Said the shoemaker Manolo Blahnik, quoted in "How Instagram made brogues fashionable again/The classic leather shoe is making a comeback, aided by social media and vintage resale sites" (London Times).
Do you think these kids today are returning to non-sneaker shoes?
Do you know why the British call sneakers "trainers," and why Americans call sneakers "sneakers"? If it's that the British are more about athletic training and the Americans are more about not making noise — sneaking up on people — then why is that? Americans attempted to shift from "sneakers" to "running shoes," but that failed, didn't it? We've established our preference for sneakiness over athletics.
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91 comments:
Tennis shoes.
...visually I find them clumpy and heavy.
I wonder what he thinks of Biden's clodhoppers?
never thought of Sneakers as a descriptor, haha
and if that's what it is describing, I'm with those who seek them out.It would mean THEY ARE QUIET! huzzah, that's the golden shoe, if it fits.
I have my kids run barefoot. I do sprints and run in bare feet.
Your feet have ligaments and tendons that were meant to hold your foot in place. If you constantly over support them your feet get weak and this leads to problems later.
Getting fat doesn't help your feet out at all either.
Orthotics are a solution searching for a problem that doesn't exist.
Sorry, Manolo - comfort for the win.
Manolo Blahnik has always prioritized comfort??
Also, tennis shoes. "Tennies" if I'm being cute. I've never called them "sneakers."
I’ve never, that I can recall, referred to athletic shoes as “sneakers.” Everyone I know refers to “tennis shoes” or whatever other sport the shoes are (supposedly) designed for. So, “running shoes”, “basketball shoes”, “soccer shoes”, etc.
I don’t know who Manolo Blahnik is. He seems to be designing shoes that look like shoes that have been made for about 150 years or so with thicker soles. He’s also charging more than my mortgage payment for them. He can eat a bag of dicks.
Also, kids these days. They need to get off my lawn.
"Trainers are good for one thing only: running in the forest or perhaps on a beach."
That's two things.
I prefer Roman sandals with hobnails. Because I believe in classical cobbling and so look down on these fancy leather audacious brogues and bluchers. And loafers? Lazy shoes made with scandalizing calf skin for rich upper class gentlefolk with more money than sense wearing shoes with dots and laces and heavy soles that look like you're putting your shoes on a mini throne. "Oh majesty, Sir Foot, shall we perambulate upon the footpath to assess our holdings and berate the trainer wearing staff?"
No give me Roman footwear. Of the people, for the roads that still last and can be used equally in senatorial debate or active crushing of your neighborhood barbarians. Anything else is crass and craven participation in pseudo-sartorial feminized snobbery.
Manolo Blahnik, famous for ridiculous shoes for women, is not who I’d turn to for advice on what to put on my elderly male feet.
Whoa, look at the drop on that shoe. I've found, by accident, that zero drop shoes do much better for my feet.
Ha. I want to ask Mr. Blahnik how many miles he runs per week?
Achilles is right. If you stay slim and keep your feet hardy, you can run for a long time without a lot of support. But the older we get, the more we break down. My kids run in Walmart shoes. It's fine. My high schooler is using Saucony for cross country now though.
I need Brooks Adrenaline, but that's minimum cushion compared to other models and brands.
I have a pair of Redwing brogues that are at least 35 years old. Re-soled once. They are hands down, the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on my feet. And they still look good, although it's a long time since they looked new.
Brogues? Those are called "Wingtips" around here. They are flashy and surely look great on social media to the guys who wore fedoras to swimming pools 15 years ago and who suit jackets with casual pants 10 years ago (NOT sport coats or blazers, just half a suit). All is fair in love, war, beauty, and fashion. Bell bottom jeans and afros may come back too.
Still, try walking for a long distance on a slick hard leather sole, or in the wet, or on rocks and gravel. I'll keep my thick foam inners and Vibram soles.
Vibram Soul may be a good pop band name.
