Women's Shoes

Throughout history, women's shoes have been a vital part of their wardrobes, regardless of the era, the country or the status of the women. Women's shoes have run the gamut from toeless sandals to high-button shoes, to extreme platform styles to needlepoint toes and stilleto heels. Women's shoes have been made of a wide variety of materials, depending upon availability and upon style. Women's shoes have been black, white, and every color of the rainbow. And women's shoe styles have often been dependent upon the whims of various fashion designers.

Some extremes of women's shoes would include the bound feet of Chinese women in earlier times, to the soft leather, beaded moccasins of Native American women. The former bindings were torture, the latter moccasins soft, beautiful and practical. Women's shoes in the Netherlands were at one time wooden, as were the men's. In very cold climes, women's shoes may be fur-lined, high topped leather boots. Women's shoes may also be boots...popular in many eras, and of many styles and colors.

In high fashion circles, women's shoes seem to be more often pointed-toed than square or round...a totally unnatural design, but often considered very fashionable. In modern times, women's shoes range in style from low-heeled, strapped sandals or closed toed styles, to extreme platform shoes with 4 or 5 inch heels. In fact, almost any style of women's shoes is available somewhere all of the time, but designers dictate what is the most fashionable style at any given time. And most women yield to the fashion designers...that is, those who are young enough or financially able to buy high style. Of course in any era, there are those who are conservative, or who must wear sensible shoes, who do not necessarily buy high fashion women's shoes. There will also be a market for practical, comfortable women's shoes. In general, most business and professional women wear somewhat more conservative, albeit fashionable, women's shoe

Among women's shoes there are the specialty shoes for certain activities or lifestyles. Women who run for exercise will also have women's running shoes. Women who enjoy horseback riding will have riding boots. Women who enjoy hiking will have sturdy hiking shoes or boots. And women who enjoy ballroom dancing, especially competition dancing, will have special women's dancing shoes which improve stability and prevent slipping. Such shoes may be very stylish, but may have soles especially designed for women's dancing shoes. Women's shoes of every style and purpose are available to women today.

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