Types of Shoes

On a recent theatre outing, our group were talking footwear. What did Pump mean? What is a stiletto!

Oh, the blasphemy not to know this.

And so I present. Types of Shoes!

Stilettos – named for the short knife or dagger with a long slender blade of the same name.  This can be just about any sort of heel although the traditional round toed pump seems to be the most popular.

Pumps – these really have different ways of being defined. I generally know them to be a traditional closed toed high heel where the heel tends to not be stiletto.  The English call them “court shoes” which is probably best suited for their conservative, working woman nature. Although in my head, I always picture heels being best utilized on this court.

Mary Janes – easy enough, best known for their school girl charm, they have a strap running across the foot. While I love these for the retro dress up part they fulfill in my closet, I tend to shy away from them as they aren’t easily kicked off at the end of the day. I’m just not someone who wants to mess with a buckle.  This lovely spectator pair, illustrated by the dots of tooled leather around the edges also pay homage to another good shoe definition: “peep toe” , the little cut out at the end of the shoe denotes this as a peep toe heel.

Kitten Heels – anything with a “cut wittle heel”. Don’t confuse these with flats, this heel still wants taken seriously. This is great for the gal who has to hoof it from car to work and still look put together. Something about the ballet flat at work makes me feel a little less pro.

Wedges – the big ol’ block of material and no heel, these make wedges one of the most comfortable sky high shoes. I generally use these in summer – their cork and straw like materials beg for a restaurant patio and a tropical inspired drink to be in hand. This particular dotted pair also helps demonstrate the term “sling back” shoe. The sling back is the belt of material that goes behind the heel to hold the shoe on.

Ballet Flats – rather fabulous for walking and being casual in my book, the ballet flat has definitely made it’s way into my closet more and more in the past few years. They are dressier, more expressive as opposed to my regular work heels. I find that they help elevate the jeans and tee look to something a little more put together than sneakers would allow. The little heel, if any at all, is a tiny addition to denote it’s feminity.