When it comes to footwear, seniors and baby boomers have various viewpoints. Consider the example of high-heeled shoes for women. The older a woman gets, the more difficult is the challenge of donning high-heeled footwear . Yet senior women tend to be more traditional and may maintain a desire to wear high heels to church or on formal occasions.

Fashion experts, as a general rule, define high-heel footwear as shoes with an elevation of more than 3.5 inches. If it’s “only” 3 inches, it’s “just” a mid-heel. Go ahead and groan, ladies. The fashion experts setting these strict high-heel standards, of course, are men such as Maurizio and Paolo Gucci, and Jimmy Choo.

Who in the world invented high heels in the first place? One version is that the first wearers of high heels were men. As the Dark Ages gave way to the Renaissance so many moons ago, one great revelation among the fellas on horseback was that heels would help prevent their boots from slipping out of their stirrups. This can’t be proven, however, not even on the History Channel.

Which ethnic group of women first started to get all fashionable with their footwear, progressing (or regressing, if that’s your view) to higher and higher heels? Wouldn’t you know it, the French and the Italians were in the lead roles. In fact, there may have been a sort of a combo trend sparked in 1533 by Catherine de’ Medici. She was Queen of France, although she was of Italian stock, and she was really, really short. Therefore, legend has it, Catherine de’ Medici had a chat with her cobbler. The rest is history, or rather, herstory.

Podiatrists tell women that if they must wear high heels, they should try to reserve this footwear for special occasions, not for daily work in the office. High heels add stress not only to a woman’s feet, but also to the knees. Furthermore, the height of the heel isn’t the only concern. Some high-heel shoe styles also smash the toes together, which isn’t healthy either. Still, a quality high-heel shoe also can provide comfort…as long as not much walking is on the agenda.

SOURCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-heeled_footwear
http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/036heels.html

The history of shoes is filled with interesting and innovated designers. Each designer offers shoe lines that incorporate what the designer thinks shoe buyers want. WhiteMountain is a shoe company that focuses on shoes that are affordable, comfortable and fashionable. From the 1980s to the present, White Mountain has been offering a great selection of chic styles.

History of White Mountain
White Mountain started business in 1980. From their beginning they had a mission, and that mission was to make feet happy. They accomplished this by combining old world craftsmanship with modern technology. This combination produced shoe lines that had the supple feel of handcrafted leather with the ergonomic advantages that modern technology lends to shoe designs. Throughout the last several decades White Mountain has produced several great lines of shoes and shoe styles, and they have sold millions upon millions of fashionable shoes to women around the globe.

White Mountain Shoes
White Mountain has launched several shoe lines. One of the most popular shoe lines is the Rialto. This shoe line is a value price line, which basically means that these shoes are affordable. This line includes both every day shoes that are appropriate for work shoes and hanging around the house, as well as occasion shoes, which are appropriate for special events like date night, weddings and other celebrations.

Another popular line offered by White Mountain is Happy Feet. This line of shoes is dedicated to casual footwear. This includes great strappy sandals called Gladiators, flats, sandals and wedges.

White Mountain focuses on four different types of shoes. Their flats styles include Garrison and Granby. These shoes are great for work and casual wear. The second style that they carry is the Gladiators line. Gladiators are great strappy sandals that come in several styles from thongs to open toed sandals. The final styles offered by White Mountain are sandals and wedges. Both of these styles work well for both casual and dressy occasions.

Buying White Mountain Shoes
In order to buy White Mountain shoes you will need to find a White Mountain outlet or a shoe store that carries this line of shoes. Fortunately, there are many places across the country that carry White Mountain shoes. The next time you are out looking for a great pair of casual or dress shoes, look for the White Mountain label.

Shoe fashion in the United States hit a sweet spot in the Big Band era, which stretched between 1935 and 1945. During this era, shoe fashion was big with both men and women. The explosion of the popularity of American cinema brought shoe fashion to the foreground of American popular culture and made having the right shoes as important as wearing the right dress or suit. This change in style awareness affected the way that people looked at the shoes they bought and how they coordinated their outfits.

Shoe Fashion Changes During the Big Band Era
One of the biggest changes in shoe fashion during the Big Band Era was that there were a lot more shoes to choose between. Not only did the number of available shoe designs explode, but so did the number of sizes and fitting options. In fact, there were more sizes and fitting options during this historical era in America than there are now. The importance of having a well-fitted shoe that looked good was a change in American fashion sense, and it was created by the popularity of American cinema, which played up the appeal of having a great pair of shoes that fit your feet properly.

Shoe Designs That Were Popular During the Big Band Era
Many of the shoe designs that were popular during the Big Band Era are still around today. A few of the styles that were popular include high-heeled sandals , lace-up shoes, wedges and chunk heels. For men, loafers and lace-up shoes were popular. One of the new developments in shoe design during the late 1930s was the addition of lace to women’s dress shoes. Salvatore Ferragamo was the first to apply lace to women’s shoes.

