Shoe Lasts and Metrology

Most shoes are made to a last. This is a foot model with dimensions and shape similar to the anatomical foot but sufficiently different to not be exact. Shoe fit and to some extent the last influences its durability.

Last

"The close relationship between a man and his shoe maker was based on the shared secret of the client's measurements. The statistics of clients were never disclosed."
Traditionally before mass production, the original shoemaker started the process by taking a footprint outline of the sole. He whittled or chiselled a wooden last from the print. A last ( 'laest', Old English meaning footprint) was traditionally made from wood but are now available now in metal or plastic. They are complex structures made from many measurements (statistically determined). Lasts are not the same size and dimensions of the anatomical foot but instead an abstract form with specific functions. It is usually deeper in the midfoot region, has a sharp 'feather edge' where the upper surface meets the sole, is clipped in along the topline (around the ankle) and is flaired over and extended in the toe region. This provides shape, which applies appropriate tension when the shoe distorts to contain the loaded foot. Lasts provides a working surface on which flat leather components can be given plastic form. The physical dimensions accommodate the foot during activity and the last contains contemporary fashion and styles such as toe shape. To allow the last to be removed from the shoe they are often hinged around the instep. Shoe lasts are not made to resemble feet but instead to suit the shoe manufacture. Modern lasts are totally unlike the foot with the sole of the last, flat in order to assist in manufacture. Shoe making was classified under three headings: turned shoes, welted shoes and through-seam shoes.

Turned shoe

The turned shoe is made inside out with only an outset sole between the foot and the ground. The upper and soles are very flexible. The last is designed in a single size and then a set is made in the range of sizes and widths in which shoes are to be manufactured. Marked sizes will vary slightly from one manufacturer to another. No longer a popular technique.

Welted Shoes

Any construction using a welting, either as an intrigal part of the construction or simply for imitative effect.

A Review of Tailor's Bunion

Pathology
The pathology of the tailor's bunion is complex and controversial. However, the reviewed literature suggests that mild to debilitating pain associated with prominence of the fifth metatarsal head is due to either shearing or weightbearing forces. This prominence is thought to be the result of structural or biomechanical abnormalities, or a combination of both.

Whilst a bunion deformity of the first ray may take precedence in size and physical disfigurement; it may be no more painful or inconvenient than a fifth ray bunion for the patient. The ratio of literature between bunions and bunionettes would suggest that a tailor's bunion is of little significance in comparison to a hallux valgus deformity. However, a bunionette may prove extremely significant to the patient who endures chronic pain or difficulty with shoe fitting.

The bunionette is subject to various methods of treatment, including: padding, reduction, shoe modification, drug therapies, and surgery. Conservative measures to control the deformity should initially be employed; however invasive procedures may prove the only option in some cases. The hallux valgus deformity has spawned approximately one hundred differing surgical procedures in its history of treatment. The tailors bunion, seemingly only recognised over the last fifty years, has also given rise to various techniques in operative correction. Some of these have been developed specifically for the bunionette, but many have been modified from existing first ray bunion surgery. This report will provide an overview of the pathology, aetiology, clinical features, and conservative treatment related to the tailor's bunion deformity. A discussion of the more common procedures employed in bunionette correction will then be presented, along with radiography, classification, and possible complications related to the procedures.

Department of podiatry encyclopedia at Curtin University of Technology. By Matthew Benson

A Review of Tailor's Bunion

History of Footwear Perod The Thirties

The Great Depression beginning with the Wall Street Crash of October 1929 was to effect millions of people throughout the Western world for a decade. In the days and months that followed that fateful day, the bubble of gaiety that had defined the twenties was ended, and a decade of hardship and depression followed.
Politically the decade of the 1930’s was filled with revolutions, invasions, dictatorships, and the final weakening of the League of Nations. The slide toward was ended with Hitler’s invasion of Poland, and the beginning of World War II.

The Thirties

With the depression, the saucy, boyish flair of women’s clothing and the sleek look in men’s dress came to an end. The women’s clothing turned to a more conservative image. It is said that hemlines rise and fall with the economy. The Wall Street Crash sent daytime hemlines tumbling down to mid-calf. Elegance was understated, and opulence was out. No one wanted to look frivolous while the unemployed waited in lines at soup kitchens.
For men, this meant a less smooth, sleek line with more stress on squareness, bulk and padding, giving the male figure a boxy look.

History of Footwear Perod from 1914-1929

World War I and the 20’s 1914-1929

The First World War had a tremendous impact on the entire western world. The rationing of all goods that could be used for military purposes, as well as the drafting of huge numbers of men into the war effort, drastically altered the way of life. Women were called upon to replace men in the factories, giving them their own money for the first time. After the war, women could not be persuaded to go back to their old status, and soon gained the vote in most Western countries.
The twenties sees an explosion of optimism. World War I was over, the factories were full, and the stock market was climbing. People had money to spend on leisure items. Automobiles made it possible for people to take trips across the country.

