowhide leather but are also sometimes made from "exotic" skins such as alligator, snake, ostrich, lizard, eel, elephant, stingray, elk, buffalo, and the like.
Crocs, Inc. is a shoe manufacturer founded by Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker, Jr. - to produce and distribute a foam clog design acquired from a Quebec company called Foam Creations. The shoe had originally been developed as a spa shoe. The first model produced by Crocs, the Beach, was unveiled in 2002 at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida, and sold out the 200 pairs produced at that time.
Cycling shoes are shoes purpose-built for cycling. There are a variety of designs depending on the type and intensity of the cycling for which they are intended. Key features include rigidity, for more-efficient transfer of power from the cyclist to the pedals, weight, a method of attaching the shoe firmly to the pedal and adaptability for use on and off the bicycle. Most high performance cycling shoes can be adjusted while in use, via a quick-adjusting system that has largely replaced laces.
A Derby shoe (also called Gibson) is a style of Men's shoe characterized by shoelace eyelet tabs that are sewn on top of a single-piece vamp. This construction method, also known as "open lacing", contrasts with that of the Oxfords.
Diabetic shoes, sometimes referred to as extra depth, therapeutic shoes or Sugar Shoes, are specially designed shoes, or shoe inserts, intended to reduce the risk of skin breakdown in diabetics with co-existing foot disease.
Dori shoes are dance shoes that combine the toe box of a pointe shoe with a dance heel approximately 3 inches (about 7.5 cm) in length. These allow the dancer to combine steps from multiple dance styles with classical ballet, by switching balance from standing on the heel to standing en pointe, and vice-versa.
A dress shoe (U.S. English) is a shoe to be worn at smart casual or more formal events. A dress shoe is typically contrasted to an athletic shoe. Dress shoes are worn by many as their standard daily shoes, and are widely used in dance, for parties, and for special occasions.
Espadrilles or alpargatas are normally casual, flat, but sometimes high-heeled shoes originating in the Pyrenees. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of jute rope. The jute rope sole is the defining characteristic of an espadrille; the uppers vary widely in style. In Quebec, however, espadrille is the usual term for running shoes or sneakers.
A fashion boot is a boot worn for reasons of style or fashion (rather than for utilitarian purposes - e.g. not hiking boots, riding boots, rain boots, etc.). The term is usually applied to women's boots. Fashion boots come in a wide variety of styles, from ankle to thigh-length, and are used for casual, formal, and business attire. Although boots were a popular style of women's footwear in the Nineteenth Century, they were not recognized as a high fashion item until the 1960s. They became widely popular in the 1970s and have remained a staple of women's winter wardrobes since then.
Flip-flops (also called thongs, jandals, pluggers, go-aheads, slaps, slides, step-ins, chankla or a variety of other names throughout the world) are a type of open-toed sandal typically worn in casual situations. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap that passes between the first and second toes and around either side of the foot. They may also be held to the foot with a single strap over the top of the foot rather than a thong. The name "flip-flop" originated because of the sound that is made by slapping between the sole of the foot and the floor when walking.
Football boots, called cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are an item of footwear worn when playing football. Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. From simple and humble beginnings football boots have come a long way and today find themselves subject to much research, development, sponsorship and marketing at the heart of a multi-national global industry. Modern "boots" are not truly boots in that they do not cover the ankle.
Fuck-me shoes, alternatively fuck-me boots, is a derisive slang term for women's high-heeled shoes that exaggerate a sexual image. The term can be applied to any women's shoes that are worn with the intention of arousing others. It is sometimes used to imply condemnation against the women who choose to wear them or in a misogynistic fashion toward the women who wear them.
Go-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot first introduced in the mid-1960s. The original go-go boots, as defined by Andre Courreges in 1964, were white, low-heeled, and mid-calf in height, a specific style which is sometimes called the Courreges boot. Since then, the term go-go boot has come to include the knee-high, square-toed boots with block heels that were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s; as well as a number of variations including kitten heeled versions and colours other than white.
Heelys is a brand of roller shoe (marketed by Heelys, Inc.) that have one or more wheels embedded in each sole, similar to inline skates. Thus, the wearer can walk, run, or, by shifting their weight to their heels, roll. Braking can be achieved by lowering the back of the foot so that sole contacts the ground. Generally, "Heeling" is a form of skating, and as such may not be allowed in some places, including schools, some amusement parks, retail and zoos. In February 2007, Yeovil Town Council were the first English council to ban their use.