As far as shoe materials go in the 1930s and 1940s, leather was the leader, especially for dress shoes . Leather was used in solid pieces, strips, braids and fringe. The color choices during this era ranged from neutral colors like tan, fawn and black to fashion colors that matched the latest designer clothing fashions on the market. Multicolor shoes were also introduced and generally created by adding lace, embroidery, beads and rhinestones.

Many shoe designers start their careers because they either can’t find the type of shoe that they want or because they are inspired to create their own shoe design. Both of these scenarios fit the beginning story for Vegetarian Shoes. This shoe design company was founded in 1990 by a vegetarian who wanted to create a great looking shoe that used a material other than leather.

Vegetarian Shoes – The Beginning
Vegetarian Shoes was founded by an artist who just happened to be a vegetarian. After art school, Robin Webb, the founder of Vegetarian Shoes, read a story about people in Africa who were making shoes from old tire rubber. This story of ingenuity and practical recycling inspired him to come up with his own shoe design.

The first problem that Webb ran into was finding a breathable but durable material to use for his shoes. Fortune shined on Webb when he found a synthetic material used by yachters to upholster their boats. This material looked and felt like real leather, however, it was breathable, which was unusual for a synthetic-plastic material.

Vegetarian Shoes started out with a basic, handmade, lace-up shoe design that Webb made himself. The line’s popularity exploded, and soon Webb was designing and manufacturing boots, shoes, sandals and even belts. Today Webb doesn’t manufacture the shoes. Instead, this part of the business is farmed out to co-op manufacturers in Britain and other countries in Europe. Webb, however, still runs the sales end of things at a Brighton shoe shop.

Current Vegetarian Shoes Line
The current Vegetarian Shoes enterprise has expanded to include several distinct shoe lines. The casual sports line is one of the most popular. It includes shoe designs like the Slouch Shoe, the Aztec Shoe and X-trainers. The women’s shoe line is also very popular. In this line, you will find designs like the Audrey Shoe, the Creeper and the Esme Loafer. Other lines offered by Vegetarian Shoes include women’s boots, men’s shoes, men’s boots, off-road/hiking shoes, Airseal footwear, Birkenstock sandals, general sandals and slip-ons and safety footwear. Vegetarian Shoes have also branched out into other clothing and accessory products such as jackets, belts and bags.

Sustainable business practices are becoming more important to consumers. While many shoe manufacturers are slow to catch up to this trend, EcoDragon is on the forefront of the eco-friendly shoe manufacturing crusade. The company tries to create as little environmental impact as possible by selecting environmentally friendly construction materials and techniques. If you are interested in a comfortable shoe that is kind to the environment then check out the line offered by EcoDragon.

EcoDragon Background
EcoDragon is a natural shoe company that was found in 1993 by a pair of brothers named Wes and Eric Crain. Their goal was to design a line of shoes that utilized the ultra-environmentally friend fiber called hemp. Hemp was chosen as the construction material because it is easy to grow without chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides, is one of the strongest vegetable fibers in the world and can be woven into cloth or spun into twine and rope.

In addition to using the eco-friendly hemp as the primary material for their shoe line, the Crain brothers also utilized dyes that were fiber-reactive. This means that the dye quickly absorbs into the fiber and becomes naturally affixed to the fiber molecules. This eliminates the need to use chemical dye fixatives, again lessening the impact of the shoe line’s manufacturing process.

Finally, all of the shoes produced by EcoDragon are hand sewn. This means that the natural shoes are durable as well as stylish. Furthermore, since the shoes are sewn by hand, there is no need to use petroleum products, glues and toxic chemicals. These reasons are why EcoDragon shoes are comfortable to wear as well as good for the planet.

EcoDragon Shoe Line
The EcoDragon shoe line all started with the Original Hemp Sandal. This sandal remains a top seller, but it is no longer the only shoe offered by the company. Other shoes in this collection include Hemp Clogs, BackSlides, EcoStyle, EcoCross, Nature Walk, Nature Wet, Back Sling and Hempadrilles. As you can see, EcoDragon offers a variety of shoe styles from basic sandals and clogs to casual business shoes.

What would a history of shoes be without mentioning Dr. Scholl’s? Well, quite frankly, it would be incomplete. Dr. Scholl revolutionized the shoe industry with his unique shoe designs, which incorporated comfort and support into shoe designs that were also functional and fashionable. While nearly everyone has heard of Dr. Scholl’s and his products, few people know who Dr. Scholl was and how he got started in the shoe industry.

Dr. Scholl’s Biography
Dr. Scholl was born in June of 1882. His grandfather was a shoemaker, so shoes were in his blood. His entry into the shoe industry was as an apprentice to a shoe-repair craftsman. This position eventually led to a position as a shoe salesman in a shoe boutique. This job gave Scholl the opportunity to see how shoe designs of the day were negatively impacting the lives and health of his clients. This gave him the inspiration to create a line of shoes and shoe products that would be as therapeutic for his customers as they were fashionable.

