What is “Explain to me”?
In the editorial office, we set ourselves a little challenge: what if for once, instead of talking about the things we like, we talked about the things we don't like , or at least, about which we have reservations ?
Why not. But that's all ? No !
That would be too easy, let's see. All we would have to do is criticize, deride, and create consensus, as all the thousands of fashion journalists before us have done.
So we're going to say that the goal will be to act as a "stylistic devil's advocate" , to defend a point and its counterpoint, to try to draw something from it... A conclusion, a lesson, a nuance?
The minimum is to explain. To look for “why” this thing pleases.
The rule is therefore to carry out an analysis of a clothing practice or a type of piece that we find:
- Either ugly , old-fashioned, unsuitable for the current context.
- Either too difficult to carry, or too difficult to access.
- Or unloved by the general public.
But why do such a thing? By masochism? No, don’t worry.
To nuance, open our minds , test our aesthetic perceptions , and therefore progress in our understanding of style.
And if by chance we don't succeed, well... We will at least be fixed on something: the object of the day can be definitively buried without regrets.
Ask any shoe enthusiast what the maximum ugliness for a shoe is, and you'll probably get a description of something like this:
When you see this shoe, how many negative connotations come to mind about its hypothetical wearer?
Or, in a less cheap, but still unglamorous version, something like this:
The leather is better, the color is sober but this design, and above all, this shape... Immediate red card.
In short, you will have understood, today we are going to talk about the famous “pointed shoe”.
Why does it persist among some people despite almost unanimous lynching by both experts and the general public for many years already?
An idea that is not new
Before we get to the heart of the debate, I find it interesting to remember that pointed shoes are not just a passing fashion that appears in the 21st century for no explainable reason.
No, it seems that our ancestors have cultivated, for a very long time now, a fascination with the longest and most pointed shoe possible.
The longer it was, the more you “weighed in the game” of the shoe.
In the Middle Ages, the poulaine, a sort of long leather shoe with a disproportionate toe, was the object of all desire. Although it was banned by the royal powers both in France (1368) and in England (1463) because it was considered crazy and cumbersome for prayer, nothing helped: until the end of the 15th century, it remains a powerful marker of social status, thus representing a fashion that will last nearly 250 years.
And for good reason: the longer and more pointed the shoe, the more complex and therefore expensive the craftsmanship required to make it. It didn't matter, therefore, whether they were ugly, bulky, or too conspicuous.
This last point was even more of an advantage than a defect: when a noble or a rich merchant wore foals, his wealth was evident from head to toe, literally.
And we might be tempted to believe that this fascination with “extending” the foot stops there, but that is not the case.
Have you ever looked at the engravings and illustrations of 19th century dandies?
There are no "pointed" shoes strictly speaking, however, the men are always represented with the most slender body shape possible : thin hands, long limbs, wasp waist, and above all... Thin feet.
In this representation of Beau Brummel, first of the "Dandies", we can clearly see an extremely fine foot, although the shoe is not strictly speaking pointed.
We are no longer in the ostentation of the medieval foal, because the foot remains proportional to the body, but the idea of a foot as elongated as possible persists.
Here, the feet almost become needles, tiny supports destined to disappear under the pants of these gentlemen.
This finesse, assimilated to refinement, still finds echo in today's canons. Just look at the preponderance of thinness among models during fashion shows.
Moreover, this refinement seems to have been supported by a craft phenomenon similar to that of foals: for ages, bootmakers have engaged in relentless competition over technical prowess. And guess what... Making the narrowest, most slender shoe with the narrowest arch possible is one of the best ways to show off your expertise.
Take a look at this shoe by Daniel Wegan, a Swedish bootmaker who previously worked for the very beautiful house Gaziano & Girling :
A masterpiece of craftsmanship, with assumed surrealism: what kind of arch does one need to wear such a pinched sole?
It earned it first place in the world bootmaking competition in 2019. It is obviously a pure exhibition model, the aim of which is to evoke the illustrious times of bootmaking in the 19th century. It is said, however, that such shoes were actually worn at the time, in order to give the wearer the thinnest foot possible... Even if it meant suffering
However, the fact remains that the pinched arch remains one of the distinctive signs of very high-end shoes , and that it has the reputation of making any pair of shoes more elegant by its simple presence.
As a final historical example, we could also cite the cowboy boots nicknamed "santiags", whose shape, ending in a slight turned-up point, I suspect is due to the advantage it gives to a rider.
