 Alum-tanning: way of treating insole which sterilizes inner portions of shoe
Baboosh: Turkish flat-soled shoe with upturned toe
Back-strap/strip: strip of leather covering back-seam of shoe quarter
Bar Shoe: shoe with instep strap or button
Boot: a shoe that extends considerably above one’s ankle
Bottom: underside of shoe composed of: sole, insole, middle, welt, heel
Bracing: threading used to last an upper to an insole
Brocade: heavy fabric interwoven with rich, raised design
Brogue: closed laced shoe made of many sections
Buckle: fancy way to close shoes often denoting status, especially for men
Built Heel: same as stacked heel
Buskin: a low linen or silk stocking; or a type of high boot
Button: used to close shoes
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Calcagnetti: one of many Italian words for chopine; other variations include callagnieti, calcagniegi
Caleghero: Italian word for a shoe-maker, as opposed to Zavatero, a cobbler
Cambridge: low-cut slipper with elastic gusset on each side for men
Channel: row of holes where stitching is made
Chopine: English word for a platform shoe popular in Renaissance Italy, Spain and England; possibly of Eastern origin
Ciabattine: one of many Italian words for chopine
Clog: wooden simple shoe worn indoors or outdoors, often synonomous to 'patten'
Closed Seam: two upper sections stitched together then flattened
Club Shoe: modern-day chopine worn to clubs
Cobbler: one who repairs shoes using secondhand materials
Cordovan: heavy leather, often used for men’s shoes
Cordwain: term used for leather from Cordoba of sheep, goat then cow hide
Counter: stuffing between outside and lining; or s.t. used to stiffen heel
Damask: rich patterned fabric of silk or wool used in the upper of a shoe
Eyelet: small hole through which laces run
Footbinding: Chinese tradition practiced to keep women's feet small (from ca. 1000-1949 AD).
Geta: platformed Japanese style shoe often made of wood with simple strap.
Golden Lily: (see Lotus Foot)
Heel: raised part of shoe under heel of foot
Insole: inside part of shoe on which foot rests
Instep: imprecise area between toes and ankle
Kabkab: Turkish women’s high platform bathhouse clog
Kid Leather: leather made from goatskin
Lace: strings used for closing a shoe
Lapped Seam: seam when two pieces are sewn together, one on top of other
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Last: wooden shoe-shaped block around which shoe is designed and made
Lasting: operation of shaping the upper to the last
Lasting Margin: lower edge of shoe upper turned under and fixed to sole
Latchet: top front of quarter extended into straps
Lift: same as heel
Lotus Foot: ideally a three-inch foot created by intensive footbinding in China, a populartradition from ca. 1000-1949 AD.
Lotus Slipper: intricately embroidered shoe worn over tiny Lotus Foot
Louis Heel: introced in 1600s; downwards extension of the sole
Monk shoe or strap: shoe with a buckling strap from one side to the other
Middle or Middle Sole
Moccasin: simply made shoe where vamp and sole are made of one piece
Mule: heeled shoe with open back
Muslin: any of various sturdy cotton fabrics of plain weave
Nailed Construction: when shoe components are nailed together
Overshoes: same as patten; worn under or around shoe to keep it clean or dry
Oxford: man’s traditional shoe with closed front
Pantofole: one of many Italian words for chopine
Patent Leather: made from cattle hide and given a hard, glossy surface finish
Patten: worn under/around shoe to keep it clean and dry when outside
Pianelle: most common word for chopines in the Italian language
Pinafore: heel contiguous with sole of shoe; ‘earth shoe;’ ‘unit bottom’
Pitch: distance between heel and front part of shoe that touches the ground
Platform: literally a platform under sole of shoe, often with a higher heel
Poulaine: stunning men’s medieval shoe with long, pointed toe, possibly from Poland
Quarter: area behind sides and back of shoe
Rand: leather strip used to level off sole before heel is mounted
Reticella lace: Maltese lace; a kind of metal mosquito-net screen lace
Round: inside of the heel and underneath it/under the arch on outside part
Sandal: simple soled shoe with supporting straps; earliest shoe produced
Satin: smooth, glossy fabric used in upper or as external decoration on shoe
Shank: same as waist; under arch of foot and often made of metal for support
Sheepskin: kind of leather used for linings and slippers
Side Leather: most versatile leather for making shoes from the side of cow
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Sole: the bottom part of shoe which touches the ground
Solee: another Italian word for chopine
Spool Heel: stacked heel made of large individual, often rounded parts
Suede: leather made by buffing inner surface to produce a napped finish
Tacks: ways of attaching pieces of the upper, especially used by Italians
Tapine: another Italian word for chopine
Tassel: added decorative element to shoes
Throat: area above where foot is in a shoe...
Toe Cap: reinforced or decorated layer over tip of toe part
Tongue: part of shoe behind a slitted vamp that resembles a tongue
Top Lift: area of heel that touches the ground
Turnshoe Construction: when the shoe is made inside out first, then turned
Turn-Welt: turnshoe with wide rand as part of seam
Upper: portion of shoe which covers top of foot
Vamp: forward part of shoe upper, attached to sole
Vamp Wings: sides of vamp extending backwards
Veldtschoen: shoe in which upper is turned outward to form a flange
Waist: narrow part of shoe under arch
Walled Toe: shoe forepart which rises vertically
Wedge Heel: kind of heel that looks like a wedge between sole and ground
Wellington: knee-length riding boot introduced by Duke of Wellington.
Welt: narrow strip sewn between upper and sole
Zavatero: Italian word for cobbler, one who repairs shoes using secondhand materials
Zibroni: another popular Italian word for chopines
Zoccoli: one of the most popular Italian words for chopines
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