Why not also bring back spats. They lend a nice decorative touch to the foot area.....Running shoes (which is what some people call them) were a definite improvement over shoes. I'm an old man. I remember the misery of breaking in a new pair of shoes. You don't have that problem with running shoes. I call them running shoes because they cost over $150 and at that price they're not sneakers.
I see more loafers and office-appropriate shoes among young men, but teens are still wearing a lot of sneakers.
When I was growing up in UK the term for sneaker was plimsole. Trainer as short for training shoe did not catch on until after I left mid-seventies. Running shoes took off here after Frank Short won marathon in Munich. Dunno why shortening to runner never caught on.
Gym shoes
I clicked the link. Have owned Church's since working in NYC in eighties (store on Madison). But my current pair has lasted since turn of century. Too dressy for business casual. Hard to see kids leading a revival.
I love brogues and other proper shoes. I also run 85 miles a week and often twice a day. My feet are tired and need the comfort of my "trainers" even when I'm not running. They are childish looking, I'll go along with that. I do draw the line at wearing shorts when I'm not actually running, and of course, no trainers with decent clothes.
Sneakers goes way back to the 19th century. Probably because Americans are colorful and Brits are boring. I mean "Trainers"? yawn.
"Running shoes" are a subset of the broader category of sneakers. Also, I believe that sneakers is a very dated word. Americans do wear "cross trainers" which are non sport specific trainers, or sneakers. I haven't used or heard the word sneakers used in many years. When people are talking about running shoes, tennis shoes, or basketball shoes, they use those designations specifically.
Sneakers vs tennis shoes is a very regional classification in the US. I grew up in the northeast and it was 100% sneakers everywhere; I moved to the midwest and it's "shoes" and "tennis shoes" here. I've seen maps on this similar to the pop vs soda vs coke regionalizations.
Converse were "sneakers". Nikes are running shoes.
"Tennis shoes."
Does anyone young say "tennis shoes"? When I was young, I heard my parents' generation say "tennis shoes." Another common term was "Keds."
Stealth sounds like one of those folk etymologies that's a Just So story based on the most common meaning of the word. It does seem to have some basis in actual events but if you look at the story sideways I'm betting it was an early 1900s marketer trying to democratize sales of shoes designed for the upper class gane of tennis based on the war effort. Might even have been trying to shift demand for kids shoes away from leather and lasts needed for combat boots.
I think the generally accepted rule is after Labor Day, no white tennis shoes with formal wear. One must switch to black or brown. And one must refrain from wearing the Nike brand. One must protest their support of that scalawag kaepernick.
Another common term was "Keds."
Keds was a brand (still is, in fact). They were sturdy enough not to need replacement before a kid outgrew them anyway.
Another common term was "Keds."
Keds is a brand name. Keds calls their offerings "sneakers."
>Enigma said...
Brogues? Those are called "Wingtips" around here.<
"Wingtip" and "Brogue" are not synonymous. Wingtips (pertaining only to the perforation pattern) are a type of brogue. There are other patterns on brogues, though wingtip is, indeed, the most common one.
"Keds is a brand name...."
Yes, that's why I capitalized it.
But it was like Kleenex and Xerox, a brand name that was used generically.
The other brands, back in the 1950s, were very secondary, and you felt fortunate if your parents paid the extra dollar and got you real Keds.
At some point, Converse sneakers were also valued.
"Running shoes" emerged when these much more expensive sneakers came out and people wanted to create a distinction. That was in the 70s.
Also, I'm a little aghast at the colonizing assumptions contained in that article, as if everywhere has rainy, puddly, cold, wet, weather like England does. And assuming that everywhere has access to grass fed, daily massaged calves bred for high quality shoes.
The most comfortable, great for daily wear, shoes I own are Keens. I have several different kinds, including steel toed work shoes and black casual (not sneakers). Besides the hobnailed Roman sandals for official business, of course.
Manolo Blahnik — visually I find them clumpy and heavy.... The feet should be light and beautifully dressed, not burdened with these visually heavy trainers. Lightness and comfort have always been essential in my design process. My shoes have old-fashioned values that are not impacted by the constant moves in fashion. I can’t wait to see a new era of well-dressed men."
