Artful
Accessories
Shoes
LOTHES
In medieval Europe, the upper
OUNTERS
Conlemporani
Women's
Sportswear'
In many ancient cultures,
a person's shoes have
been a key to class or
status in society.
Looking for the perfect ac-
cessory — something unusual or
one-of-a-kind? Come in and
browse at BEAD WORKS . . .
string your own beads or you do
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Clothing
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Different
33301 Grand River
32751 Franklin Rd.
just S. of 14 Mile Rd., Franklin
855-5230
Tues.-Sat. 10-5
J 6
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STYLE
classes could be recognized by their
long, pointy-toed shoes. These so-
called poulaines or crackows
originally evolved from a super-
stition that pointed toes rendered
witches powerless.
As the custom caught on, the
shoe points grew longer and longer
the longer yours were, the higher
up you were on the social ladder.
Aristocratic lords and ladies wore
shoes with points as long as 12
inches that were so cumbersome
they had to be pinned up to allow
movement.
Political and economic condi-
tions also have an effect on shoe
styles. Consider the plain, peasant-
like shoes worn by the French ladies
after the revolution, in a time when
anything smacking of blue blood
could mean losing your head. Or
lust E. of Farmington Rd
.
Farmington
471-5620
notice the sturdy, simple shoes worn
by the practical American Pilgrims
as a result of their rugged lifestyle.
Shoes can tell us something
quite literal about social mores and
values. A style of platform shoe worn
by Italian women in the 16th century
was a way, according to some
sociologists, to keep women "on a
pedestal." Walking in these two-foot-
high chopines was next to
impossible, and it kept women frail
and dependent. Eventually, the
shoes were banned, as the danger of
a pregnant woman miscarrying
became evident.
In prudish Victorian times,
when flashing your ankle was
considered scandalous, shoes
weren't much to look at. What good
was a beautiful shoe if no one could
see it under your gown?
Shoes still mirror what's going
on around us now. Luckily for our
feet, the sports craze has made
athletic shoes more popular.
Wearing these comfortable
shoes while doing the shopping, or
while commuting back and forth to