Shoe buckle

Woman's silk damask shoes with buckles, 1740-1750, England. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, M.81.71.1a-b.

Shoe buckles are fashion accessories worn by men and women from the mid-17th century through the 18th century. Shoe buckles were made of a variety of materials including brass, steel, silver or silver gilt, and buckles for formal wear were set with diamonds, quartz or imitation jewels.[1]

Buckled shoes began to replace tied shoes in the mid-17th century:[2] Samuel Pepys wrote in his Diary for 22 January 1660 "This day I began to put on buckles to my shoes, which I have bought yesterday of Mr. Wotton."[3] Separate buckles remained fashionable until they were abandoned along with high-heeled footwear and other aristocratic fashions in the years after the French Revolution,[4] although they were retained as part of ceremonial and court dress until well into the 20th century.[5]

See also

Notes

  1. Takeda and Spilker (2010), p. 183
  2. Tortora and Eubank (1995), p. 190
  3. "The Diary of Samuel Pepys". Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  4. Tortora and Eubank (1995), p. 272
  5. "Victoria and Albert Museum: Shoe Buckles". Retrieved 20 April 2011.

References

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