He's got shoes to sell. His "opinions" are just worthless PR.
Yes, "sneakers" because they're quiet. "sneaking up on people" is not the only reason for quiet. It's also because they don't disturb people like hard leather soles do. We're talking Keds (1892) here, not 2024. Their biggest selling point was being easier to walk on; softer tread, better traction, more comfortable top.
The latter origin doesn't impugn the character of the wearer. To think the former means readily imputing a stranger with being "sneaky" rather than what was written about rubber soled shoes at the time. Like the horseless carriage, rubber soled shoes were seen as a boon.
Too much Internet. Or not enough, depending.
My year round shoe is the simple deck shoe. Much like a Keds. My feet are used to the extremes because, like Achilles, I go around barefoot mostly.
The British also call certain sneakers "plimsolls".
Barefoot - Now you're talking sneaky.
Heh. (joke alert)
I miss Payless.
I wear what some other vendors call "manager shoes" or "food service shoes"
Low-cut, Black, leather 4 eyelet lace up, well padded inside, chemical resistant, slip resistant rubber souls.
Most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. I still have 1 pair left in a box. When they went out of business I bought all I could find. Unfortunately not many stores had my size.
John Henry
Gym shoes
At this point in the comment thread there is no mention of Crocs. And that's a good thing.
People wear sneakers with suits. Also I recently learned there is a difference between a sneaker and a running shoe.
i'm listening to JK Rowlings The Ink Black Heart, and she Keeps describing people as wearing "trainers".. I'd assumed it was british for sweat pants.. Which i thought was pretty stupid.
Now, i learnt that it was british for sneakers.. Which is Even MORE Stupid..
Great book though.. except for all the britishness
Of course, the Technical word is: Chucks
or, if you're being formal: Chuck Taylors
I do call them "Tennis shoes" in Minnesota. Though I pronounce it as one word... "Tennishoes".
I'll also call them "Sneakers", probably use both about equal frequency.
Either term only used when needed to distinguish them from Dress Shoes or Boots.
I'm in my 40s but my teenaged kids seem to think I'm from my father's generation or older when I use one of the terms (not sure which it is). I'll admit that I use a lot of terms I picked up from Grandpa, I'm just not sure which they are.
@John Henry: I miss Payless.
I wear what some other vendors call "manager shoes" or "food service shoes"
I had some Payless food service shoes a long time ago (used as general casual shoes). They were indeed among the most comfortable and functional shoes I ever owned. When quite old they cracked down the middle from front to back and a lot of sticky gray goo filling oozed out. I guess that's what made them so comfortable.
Converse? You mean Chuck Taylors, shortened to Chucks.
I am not old enough to remember Chuck Taylor.
Do gumshoe detectives wear sneakers? Maybe a version of wingtips with gum rubber soles? I see so many brands with dress shoe-style uppers with sneaker technology soles for comfort ... a business casual look.
I'm a sneakerhead, enjoying vintage styles of my youth. Back in the day, I would have called sneakers tennis shoes or tennies, maybe gym shoes. Nowadays, I think sneakerheads will call shoes by nicknames, brands and model names -- Chucks (Converse Chuck Taylor), shelltoes (Adidas Superstar), Jordans, Kobes, Cortezes, Suedes, Dunks, Air Force Ones, Sambas, etc.
I play a lot of tennis, so I call my on-court shoes tennis shoes, of course!
I'm so old I can remember when....
You know what's coming.
They were once gym shoes. And one pair was used for everything. Running, basketball, little league baseball (for older teams we had spikes). For track we did have track shoes (spiked). But for cross country? Our gym shoes. And everyday wearing? For play: gym shoes. For school: some sort of leather substitute over a hard sole which- depending on the store and our budget- either fell apart in layers when wet, or held up long past the tops wearing through and separating from the soles. Gym shoes were PF Flyers, Keds. Red Ball Jets. If you were really something you had a pair of Converse. I got a pair of Pumas in my last year of Cross Country. My times still sucked.