If you have ever ridden a horse, you will know that losing your stirrups is quite common and unpleasant. An additional toe length on a boot would therefore allow better control over them.
A pair of Lucchese (a traditional "western" shoe) in crocodile. The idea of the tip is still there, although turned up.
It would also be this same mechanism which would be at the origin of all pointed shoes. And its very first expression in the West goes back to the soleret, a piece of armor intended for knights. The foals would only have arrived after the solerets, and the name “poulaine” would be explained precisely by these equestrian origins.
The soleret allowed the knight in full armor not to lose his stirrups. However, it was quite cumbersome to walk on.
It will also be noted that most shoes intended for horse riding, regardless of their origin, are often more tapered than round.
In short, in my opinion, these three cultural phenomena, namely:
- That of the narrowest possible foot perceived as a refinement
- That of riders in the collective imagination, which has always been imbued with a certain virility and a certain charisma, from the cowboy to the knight.
- And above all, that of shoes as an ostentatious means of displaying one's status
Have persisted through the ages, even in a semi-conscious way , and largely explain the enduring fascination that the “slender” foot exercises among some people, even today.
Why does it appeal?
We will therefore try to draw up a short argument of the arguments "in favor" of the so-called "pointed" shoe, or at least, take stock of everything that fascinates about it:
- It has always been associated with an idea of ostentatious “prestige” . Shoes are expensive, so basically "flashy shoes = money = power" .
- By playing with proportions, this creates a thinner and elongated foot , which evokes for some an idea of refinement , linked in the collective unconscious to the dandies of the 19th century.
- Like all slender objects, when they are well made, their design evokes dynamism, speed, sometimes a form of aggressiveness... Qualities that men love to adorn themselves with, precisely. Think for example of a Formula-1, or even the Concorde fire.
Now when you hear "young dynamic executive", you will imagine a salesman with two Concordes instead of his shoes. Please, it's a gift.
- And finally the most psychoanalyst among us will obviously see a phallic association of ideas : "You know what they say! Big feet, big..." . In fact, we could extend the maxim to all the growths which proudly sit on a man's body: his hands, his nose, his feet... It would seem that they are potentially associated with the size of "virility". " of their carrier.
"Find out how this kid found a SECRET technique to increase his VIRILITY in just 5 MINUTES!!! Seduction coaches HATE him!"
According to my information, no scientific consensus has demonstrated any such correlation, but what do you expect... For the little anecdote, Jordan told me that, when he was once a salesman for a shoe brand, he often saw women accompanying their husband say "Ah no darling, you can't leave with this pair, your feet are too small..." , subtly but firmly emphasizing the implicit meaning of such a deficiency.
Please know, gentlemen, that there are, at this very moment, men forced to walk in shoes that are too big to preserve the image of their virility in the eyes of their wives... A minute of silence for our fallen brothers , please.
Why is it stuck?
The minute of silence having passed, let us now see why the pointed shoe is almost unanimously criticized :
- We live in a society that really doesn't like feet , or drawing attention to them. The shoe seems to exist as much to protect and highlight them as to simply hide them . It is therefore logical that a shape of shoe which results in making the foot the center of attention is frowned upon.
To be honest, I couldn't say exactly why. Is it cultural? Do feet, on the contrary, create an innate fear in certain human beings? In any case, if you want to get an idea, you should take a look at Jordan's article "Why I refuse to show my feet in the city" .
If you still doubted it, the comments section will show you that in the eyes of more than one person, when it comes to feet and everything related to them, caution is required. - Continuing the previous argument, drawing attention to the foot rather evokes comic figures : we say "as stupid as its feet", "clown's feet", we speak of "barges" or "liners" when we has big feet.
- Some might add that drawing attention to the foot simply distracts from the face and torso, which are supposed to be the center of your person.
Pointed or tapered?
You may have noticed, but throughout the article, when talking about "pointed shoes", we are cheating a little, because we are conflating a lot of things together: from the "foal-inspired" pair which evokes the worst stylistic disasters, to classic models with a narrow fit and more tapered lines, including the great bootmaker's shoe with very pinched lines.
But if I made this amalgam it is because, for better or for worse, it is representative of a very widespread perception: in the eyes of more than one person, pointed or tapered, it is is white-cap, white-cap, as they say.
