Walk In These Shoes First, And Then We’ll Talk: 15 Shoe Facts

It’s been a while since we last wrote about shoes. Shoes are a very important part of your wardrobe. Not only are are they a style statement, but they influence in a very obvious and big way the way you feel: how many times do you hear people complain about their shoes? Having bad shoes is like having a toothache. It’s small, but it the discomfort is big and feels general.

The shoes you wear are important because they are the literal basis of your outfit, they are the only piece that is allowed to touch the ground. And because the average person walks 2,000 miles a year, you must really take your shoes into consideration.

It’s important to have good shoes because they influence your health: bad shoes can cause many types of pain, including back pain. Biomechanics is what you call the internal and external forces of the human body, and the manner in which these forces affect the human body. This means that every movement your foot makes in the act of walking affects other parts of your body. It’s said you should renew your shoes every 350 to 400 miles.

And of course, there is also the aesthetic reason: being something you wear so much and can’t go without, your choice says a lot about who you are. It’s also important to make sure you choose a good shoe that is appropriate for the occasion. If the shoes doesn’t fit the occasion, it has no place on your foot.

So, for today we have a put together a collection of our favorite designer shoes for your inspiration and consideration. If you wear these shoes, we’re sure the fashion police won’t stop you.

But, before you see the slideshow, check out these facts about shoes:

1. The first shoes were made 4,000 years ago, out of a single piece of rawhide that enveloped the foot for both warmth and protection.

2. The first known images of footwear are pictures of boots depicted in 15,000 year old Spanish cave paintings.

3.   In Europe, during the 16th and 17th centuries heels on shoes were always colored red.

4. Shoes all over the world used to be identical until the nineteenth century, when left- and right-footed shoes were first created in Philadelphia.

5.  In Europe it was only until the eighteenth century that women’s shoes were different from men’s.

6.  In the 9th and 10th centuries the greatest princes of Europe used to wear wooden shoes.

7. Sandals originated in parts of the world with warm climates where the soles of the feet needed protection but the top of the foot needed to be cool.

8. Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos had 1,200 pairs of shoes.

9.  An American named Robert Wadlow holds the record for the largest feet at size 37 (US measurements)

10. In the Middle Ages, a father passed his authority over his daughter to her husband in what was some sort of  shoe ceremony. During the wedding, the groom used to hand the bride a shoe, which she put on to show she was then his subject.

11.  In Hungary the groom usually drinks a toast to his bride out of her wedding slipper.

12. In US state Maine  it is illegal to walk down a street with your shoelaces untied. Talk about fashion police!

13. On an average, men own 12 pairs of shoes, while women own 27.

14. In the UK, people spend about 6 billion pounds a year on shoes.

15.  In North America, there is only one shoe museum: the Bata Shoe Museum, located in Toronto, Canada.

Now, here are some of our favorite shoes.