Luxury Lexicon 46 terms
Footwear terms
Terms for shoe construction, fit and style that arise in footwear and client-facing roles.
A
- Aglet
- The small plastic or metal tip that keeps a shoelace from fraying and helps it pass through an eyelet.
- Arch support
- A shaped part of an insole or footbed that supports the arch of the foot.
B
- Blake-stitched
- A shoe construction in which a row of stitching joins the insole, upper and outsole directly.
- Block heel
- A broad shoe heel with a substantial surface in contact with the ground.
- Blucher
- A lace-up shoe with separate lacing tabs attached to the vamp.
- Brogue
- A shoe decorated with small perforations and often serrated edges along its panels.
C
- Cap toe
- A shoe with a distinct cap section over the toe, usually formed by an additional piece of upper material.
- Cemented
- A shoe construction in which adhesive bonds the outsole to the upper.
- Chelsea boot
- An ankle boot with elastic side panels and usually a pull tab, designed to slip on without laces.
- Chukka boot
- An ankle-height boot, usually with two or three pairs of lace eyelets.
D
- Derby
- A lace-up shoe with an open lacing system: the panels carrying the eyelets sit over the vamp.
- Desert boot
- A type of ankle-height chukka boot traditionally made with a suede upper and a crepe-rubber sole.
E
- Espadrille
- A shoe with a sole made from, or edged with, braided rope such as jute, often with a canvas upper.
- Eyelet
- A small hole through which a lace or cord passes, often reinforced with a metal or stitched ring.
G
- Goodyear-welted
- A shoe construction in which a welt joins the upper to the insole assembly and is separately stitched to the outsole.
- Gusset
- An inserted piece of material that adds room, shape or flexibility to a garment or shoe.
H
- Heel
- The part of a shoe beneath the back of the foot, often raised above the level of the forefoot.
- Heel cap
- The replaceable protective piece on the bottom of a shoe’s heel, also called a top lift or heel tip.
- Heel counter
- A reinforcing piece around the back of a shoe that helps the heel area hold its shape.
I
- Insole
- The inner sole of a shoe, beneath the foot.
K
- Kitten heel
- A low, slender shoe heel.
L
M
- Midsole
- The layer between a shoe’s insole and outsole, often used for cushioning or support.
- Monk strap
- A shoe fastened by a strap and one or more buckles instead of laces.
- Mule
- A backless shoe that leaves the heel exposed.
O
P
- Patent leather
- Leather finished with a hard, high-gloss coating built up in layers over its surface.
- Patina
- A surface appearance that develops through use, aging or deliberate treatment, particularly on leather or metal.
- Penny loafer
- A loafer with a strap across the vamp containing a small shaped opening.
- Plain toe
- A shoe whose toe has no separate cap or decorative perforations.
- Pull tab
- A small loop or tab that helps the wearer pull on a shoe or boot.
Q
- Quarter
- The rear or side section of a shoe’s upper, extending around the heel.
S
- Saddle shoe
- A lace-up shoe with a contrasting, saddle-shaped panel across the middle of its upper.
- Shank
- A reinforcing piece beneath the arch of a shoe, between the insole and outsole.
- Spectator shoe
- A spectator shoe uses contrasting colours or materials across sections of the upper, often at the toe and heel.
- Storm welt
- A welt with a raised edge against the upper that helps limit water entering the joint between the upper and sole.
- Suede
- Leather finished on the flesh side, the inner face of the skin, and sanded to a soft, velvety nap.
T
U
- Unlined
- Made without a separate inner lining, either throughout a shoe or in a specified part of it.
V
- Vamp
- The front section of a shoe’s upper that covers the top of the foot.