We had fewer choices in the 50s. There were Track Shoes which had spikes, and Cross Country shoes without spikes and made designed to be nearly weightless. If we wanted to jog 3 miles on neighborhood streets the cross country shoes were it. Then Nike came along and filled that niche. And within a year of Nike running ads , people running on the neighborhood streets became highly approved. Before that they were was considered criminals or a mentally ill.
Our Keds were cheap canvas kids shoes that also could be upgraded to be basketball shoes.
I see gym shoes has been said...that was our generic word for any athletic shoe. Don't forget Red Ball Jets back in the day. I think they were more popular with boys.
I just call the New Balances now.
Rockports are a solid but not too expensive shoe.
My rule is that life is too short to be wearing uncomfortable shoes. And I'm definitely not going to pay almost £600 for a pair of wingtips that I might only wear twice a year.
“Does anyone young say "tennis shoes"? When I was young, I heard my parents' generation say "tennis shoes." Another common term was ‘Keds.’”
Yes, lots and lots of young people call them “tennis shoes.”
It’s regional, not generational, like “soda,” “pop,” and “coke.”
- Rafe
"Back in the day, I would have called sneakers tennis shoes or tennies...."
Reminds me of...
I tried to kick the ball but my tennie flew right off
I'm red as a beet cause I'm so embarassed
I know that you'll feel better
When you send us in
Your letter and
Tell us the name of your
Your favorite vegetable...
"Converse sneakers were not called "Chuck Taylors," at least not in the 50s and 60s."
I seem to remember that we called that kind of shoe "boy's sneakers."
Clearly, this isn't just America vs. Britain, but there's a lot of regionality within the United States.
Growing up in Delaware and New Jersey, I never heard anyone say "tennies."
Converse sneakers were not called "Chuck Taylors," at least not in the 50s and 60s.
I don't believe I heard "gym shoes."
I think "tennis shoes" was used for a type of shoe that was used to play tennis that was different from the basic sneaker. I can picture the shoe but not easily describe it in words other than to say it had a flat, squared edge. The sole didn't curve around the bottom as with a sneaker. And the sole had narrow ridges that a chunk of gravel would get stuck in, so they were not suitable for playing anywhere that had any sort of little pebbly matter
I grew up in the Pacific North West and we called them "tennis shoes". My wife is from the Boston area and calls them "sneakers". In the late 1970's when there was a running fad, we couldn't entirely give up on tennis shoes, even when referring to running shoes, so we called them tenni-runners. Basketball shoes were just basketball shoes, or sometimes high tops.
People wear sneakers with suits
I recall a consultant in DC who wore bright red sneakers. I thought it was odd at the time, but all these years later it is still one of the most memorable things about that visit. He was on to something.
Sneakers aren't very sneaky--maybe compared to leather-soled shoes, but even most dress shoes have rubber soles: Anyway, for a few years I used to run barefoot, often on a nearby bike path (officially rail-trail, but it's paved). Running barefoot is really quiet. So many people would jump out of their skins, as I passed them from behind. I'm a reasonably silent runner, even with shoes, but there was notably more startling when barefoot compared to shod.
I can only say that I grew up calling them "sneakers," though I'm not certain where I got that, since I lived in WI and then KS before we moved to NY.
The incident I remember -- and I think this was already NY, but might've been KS -- was this: I said something at a gathering (party? I think Howard Temin might've been there) about "an old, dilapidated sneaker." Except I didn't say "dilapidated"; I said "deplaidiated." Much hilarity all round, except possibly for me!
@Althouse: Clearly, this isn't just America vs. Britain, but there's a lot of regionality within the United States.
