MTFC_MTP_057 THE POINT WAS STATUS. LITERALLY
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If you think medieval fashion was all sensible wool and practical boots, think again.
Around 1300, a respectable noble wore perfectly normal shoes. Nothing dramatic. Then someone had a terrible idea. Pointed toes. Longer. And longer. And longer.
By the 1330s, nobles on both sides of the Channel were quietly competing over who could wear the most absurd footwear.
By 1350, the points reached 15, 17, even 20 centimetres. Some were stuffed with wool to keep their shape. Others were so long that the wearer could barely walk without tripping over himself.
During Richard II’s reign, a few lords reportedly could not move without assistance. Fashion had officially declared war on balance.
The extreme version came from Central Europe. The Krakow shoe. About 50 centimetres of pointy nonsense, imported via Bohemia.
These shoes were so long they had to be tied to the leg with garters. Climbing stairs while wearing them was nearly impossible. Which, frankly, feels like a design flaw.
And no, left and right shoes were not a thing yet. In 1300, both shoes were cut exactly the same. One shape. Two feet. Good luck. Only later in the century did skilled cordwainers start shaping shoes differently for each foot, using soft Cordoban leather.
The point was not comfort. Or walking. Or sanity. The point was status. Literally.
Source: Ian Mortimer, The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England Kuva vähem
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