Universal Shoe Wear

Universal Shoe Wear

By Dana Bradley

Some countries have customs regarding shoe removal when
entering a house. Sometimes it is done to avoid bringing dirt
and foreign materials into the house and sometimes it is done
out of respect for the house.  It is customary to remove shoes
when entering a home in Asia, Easter Europe, and part of the
Middle East, Africa, Northern Europe, Canada and Alaska. Other
matters of shoe etiquette include not showing the soles of your
shoes in the Middle East, Africa, Korean or Thailand. If member
of different countries all entered a room and removed their
shoes, depending on the time period, you may be able to tell
what countries are represented just by looking at the footwear.

Shoes have come in many different shapes and sizes, from many
different countries and many different times. There are
drawings in a cave in Spain that date back to more than 15,000
years ago. In these drawings, human are depicted wearing animal
skins and furs wrapped around their feet. We have covered our
feet with leather, wood and straw over the years and as we
discover more materials the shoes grow more interesting and
advanced.

Sandals are the oldest kind of shoe and they still
exist today. Furthermore moccasins, the traditional shoe of
Native Americans look not unlike the loafer that any business
man might wear on a weekend. Even platform soles, which seemed
so outlandish when they were first introduced have a relative
in the chopine, a shoe from the 16th century with a raised
sole, made of wood, and reaching up to 30 inches high. Also
similar to the platform shoe was the Japanese geta. So, the
basic shape of shoes has not changed that drastically over
time. We have changed the materials but not the general idea of
what a shoe is.

A shoe is made up of several basic parts, regardless of the
time period or culture it emerges from. The only difference is
that some of these parts are skipped when making certain kinds
of shoes. First and most well know the shoe has a sole; this is
defined only as the part of the shoe that makes contact with the
ground. In addition to the sole, most shoes have some kind of
shank, a piece of material that is placed between the sole and
the insole. The basic shoe also has other less know parts: the
breast, the cap, the counter, the feather, the puff, the
quarter, the seat, the stiffener, the throat, the top piece,
the topline, the upper, the vamp and the waist.

About the Author: Dana Bradley writes about
http://www.onlineshoesdepot.com/Coupons/Payless%20Shoes.html,
http://www.onlineshoesdepot.com/ and
http://www.onlineshoesdepot.com

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