To the best of my memory, casual athletic shoes in my lifetime (originally West coast) were:
* Tennis shoes or "tennies," as used by tennis players way before my time
* "Topsiders" -- Sperry deck shoes with flat rubber anti-slip grooves for boating on wet decks
* Court shoes / basketball shoes / Converse All-Stars ("Chuck Taylors" was much later)
* Following Nike's inventions of the 1970s, "Running shoes" or just "Nikes"
* Following Nike's Air Jordan basketball shoes, "Jordans"
* Following Reebok's fashion casual shoes in the 1980s, "Reeboks"
* Following the need for more side strength, "Cross Trainers" in the 1990s
* Following the widespread rejection of heavy high ankle hiking boots, "Trail Runners"
To the best of my memory, sneakers and gym shoes were generic terms and not rare.
My high schooler is using Saucony for cross country now though.
That's been my shoe since 1981. Tried others. Always come back to Saucony.
Does anyone young say "tennis shoes"?
Well, I do, and you've got almost twenty years on me, so...
My daughter, 22, says she calls them "sneakers" or "sneaks," but her boyfriend just calls them "shoes," which she finds too generic. (And yes, the young lad does own and wear other types of shoes.)
My older son, 26, says "tennis shoes," which I've assured him is the correct answer.
My younger son, 20, is ghosting me on this question at the moment, but I predict he'll come back with something ridiculous like "pumped-up kicks."
And PaddyO, well done, and live long and prosper in your hobnailed Roman sandals of the people.
Manolo knows shit about trainers. And the “new” shoes in the pictures are traditional heavy English country shoes of the sort made by Trickers. Been around for decades. Perhaps London kids are taking them up notwithstanding they cost around USD 700. The soles on the country shoes are very stiff and th r ride is not even a little cushioned. They are meant for rough wear over a very long period. Commando soles. Thick leather soles. Storm welted. Heavy.
My first job was in a sporting goods store. I fetched shoes for the salespeople. In late '60s NYC teenaged boys had strong preferences for Keds or Converse. Whole groups would come in to all buy one or the other.
Well, my 20yo came back with "sneakers" too. So apparently my oldest, my husband, and I are dinosaurs.
We were not allowed to wear sneakers unless it was a school day with gym class. At some point though Mom stopped trying to enforce this. I suppose it's because sneakers don't wear as well as hard-soled shoes (which can be re-soled, unlike sneakers).
When I hear 'Brogue', I am reminded of Christie's N or M, a story in which Tuppence Beresford's Brogues have a spot in the plot.
When I was still working, around 2010, I sat across the aisle from a very young woman on the DC Metro on my way home from work. It may have been her first day on the job because she was reading a pamphlet about the Federal retirement program. She was immaculately turned out - hair, makeup, nails very nicely done, a tailored pinstriped suit - and flip flops.
Back in the 70s and 80s when I had a job and the company would pay for them, I wore some very nice steel toe cordovan wingtips. They were very comfortable and very good looking. I would wear out 2 pair a year from walking on rough concrete.
I've never found a really comfortable steel toe since. Most are too heavy, too clumsy. About 2 years ago I bought a pair of Skechers steel toe trainers on Amazon. I think the toe is actually fiberglass or something. They are very light and comfortable. Pretty much the same as non-steel toe sketchers.
John Henry
Some companies require new shoes to enter a Class 100/5 cleanroom. So I've got a half dozen pairs that I have acquired over the years. They either provide them or I include them in my expenses.
Also popular in some clean rooms are white, steel toe, Crocks. These are designed to they can be easily and repeatedly sterilized.
Unlike shoes, Crocs have no nooks and crannies and are non-shedding. Also comfortable for a long day standing up. You cannot, generally, sit down or even lean against anything in an aseptic class 100 cleanroom. Arms at your sides at all times unless actually doing something and don't do anything unless it is ABSOLUTELY required.
John Henry
Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Converse sneakers were not called "Chuck Taylors," at least not in the 50s and 60s.
Per Wikipedia Converse was founded in 1908 (Nike bought them in 2003) and making Chuck Taylors since 1932. (Converse site says 1917)
While not all Converse sneakers are Chuck Taylors, all Chuck Taylors are Converse.