High-heeled footwear (often abbreviated as high heels or simply heels) is footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's foot significantly higher than the toes. When both the heel and the toes are raised equal amounts, as in a platform shoe, it is technically not considered to be a high heel; however, there are also high-heeled platform shoes. High heels tend to give the aesthetic illusion of longer, more slender legs. High heels come in a wide variety of styles, and the heels are found in many different shapes, including stiletto, pump (court shoe), block, tapered, blade, and wedge.
Hiking (walking) boots are footwear specifically designed for hiking. They are one of the most important items of hiking gear, since their quality and durability can determine a hiker's ability to move far, fast, and safely. Hiking boots are constructed to provide comfort for walking considerable distance over rough terrain, and protect the hiker's feet against water, mud, rocks, etc.
Hip boots, or waders as they are colloquially called, are a type of tall boot initially designed to be worn by river fishermen. Hip boots are typically made out of rubber, and completely cover the legs, up to the tops of the thighs or all the way up to the waist. Hip boots are designed to protect the fisherman from water, and allow wading out into deeper waters in hopes of getting a bigger catch. They also help to keep the feet and legs warm in autumn and winter. Hip boots are also worn by many ecologists and environmental scientists who do tests in swamps or lakes to determine the quality of water.
Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice. They are worn as footwear in many sports, including ice hockey, bandy and figure skating. The first ice skates were made from leg bones of horse, ox or deer, and were attached to feet with leather straps. A pole with a sharp metal spike was used for pushing the skater forward.
Inline skates (often called Rollerblades after the popular trade name) are a type of roller skate used for inline skating. Unlike quad skates, which have two front and two rear wheels, inline skates have four or five wheels arranged in a single line. Some inline skates, especially those for recreation, have a "stop" or "brake" which is used to slow down while skating; most have a heel stop rather than the toe stop, particularly indispensable for inline figure skating.
Jelly shoes or jellies are shoes made of PVC plastic. Jelly shoes come in a large variety of brands and colours and the material is frequently infused with glitter. Its name refers to the semi-transparent materials with a jelly-like sheen. The shoes became a fad in the early 1980s, when a pair could frequently be purchased for less than one US dollar. Like many other fashion trends from the 1980s, jellies have been revived a number of times since the late 1990s. Although considered a populist shoe in the 1980s, the jelly shoe has been reinterpreted by a number of high-end fashion designers in the early twenty-first century.
Slip-ons are typically low, lace-less shoes. The style most commonly seen, known as a loafer or slippers in American culture, has a moccasin construction. One design was introduced in London by Wildsmith Shoes called the Wildsmith Loafer, they began as casual shoes, but have increased in popularity to the point of being worn in America with city lounge suits. Another design was introduced as Aurlandskoen (the Aurland Shoe) in Norway (early 20th century). They are worn in many situations in a variety of colours and designs, often featuring tassels on the front, or metal decorations (the 'Gucci' loafer).
Mary Jane is an American term (formerly a registered trademark) for a closed, low-cut shoe with one or more straps across the instep. Classic Mary Janes for children are typically made of black leather or patent leather, have one thin strap fastened with a buckle or button, a broad and rounded toebox, low heels, and thin outsoles. Among girls, Mary Janes are traditionally worn with pantyhose or socks, and a dress or a skirt and blouse. Among boys (less common), Mary Janes are traditionally worn with socks, short trousers, and a shirt.
A moccasin is a shoe, made of deerskin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp (additional panel of leather). The sole is soft and flexible and the upper part often is adorned with embroidery or beading. Though sometimes worn inside, it is chiefly intended for outdoor use, as in exploring wildernesses and running
A monk shoe is a style of shoe with no lacing, closed by a buckle and strap. It is also known as a monk strap, and has been called the "most advanced" dress shoe.
Mule, a French word, is a style of shoe that is backless and often closed-toed. Mules can be any heel height - from flat to high. The style is predominantly (but not exclusively) worn by women.
Over-the-knee boots (or cuissardes, which include thighboots, top boots, hip-boots, and waders) are long boots that fully or partly cover the knee. Originally created as a man's riding boot in the 15th Century, in the latter part of the 20th Century the style was redefined as a fashion boot for women. OTK boots are also used as a work boot in circumstances requiring additional protection for the legs (e.g. fisherman's waders).