However, there is something a little unfair in this judgment: how, for example, can we put a pair of Corthay, a bootmaker's shoe renowned for its design, on the same level as the awful shoes shown at the beginning of the article?
The Arca from Corthay. Tapered? Certainly. Not up to date? Without a doubt. Ugly ? No, let's be clear for two minutes.
In fact, this is an opportunity to remember that when it comes to fashion, it has a variable geometry of justice: " when it's well done, it works" is a rule so powerful that it often surpasses all others . And tapered shoes are no exception.
In other words, what distinguishes a "beautiful tapered shoe" from a "horrible pointed shoe" is still the success of the shoemaker's patterns and shapes, and therefore, ultimately... Its quality.
Somewhere, we come back a little to the observation that was made in the Middle Ages: a beautiful tapered shoe cannot lie about the artisanal excellence that it implies, and if it tries, it will break the end. of his (long) nose.
I would add that often, the "pointe", which is intended to be capable of refining the foot, is a makeshift substitution for the real element of a shoe which manages to refine the foot with elegance, without ever falling into ridicule: the famous pinched vault which we spoke about above.
Look for example at this pair from Yohei Fukuda :
Look closely at the shape of these Yohei Fukuda: at first glance you get an impression of finesse. However, the toe is no less wide than on completely classic shoes.
Can we see a sort of extension in the foot? Yes, without a doubt. However, no form of "spike" strictly speaking exists on this shoe. It is not even necessary to achieve the desired effect. It's just the work of the vault
Of course, it's not all about that, there are other elements that accentuate this extension, such as the "eagle's claw" tip, which accentuates the curve of the tip. of the shoe.
One part says "eagle's claw". By accentuating the slope of the tip, we can further reinforce the impression of length without drawing a point. (Credits: Dandy Magazine)
But the idea is there: these are high-level working methods.
And unfortunately, this work comes with a price that cannot be avoided.
So, if you don't have the budget for such jewelry
What I personally think about it
My final verdict is that tapered shoes, even a little pointy, are like skinny jeans: it's viable for a very specific body type AND gender , and it's really not intended for everyone. world.
It's a matter of body proportions: if you're stocky or even just average, and neither your legs, nor your trunk, nor your hands are elongated, pointy shoes will stand out like the nose in the middle of your body. the figure.
Can you imagine Nick Wooster with the same shoes, but pointed? No, it's better not.
If you are tall and thin, with a fairly small and thin foot for your height, and optionally hairy with a somewhat rock style, you can possibly afford the pointed shoe.
When you have this figure and you look like a “teen idol”, why not. (Harry Styles in 2015, credits Teen Vogue )
I say "eventually" because on the one hand nothing obliges you to do so, and what's more, nothing guarantees consensus on your way of wearing the shoes.
The "Wyatt" ankle boot from Saint-Laurent draws its cutting-edge effect from the finesse of its sole and the narrowness of its fit. Good for an androgynous rock look, if that's what you're looking for.
You could objectively "wear them well" and it wouldn't change anything if your interlocutor decided, in advance, to hate pointy shoes.
However, trends come and go, and I wouldn't be so surprised if I saw, in a few years, a strong comeback of pointed shoes for men.
After all, how is this more absurd than the general trend for very round shoes, even heavy in their lines, which hovers over the current world of “menswear”? I'm obviously thinking of the famous Michael from Paraboot , the epitome of the big rounded shoe.
You probably like it now, but if all the shoes on Instagram suddenly became more skimpy, would that still be the case?
I got used to it myself, and even began to appreciate it
By way of conclusion, I would remind you that the fit of a pair of shoes greatly affects its shape. Fine, narrow, medium, generous, or downright wide, this one is not supposed to be chosen based on style , taste or fashion, but based on the shape of the foot.
A thin shoe will rarely appear "pointy" and unsightly on a really thin foot, and moreover, there is a greater chance that the owner of a thin foot will also have a similarly formed, and therefore proportional, physique.
Conversely, a wide, or even square, foot, even if it manages not to die of discomfort by being compressed in a thin shoe, will rarely look elegant in this one, for the same reasons. Often, the thin fit will have to be taken a good size larger to accommodate the wide foot, and the wearer will end up with the “barge effect” that is so undesirable.
On this note, don't hesitate to share your opinion on pointed, tapered, or even round shoes, and don't forget: the most important thing is to feel good in your shoes. Literally.
