A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

alpargata – a Spanish or South American sandal-like shoe, usually with rope sole, attached to the foot by thongs.

aniline leather – leather finished with an aniline dye, which gives a natural look.

ankle boot, ankle shoe – an item of footwear, and a subset of "boot", where the top is approximately on the ankle joint, or extends just above the ankle. a shoe with uppers that reach just to or over the ankle.

ankle strap - a strap encircling and fastening at the ankle, with its anchor point at the top or sides of the quarter.

anklet – a shoe for a child or woman that has a strap around the ankle.

awl – a family of tools used to pierce holes in leather or fabric.

B

back seam - the seam that joins the rear quarters up the center-back of the shoe. the vertical seam at the center back of a shoe or boot, often called a 'heel seam'. the seam that runs up the back of the quarters.

back-strap, sling - a strap attached to the back of the shoe, extending around and attaching to the other side.

balmoral – a sturdy laced walking shoe.

ballet slipper – footwear without a heel, with a soft round toe and drawstring collar.

blucher, bluchers – a high shoe with laces over the tongue.

boot – a shoe that covers the whole foot and the lower part of the leg.

brogan, brogue, clodhopper – a thick and heavy shoe.

C

calceus – a shoe covering the ankle; worn by ancient Romans.

cap, toe cap – an outside toe reinforcement.

chopine, chopines – a woman's shoe with a very high thick sloe (see: platforms, platform).

cleats – a pair of shoes with cleats on the soles; "the football players all wore cleats".

clog – a shoe with an open back that slips on, with a wooden bottom.

congress boot, congress gaiter, congress shoe – an ankle high shoe with elastic gussets in the sides.

cordwainer – a shoemaker, specifically someone who works in cordwain leather.

counter – a piece of leather forming the back of a shoe.

cross-strap – two strips anchored at the sides of the quarter, crossed at the sides, with one strap across the front and one across the back, then fastened.

D

die – a specially shaped knife used for cutting out specific shapes and sizes of leather like a cookie-cutter.

d'orsay – pump with a circular vamp and sides that curve downward sharpley, exposing the sides of the foot.

E

espadrille – a sandal with a sole made of rope or rubber and a cloth upper part.

F

fins, flipper, flippers, fin – shoe for swimming; the paddle-like front is an aid in swimming (especially underwater).

footgear, footwear – covering for a person's feet.

G

gaiter – a shoe covering the anlkle with elastic gores in the sides (see:congress shoe).

ghillie, gillie – a shoe without a tongue and with decorative lacing up the instep.

gym shoe, sneaker, tennis shoe – a canvas shoe with a pliable rubber sole.

H

huarache – sandal with flat heels and an upper of woven leather straps.

I

insole, innersole – piece of material shaped to match the bottom of the last, which will be layered between the outsole and the sole of the foot. The shoe is constructed around it, with the upper, welting, and lining attached.

instep – a vaguely defined area on top of the foot over the metatarsals up front of the ankle joint. a rather imprecise area on top of the foot approximately half way between the rear of the toes and the ankle joint.

J

jodhpur – a short riding boot with a strap around the back of the ankle.

K

kiltie – casual shoe with fringed tongue that overlaps fastening at the instep.

kitten heel – low heel that tapers sharply to narrow base.

L

last – made of plastic, metal, or wood, it is the form used to determine the shape and size of the shoe. The derivation of the word is "laest", the Old English word for footprint.

lasting - refers to actually forming the overleather to the last.

loafer – a low leather step-in shoe; the top resembles a moccasin but has a broad flat heel.

Louis heel – high heel with graceful curves on the sides and back. Originally designed for King Louis XIV, of France.

M

mary jane - an instep-strapped shoe, usually flat.

midsole – an additional sole placed between the outsole and insole.

moccasin – slip-on shoe made from soft leather with stitches around the top at the front, originally worn by native Americans.

classic moccasin – a moccasin design with a heel, buckle, kiltie, or tassel trim.

indian moccasin – a moccasin with no added sole or heel, with a lace tie trim.

venetian moccasin – a moccasin with a plain vamp.

monk, monk strap – a closed shoe, most often men's, with a wide strap over the instep fastened with a buckle.

mule – a shoe or slipper, with any size heel, covering only the front of the foot, leaving back open.

O

outsole – the outer sole of a shoe or boot.

oxford – a low-heeled, laced shoe.

P

platform shoe – shoe with a high thick sole.

platform sole – a thick sole, generally originally of cork covered, to give additional height, usually for fashion reasons.

plug – the central piece of the upper of a moccasin.

pumps, pump – low-cut shoe that surrounds the foot, without fastenings. May have heel of any height.

Q

quarters – the material which goes around the wearer's heel. the sides of the shoe upper joining the vamp at the front, and each other at the heel with a backseam.

R

S

sandal – a shoe consisting of a sole fastened by straps to the foot.

shank – a reinforcement in welted shoes, placed centrally between the lasting margins of the waist of a shoe and between sole and insole. a steel spring some 4 inches long and three-fifths of an inch wide that strengthens the region of the waist in the gap formed by the welt and the insole.

shoe horn – a tool made of wood, horn, or metal used to pull out the back of the shoe while the foot slips into it.

shoe lace, shoelace, shoestring, shoe string – a lace used for fastening shoes.

shoemaker's stitch – stitching with both ends of the thread at the same time, each side of every stitch passing through the same hole at the same time.

shoe trees – pieces of wood shaped like a last, designed to keep the shoes in shape.

slide – a step-in shoe, totally backless with an open toe.

slingback, sling – shoe that has a strap that wraps around the heel.

slip lasting – built without a board, creating shoes that are much more flexible and softer than those built with any other type of last.

sole – the bottom part of a shoe.

spectator – a traditional style with stitching and perfining, usually two-tone.

stiletto, or spike - very high heel, with long slender shaft.

T

tanning – turning raw or green hides into leather.

thong - a sandal with a strap passing between the first two toes.

tongue – the flap of material under the laces of a shoe or boot.

t-strap – a strap from the center of the vamp throat to the instep and fastened across it to form a "T".

U

upper – the portion of a shoe or boot which covers the top of the foot, in some types of construction the uppers can even include the insole, all the leather above the sole and covering parts or all of the foot and leg, in modern shoes, the leather/synthetic leather or mesh material above the midsole that encloses the foot.

V

vamp – the front lower part of the shoe's upper part. May be shaped in various ways.

W

waist, shank - the narrow part of a shoe sole or insole under the arch of the foot. the narrow middle part of the last, the shoe or the sole, corresponding with the instep and the arch of the foot.

walker, walking shoe – a comfortable, low-heeled shoe designed for walking.

wedge - a piece of leather thinned out to form a long triangular profile, inserted between sole layers or heel lifts.

wedge heel – heel that extends down and forward to meet the sole, filling the entire shank portion of the shoe with a flat tread surface. May be of any height.

welt – strip of leather or synthetic attached to the outsole and upper, situated in the crevice between upper part of shoe and sole. For decorative purposes, it may also be only attached to the sole.

wing tip – a shoe having a wing-tip toecap – a piece of leather stitched over the toe-cap of shoe or boot. Used as decoration, it will often be perforated or of a contrasting color.

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