Here's a cool bit of trivia: The founder of Converse Rubber Shoe Company was "Marquis Mills Converse" Sounds more like a brand than a person. The Converse sneaker, another fine product from Marquis Mills.
John Henry
It’s tennis shoes. Just like Coke.
I wear flip flops unless I have zero choice everyday it’s above 49 degrees.
They were tennis shoes or tennies in the northwestern part of Minnesota of my youth. And my Canadian friends called them runners.
“ Per Wikipedia Converse was founded in 1908 (Nike bought them in 2003) and making Chuck Taylors since 1932. (Converse site says 1917) While not all Converse sneakers are Chuck Taylors, all Chuck Taylors are Converse.”
But when did people start *calling* them “Chuck Taylors”? Not until the 70s, I believe.
I enjoyed the Times article. When I was in high school my mom bought me good black dress shoes. Wore them through college and graduate school and into seminary. Replaced the soles three times.
A couple years ago went through a "phase" in which I tried new more "elegant" ways to lace and tie shoes, watched many "how to shine your shoes properly" videos, bought some good Safir shoe polish, learned how to do a mirror shine.
When we lived in the UK at school sneakers were called "plimsoles". To this day I have no idea what that means.
I wear them all the time, but we call them tennis shoes. And I don't play tennis. Sometimes we say walking shoes, but not often.
Growing up in the Midwest, it was either gym shoes or tennis shoes (or like amr said: "Tennishoes").
I never liked the British term 'trainers' - always reminded me of the plastic pants you put on a toddler when you were potty training them.
And even though I heard the term 'sneakers' applied to such shoes, I always loathed that term. To me, 'sneakers' is the 'garner' of the footwear world.
Grew up in Michigan. Sneakers or tennis shoes were interchangeable terms. Brogues I only encountered in reading, dress shoes were the term for leather shoes.
Today I usually wear Oxford type dress shoes from Dockers - rubber sole, leather upper, quite confortable. Yard work I wear Red Wing steel toed boots. For boat patrol (USCG Auxiliary) I wear a pair of black army boots my brother gave me when they switched to the tan boot - very comfortable and supportive. My sneakers I reserve for biking or at the Y.
I started with "sneakers" and upgraded to "tennis shoes" to show I was not a kid. Tennis shoes were clean. Then came running shoes which were healthy and good till they began to have strange, thick distorted soles and crisscrossing neon colors. Then came Reeboks, known as Reeboks. Then came Payless for generic-resembles-sneakers sneakers which had narrow, very thin soles and were made in China but mainly it was Rockports for work which involved trudging about with a bag of tools to fix computers. Then came Teva, known as Teva. Then came "garden shoes" aka sneakers but I knew no one says sneakers any more. Then came "cross trainers" which I say, just as I used to say "tennis shoes," only now I'm trying to show I'm younger, not older. But I can't remember "cross trainers" and "sneakers" keeps sneaking up on me.
Flip flops were go-aheads in 1960s California.
Not available in 9EEE. I recently saw online at the Florsheim company website that a local Mennonite store had 9EEE black dress shoes in stock. Turns out they also had 9EEEEE in stock which I could wear with thick socks without crushing my toes together.
So, no wide shoes, like most European makes, I won't be buying them.
The sad truth about shoes and labeling them is that most shoes in your average shoe store labeled È or EEEE, the two most common wides carried, aren't actually EE or EEEE. I've taken a cloth measuring tape in and measured. If every measured dimension on the shoe labeled 4E is the same as the D, the shoes are the same width.
I noticed the Mennonite store had a large selection of wide shoes, including work shoes, in many brands I had never seen before. The young lady at the counter, makeup free and no tattoos,said they sold more wides than regulars. The same style Florsheim is available in brown according to their website. I asked about a special order. About 6 weeks, if the warehouse had them. Made me wonder if the Mennonites used the Amish for deliveries.
Blue Jack Purcell's were what the neighborhood kids envied back in the day. I didn't know until just now he was a badminton player. How gay.