After graduating from the medical program offered by the Illinois Medical College, Dr. Scholl established his own orthopedic manufacturing company. He invented and manufactured foot products that would ease the pain associated with both medical conditions and long hours spent in uncomfortable shoes.

Dr. Scholl’s Shoes Are Launched
The original Dr. School’s shoe line didn’t launch until 1968. The original shoe and sandal designs were so popular that over a million pairs were sold in the first four years of production. One of the hottest sellers in this line was the original Dr. Scholl’s Exercise Sandal. These sandals remained popular in the 1960s and 1970s, and they re-emerged as a favorite, casual shoe design in the 1990s.

Today, Dr. Scholl’s shoes are still being manufactured. The rights to this shoe empire belong to the Shering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc. However, the manufacturing license is now leased by the Brown Shoe Company. In addition to the original sandal and Dandy shoe designs, the Dr. Scholl’s label is also attached to several fashionable dress and casual shoe designs including women’s dress boots and men’s loafers.

Cel Enterprises is the company that owns the Chinese Laundry and it’s a handful of other shoe companies. This company has been supplying retailers, boutiques and specialty stores with quality women’s shoes since 1971. The founders of this company were Carol and Robert Goldman. Their current roster of shoe lines include: Chinese Laundry, On Your Feet, CL by Laundry, Little Laundry, A’Mano, Creative International and Passports.

Chinese Laundry
Perhaps the most popular line of shoes owned by Cel Enterprises is Chinese Laundry. This is a fashion shoe line that was launched in 1981. This line of shoes is known for its fashion-forward appeal and its celebrity-grade styles. Celebrities that wear shoes from this line include Kelly Clarkson, Hilary Duff and Paris Hilton.

On Your Feet
The junior shoe line offered by Cel Enterprises is On Your Feet. This line offers the same fashion forward aesthetic offered by Chinese Laundry, however, the shoe designs are more appropriate for young women who are in love with fashion and shoes. This line launched four years after Chinese Laundry in 1985.

Little Laundry
To get girls started off on the right foot, Little Laundry was launched in 2004. This is Cel Enterprise’s girls’ line of fashion shoes.

CL by Laundry
In order to stay ahead in the footwear industry you need to capture all the niches possible. It is because of this that CL by Laundry was launched in 2003. This line of shoes was designed to offer affordable – but still fashionable – shoes to women.

Passports
Passports is a line of shoes launched in 1985 for working women. The focus of this line was to deliver comfortable and simple shoes that still looked great.

Creative International
Creative International was launched in 1971. This was the company’s original cost division. The focus of this line was private labels. Cel Enterprises marketed these shoe lines to volume retailers across the country.

A’Mano
In 1951, A’Mano was launched and later acquired by Cel Enterprises. This is a specialty shoe line that focuses on sophistication, class and style. Many of the shoes in this line are handmade. Shoe designs from this line are appropriate for evening wear and weddings.

Shoes have been an important part of human life since the beginning of fashion. They have allowed humans to travel over various terrains and adapt to life in a number of climates. However, shoes wouldn’t be what we know them as today if it weren’t for the shoe accessories that developed along with our foot fashion. Some of the most commonly used shoe accessories today include shoe horns, shoe trees, shoelaces and shoe inserts.

History of Shoe Accessories:

Shoe Horns
Shoe horns evolved along with leather and hide shoe designs . Their purpose was to help a person get their shoes on more easily. They were traditionally made from wood, however, wealthy shoe owners had theirs made from bone, ivory, silver and shell. Today, shoe horns are still commonly made of wood; however, they are also made from plastic, glass and stainless steel.

Shoe Tree
The shoe tree was a remarkable invention. This device, traditionally made from cedar, was designed to fit into shoes when they were not occupied by feet. The shoe tree helped the leather to keep its shape, and the cedar of the shoe tree absorbed both foot odor and moisture left in the shoe. Today, you can still find cedar shoe trees; however, plastic shoe trees are more common.

Shoelaces
Perhaps the oldest shoe accessory in the world is the shoelace. Shoelaces can be traced back to 3,000 B.C. Their purpose is to secure footwear to the person’s foot. However, while used in primitive shoes, shoelaces were replaced during subsequent shoe design eras with buckles, buttons, zippers and other closing devices. They didn’t really emerge as the leader of shoe closures until the 20th century.

Shoe Inserts
One of the latest shoe accessories to hit the shoe market is the shoe insert. Shoe inserts are designed to make the shoe more comfortable to wear. Common shoe inserts include cushions, orthopedic supports and lifts. Basic shoe inserts can be bought at department and shoe stores, however, orthopedic shoe inserts usually have to be prescribed by podiatrists.