"For those long winter nightsor dayswhen you don't plan to leave your home, a pair of slippers is a natural choice. It's an item designed never to touch grimy pavement or the muddy mess that winter bringsa personal choice centered around comfort more than style. But the slipper wasn't always a private affair. It was once a showpiece, a sign of the wealth and privilege."
"When the slipper was introduced into Western culture's lexicon in the 1600s, it was likely a mule design, a slip-on with an open back. By 1678, the mule morphed to include the chopine, a high-platform soled shoe that was popular in Italy and Spain. The slipper was popular for both men and women, but styles varied for each. Female-focused designs were often velvet with fanciful embroidery. They could even come with silver thread and a high heel covered in fabric."
Slippers originated as footwear forms worn both indoors and outdoors, with distinct indoor-only slippers not commonly referenced before the late 16th century. Early Western slippers in the 1600s resembled mules with open backs and later evolved to include high-platform chopines popular in Italy and Spain. Slipper styles varied by gender: women favored velvet, embroidery, silver thread, and fabric-covered heels, while men's designs shifted toward squared toes and covered heels by about 1710. Materials and colors varied widely. In the 1800s, royal fashion influence, notably from Prince Albert, helped shape the modern American slipper into an indoor comfort item.
Read at www.esquire.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]