An Oxford shoe is characterized by shoelace eyelets tabs that are attached under the vamp, a feature termed "closed lacing". This contrasts with Derbys, or Bluchers, which have shoelace eyelets attached to the top of the vamp. Originally, Oxfords were plain, formal shoes, made of leather but they evolved into a range of styles suitable for both formal and casual wear. Based on function and the dictates of fashion, Oxfords are now made from a variety of materials, including calf leather, patent leather, suede, and canvas. They are normally black or brown, and may be plain or patterned (Brogue).
A peep-toe shoe is a woman's shoe (usually a pump, slingback, bootie, or any other dress shoe) in which there is an opening at the toe-box which allows the toes to show.
Platform boots are boots with thick wedge soles or a combination of thick soles and high heels that are similar in some respects to the platform shoe. They were seen as the cutting edge of fashion in the United Kingdom during the 1970s and during the British invasion. They were worn by both men and women.
Platform shoes (also known as disco boots, triangle heels, or simply platforms) are shoes, boots, or sandals with thick soles. They are often made of cork, plastic, rubber, or wood (wooden-soled platform shoes are, technically, also clogs). Platform shoes have been worn, for reasons such as fashion or added height, in various cultures since the Ancient era.
A pointe shoe is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers when performing pointe work. Pointe shoes were conceived in response to the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and have evolved to enable dancers to dance en pointe (on the tips of their toes) for extended periods of time. They are normally worn by female dancers, though male dancers may wear them for unorthodox roles such as the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella, or in dance companies that feature men dancing as women, such as Les Ballets Trockadero. They are manufactured in a variety of colors, most commonly in shades of light pink.
A court shoe (British English), or pump (American English), is a shoe with a low-cut front and usually without a fastening. However, some have an ankle strap. They are usually worn by women, but are still traditional menswear in some formal situations, where the style is sometimes called an opera slipper or patent pump.
Roller skates are devices worn on the feet to enable the wearer to roll along on wheels. The first roller skate was effectively an ice skate with wheels where the blade goes. Later the "quad" style of roller skate became more popular consisting of four wheels arranged in the same configuration as a typical car.
The saddle shoe is a low-heeled casual Oxford shoe, characterized by a plain toe and distinctive, saddle-shaped decorative panel placed mid foot. Saddle shoes are typically constructed of leather and are most frequently white with a black saddle, although any colour combination is possible.
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometimes be blurry (as in the case of huaraches - the woven leather footwear seen in Mexico - and peep-toe pumps), the common understanding is that a sandal leaves most of the upper part of the foot exposed, particularly the toes. People may choose to wear sandals for several reasons, among them economy (sandals tend to require less material than shoes and are usually easier to construct), comfort in warm weather, and as a fashion choice.
A T-bar sandal or T-bar shoe (also known in the United Kingdom as "school sandal" or "closed-toe sandal") is a closed, low-cut shoe with two or more straps forming one or more T shapes (one or more straps across the instep passing through a perpendicular, central strap that extends from the vamp).
Shoelaces, sometimes called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known as aglets. Each shoelace typically passes through a series of holes, eyelets, loops or hooks on either side of the shoe. Loosening the lacing allows the shoe to open wide enough for the foot to be inserted or removed. Tightening the lacing and tying off the ends secures the foot within the shoe.
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function. Additionally, fashion has often dictated many design elements, such as whether shoes have very high heels or flat ones. Contemporary footwear varies widely in style, complexity and cost. Basic sandals may consist of only a thin sole and simple strap. High fashion shoes may be made of very expensive materials in complex construction and sell for thousands of dollars a pair. Other shoes are for very specific purposes, such as boots designed specifically for mountaineering or skiing.
A slide is a shoe that is backless and open-toed, essentially an open-toed mule. Generally, all slides are not sandals sandal. Thongs and flip flops are normally classified separately. Slides can be high-heeled, flat-heeled or somewhere in between, and may cover nearly the entire foot from ankle to toe, or may have only one or two narrow straps. They usually include a single strap or a sequence of straps across the toes and the lower half of the foot to hold the shoe on the foot. The term is descriptive in that this shoe is easy to 'slide' on and off the foot when the wearer wants to do so.
A slingback is a type of woman's footwear characterized by a strap that crosses behind the heel or ankle. A slingback strap is distinguishable from an ankle-strap in that the latter is a strap that completely encircles the ankle.
