Rococo 1715-1775

Men’s shoes were still of practical dark colours with a high polish added from around 1725. Occasionally red heels were still worn for court, and red sole edges remained in vogue until around 1760.

Velvet was used primarily for dress wear. For dancing, satin shoes were seen, though fabric was quite uncommon for men’s daily wear. Mules at the beginning of the period were made from brocade. Later they changed to light leathers of assorted colours.

For women’s shoes, fabric was much more popular. Silk and wool were the primary materials. The lower classes favoured hardwearing wool, but this fabric was also used by the upper classes for winter wear. There were few leather and suede shoes in the women’s wardrobe, though the fabric shoes were often lined with white kid.