FOOTWEAR MATERIALS

Leather was still the material of choice for men’s and women’s footwear. A new soling material came into use for children’s shoes in 1924, and entered the fashion scene for women in the next year. By 1925, there was a great increase in the amount of reptile leathers used, especially snake and lizard. Because of the high price, these were generally reserved for trims. Suede made a short appearance in 1924-5, but then fell out of favour.
Round and bulldog toes continued for men throughout the war and into the early twenties. Boots continued to be the predominant footwear, though only for casual occasions.

History of Footwear Perod from 1870-1914

Later Victorian to World War I

With the industrial revolution in full swing, the shift from an agrarian to an urban industrial economy was nearly complete by the beginning of this period. The lower levels of society were faced with poverty, crowding and the insecurity of urban living. This led the way to the first attempts to establish labour unions as a means for regulating pay and hours in factories.
Though this period is not traditionally thought of as one of unrest, the last half of the time frame shows the Western World in preparation for war. The Boer War and several other conflicts throughout Europe begin to convince people that war is imminent, and consequently, the world is holding its collective breath in wait for The Great War.

History of Footwear Perod from 1815-1870

The fall of the totalitarian leadership of Napoleon brought a sigh of relief throughout Europe. When the Congress of Vienna met to redraw the old map of Europe, they in many ways attempted to re-establish the old monarchies that existed before the Revolution. This was not possible after the events of the past twenty-five years, and so the next three decades were to be based on liberal, radical and romantic attempts to overthrow these monarchical systems.
After the fall of Napoleon, Europe was continuously disturbed by revolutionary uprisings. Though the revolutions in many countries such as Greece, the Spanish colonies and France were militaristic in nature, in England the revolution was industrial. The economic changes caused by this revolution led to great suffering and much violence, as well as giving birth to the new, industrialised world and the rising of a larger middle class.

History of Footwear Period from 1775-1815

The rediscovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii in the mid-eighteenth century caused a passion for art based on classical antiquity. This was not a revival of Greek or Roman principals, but a dream of the antique – a refined use of classical ornament placing a great emphasis on horizontal and vertical lines. At the same time, an interest appeared in romantic art, which eventually included all art that appealed to the emotions.
This was a period of great transition politically and culturally. The American War of Independence shifted the balance of power so that England, France, and Spain all had less influence in North America. The French Revolution paved the way for Napoleon’s attempt to a rebirth of Imperial Rome with Napoleon as Emperor. The Napoleonic Wars also gave England new power in Europe, as the leader of allied armies against the French Emperor, as well as the undisputed ruler of the sea.

from Footwear History.com

THE 19th CENTURY - French silk heeless shoe

THE 19th CENTURY - Modesty and Technology

By 1830, the square toe had come into fashion. An efficient industry manufacturing women's silk and kid footwear was developed in France in the 1830's using piecemeal workers. Their shoes were created for speculative sale in shops. The shoes were narrow but their construction was light and forgiving, allowing the wearer's foot to splay over the edges of the sole. Sturdier leather shoes and boots (for both men and women) were still made to order by a local shoemaker.

"French silk heeless shoe, c. 1850"

THE 19th CENTURY - English Wedding Slipper

THE 19th CENTURY - Modesty and Technology
Nature may dictate height but the shoe designer is more than capable of manipulating it. This was never more obvious than immediately following the French Revolution (1792) when shoe heels all but disappeared. Their demise was motivated by politics and the desire to suggest that everyone was born on the same level.Heels first returned on male footwear when in the late 1810's a new fashion emerged. Trousers were anchored with stirrup straps underneath the foot, which displaced the older knee-length breeches. The heel was an additional aid in keeping the pant strap in place.

"English cream silk wedding slipper-sandal, c. 1815 "

Materials and Methods: Tanning

The traditional tanning of hides was a lengthy, arduous process but it produced a finished product of unsurpassed quality. Across the Great Plains, buffalo and deer hides were most commonly used for moccasin production. In the north, moose was also widely used.

Tanning began with stretching a fresh hide and staking it to the ground. Then, the tissue and fat were removed with flesher and scraper. Once the hide was scraped clean, it was rubbed until saturated with a mash of brain and liver. The hide was then soaked and stretched several times. Sometimes, finished hides were smoked.

The tanning of a hide required the removal of all of the animal tissue as well as graining. A wide variety of fleshers and scrapers were used across the Plains to accomplish this task. Fleshers typically have serrated edges for removing soft flesh, while scrapers have a flat blade.