Your fashion guide to the Shoe Vocabulary

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes! We need them. We love them. And we cannot do without them. Some are cute, some…not quite. Some designs we like, some designs are not really our style. Some are eye candy while some are eye sores. Either way, they are shoes and below is a chance to get to know your preferred footwear by name:

*Wellington boots:  You may also know them as gum boots. They are waterproof and are most often made from rubber. Usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers and puddles.

*Mary Janes: They are basically closed, low-cut shoes with one or more straps across the instep.

*Kitten heel:  A shoe with a short, slender heel, usually from 3.5 centimeters (1.5 inches) to 4.75 centimeters (1.75 inches) high with a slight curve setting the heel in from the edge of the shoe. The style was popularized by Audrey Hepburn.

*Crocs – The shoe was originally developed as a spa shoe but are nowadays  worn as casual shoes.

*Oxfords/ BroguesThis is a style of laced shoe characterized by shoelace eyelet tabs that are stitched underneath the vamp, a construction method that is also sometimes referred to as “closed lacing”.

*Loafers – Also known as slippers in American culture.  They have a moccasin construction. They began as casual shoes, but have increased in popularity to the point of being worn  with city lounge suits. They are worn in many situations in a wide variety of colours and designs, often featuring tassels on the front, or metal decorations.

*Stiletto heel -A  long, thin, high heel found on some boots and shoes, usually for women named after the stiletto dagger. Stilettos 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.

*Wedge -A raised shoe heel with the heel and sole forming a solid block. The bottom of  a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation is what is known as the wedge.

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