Slippers are light shoes which are easy to put on and take off and usually worn indoors.
Sneaker is a synonym for "athletic shoes," the generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise. Additionally, sneakers have come to be used for casual everyday activities. The term describes a type of footwear with a flexible sole made of rubber or synthetic material and an upper part made of leather or canvas. Examples include athletic footwear such as: basketball shoes, tennis shoes, cross trainers and other shoes worn for specific sports.
The spectator shoe (British English: co-respondent shoe) is a style of low-heeled, oxford, semi-brogue or full brogue constructed from two contrasting colours, typically having the toe and heel cap and sometimes the lace panels in a darker colour than the main body of the shoe. This style of shoe dates from the nineteenth century but reached the height of popularity during the 1920s and 1930s.
A steel-toe boot (also known as a safety boot, steel-capped boot or safety shoe) is a durable boot or shoe that has a protective reinforcement in the toe which protects the foot from falling objects or compression, usually combined with a mid sole plate to protect against punctures from below.
A stiletto heel is a long, thin, high heel found on some boots and shoes, usually for women. It is named after the stiletto dagger, the phrase being first recorded in the early 1930s. Stiletto heels may vary in length from 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) to 25 cm (10 inches) or more if a platform sole is used, and are sometimes defined as having a diameter at the ground of less than 1 cm (slightly less than half an inch). Stiletto-style heels 5 cm (2.0 in) or shorter are called kitten heels.
Thigh-high boots, known also as thigh-length boots or simply thigh boots, are boots that extend above the knees. Other terms for this footwear include over-the-knee boots (abbreviated OTK boots; the full term is also used for the 15th century riding boots for men, later adopted by women) and, especially when cuffed, pirate boots. Lengths vary from reaching just over the knee to reaching almost to the crotch (referred to as crotch boots or crotch-high boots).
Ugg boots (sometimes called uggs) are known in Australia and New Zealand as a unisex style of sheepskin boots. In the rest of the world, UGG is a brand manufactured by Deckers Brands, with registered trademarks in over 130 countries worldwide including the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, all European Union members, and China. They are typically made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside, a tanned outer surface and a synthetic sole.
Veldskoen (or vellie, colloquial, veldskoene plural, alternately velskoens or velskoene plural; pronounced "FELL-skoons") are Southern African walking shoes made from vegetable-tanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a leather footbed and rubber sole without tacks or nails.
Venetian-style shoes (venetian-style loafers) are mid-heel slippers with an upper or top part that is slightly open to the kick of the foot and the ankle bone. The venetian-style shoe and its lack of ornamentation contrasts with the loafer which may have slotted straps, vamps and even tassels. The term came from Great Britain.
Waders refers to a waterproof boot extending from the foot to the chest, traditionally made from vulcanised rubber, but available in more modern PVC, neoprene and Gore-Tex variants. Waders are generally distinguished from counterpart waterproof boots by shaft height; the hip boot extending to the thigh and the Wellington boot to the knee. They are therefore sometimes referred to as Chest Waders for emphasis. Waders are available with boots attached or can have attached stocking feet (usually made of the wader material), to wear inside boots.
A water shoe is a type of footwear that are typically used for activities where the feet are likely to become wet, such as kayaking. Water shoes are made of mesh and have a hard sole used to prevent cuts and abrasions when walking in wet, rocky environments. Water shoes are also used to protect people's feet in waters with sharp-rocked floors or zebra mussels, in which case their primary purpose is not to keep the wearer's feet dry. In some areas such as the Finger Lakes, wearing water shoes has become essential due to the infestation of sharp-edged mussels.
The Wellington boot is a type of boot based upon leather Hessian boots. They were worn and popularised by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. This novel "Wellington" boot became a staple of hunting and outdoor wear for the British aristocracy in the early 19th century. Wellington boots are also known as rubber boots, wellies, wellingtons, topboots, billy-boots, gumboots, gumbies, gummies, rainboots, gavin's, Alaskan Sneakers, kboots.
Winklepickers, or winkle pickers, are a style of shoe or boot worn from the 1950s onward by male and female British rock and roll fans. The feature that gives both the boot and shoe their name is the very sharp and long pointed toe, reminiscent of medieval footwear and approximately the same as the long pointed toes on some women's high-fashion shoes and boots in the late 2000s.
