Nevena Ilić II3 Filološka gimnazija Beograd 2012/2013.

Shoes are the only item of clothng which take shape of the wearer’s body.

They transform us, give us status and bring us protection, but are also instruments of torture and abuse.

The earliest known shoes are sandals (Found in Oregon US, approx. 7800 BC)

First leather shoes were found in Armenia (approx. 3500 BC)

It is believed that shoes were worn before this, but evidence are difficult to find, due to it’s perishable nature

First shoes were nothing but a bag of skin fastened with animal gut, made to keep feet warm and dry.

Vanity and the need to impress others fuelled the need for fancy footwear. Shoes became the ultimate status symbol.

One of the first high-heeled shoes

Fashion is all about choice.

Shoes conjure up a strong image of time and space- they all bring a specific period in history to mind.

Fashions go in cycles from one extreme to another- a new design is often in contrast to previous.

Average woman’s shoe collection is valued at £900

Two most famous examples are

• Carrie Bradshaw (character from TV show ‘Sex and the City’): “Men I may not know, but shoes, shoes I know.”

• Imelda Marcos(wife of the former Philippines) had 1200 shoes.

Imelda Marcos

The shoes we wear everyday say the most about us.

Some people need to follow fashion, because it is their comfort zone, while others need an edge that sets them apart.

Lots of young people can’t resist the power of the logo

Shoes are an endless source of fascination and fantasy for children.

By wearing them they enter a world of superheroes, princesses and fabulous monsters.

Shoes are bad for your feet.

Extremes of fashion lead to dangerous designs.

Wearing nothing but high heels leads to shortening of the Achilles tendon.

Shoes made out of elephant dung

The best known tradition is to tie shoes to the back of the newlyweds’ car.

Shoes used to be thrown at the newlywed couple

Sometimes, bride’s father gives the groom a pair of bride’s shoes, as a symbol of passing of responsibility for the daughter.

In Europe shoes have been used as lucky charms in buildings

In Greece overturned shoes (soles up) are considered a bad luck and possible omens of death

When a death happened, family took shoes out to wood and thrown them in all directions

Some Jewish people still destroy a dead relative’s shoes away.

Jewish WW1 memorial shoes

Shoes should not be given as gifts, but should be given to a poor person at least once in a lifetime

In Greece, burning old shoes during the Christmas season is said to prevent misfortunes in the coming year.

A Native American tradition is to put a hole in the sole of an infant’s shoe to let bad spirits escape.

A custom of the Zuni people of the US was to have a woman’s wedding boot made by her fiancé.

A child’s shoe may be adorned with a fierce animal such as a tiger, to protect him from bad spirits.

A Chinese custom was to toss the bride’s red shoe upon the roof on her wedding night as a sign of love.

The Serbian footwear industry is composed of more than 200 firms, mostly in the areas of Vojvodina, Zajecar, Vranje and Novi Pazar, employing some 8 thousand workers.

Italy, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina are the main export markets and China is the most important supplier.