There used to be a Manolo the shoe blogger, though he specialized in 4" heels:
https://shoeblogs.com
Althouse:
Converse sneakers were not called "Chuck Taylors," at least not in the 50s and 60s.
“In 1934, the words ‘Chuck Taylor’ were added to the shoe’s signature heel patch, where they remain today”
It's amusing to watch people from all parts of this extremely large and varied country assert seaks were this or weren't that as if their region was the whole kebang.
It's amusing to watch people from all parts of this extremely large and varied country assert seaks were this or weren't that as if their region was the whole kebang.
Since I’ve retired I just call them “my shoes”.
Since I’ve retired I just call them “my shoes”.
Except I didn't say "dilapidated"; I said "deplaidiated." Much hilarity all round, except possibly for me!
I feel your pain, Michelle, man. In my family the pronunciation was "diplidated." I eventually saw the word written and realized the error, to my shame - it's the only word I've encountered that my parents mispronounced.
And, regarding steel-toed shoes: while working on drilling rigs (natural gas and geothermal - no oil, couldn't hit the price point) in the early 90s in California, when I was required to wear such, I heard that the point was not to keep your toes from being crushed - at least in that setting, when the stuff likely to fall on your feet was many hundreds of pounds from at least several tens of feet up. It was to ensure a clean amputation.
Looking at the comments- I'm going to weigh in.
When I was much, much younger, there were sneakers and basketball sneakers- high tops being for basketball. There were Keds and PF Flyers, and Grandway specials which is what my mother bought for me. But they were all sneakers. Then as I got older, about JHS time, there were running shoes- and spikes for cinder tracks. And tennis shoes. The soles on running shoes and tennis shoes had entirely different patterns, and the pattern on the tennis shoes resembled that on the basketball shoes. And in all this- remember- there were always cleated golf shoes. And cleated football shoes. And if you didn't want to wear the old stinky clown shoes the alley had, you could splurge on your own bowling shoes. Then when I was fencing, there were fencing shoes. The heel goes up the back of the heel- because of the way one lunges.
I never actually had a pair of any of them that fit until New Balance appeared on my radar- making athletic shoes in different widths! What a concept, selling shoes that fit. Actually, I got my first pair of shoes that really fit in boot camp in 1973. Going down the line, the fitter yelled 'eight wide!" I said, "These are size 10 on my feet.." He yelled again "Eight wide!" Got back to our company area with everyone else and tried them on, and, Holy Cow! They fit! My feet as I aged expanded to where they are now 9 EEE. I actually didn't know that shoes were made in different widths until then. Never had been to an upscale enough shoe store to be at one that carried such things...
Nowadays from an early age almost all know there's different shoes for different sports. If someone refers to "sneakers" they're probably referring to the old style canvas shoe like Keds were. Almost everything else is called athletic shoes, and most know that there are different kinds tailored for different activities. from the ones I already mentioned, off the top of my head- wrestling shoes, climbing shoes, and walking shoes, which are different then running shoes.
In the non-athletic department, ones I remember from being a child that are styles with a name- penny loafers, Mary Janes, docksiders (or boat shoe), wingtip, plain oxford (my choice of dress shoe), and of course- all types of heels for women.
And there's a meme I remember. Showing a pic of a bunch of older guys from the 60s standing around in white loafer type shoes. With tassels. The meme "If you're father wore these in the 60s, you probably have a sibling you don't know about." I don't recall if my father wore them- but DNA testing revealed I have one...
I understand there may be regional differences in what the footwear was called. But there's regional differences in almost everything. Soda or pop? I actually live on the dividing line NY between the two. Sleeveless T-shirts- aka wife beaters where I grew up. I don't think that's universal. Hot dog or frankfurter? When you think sausage- is it flat and round or long and cylindrical? What I grew up calling turnip turns out to be rutabaga everywhere else. Same family of root vegetables, but different. Potato sticks- I've gotten weird looks when asking where they were in grocery stores in some parts of the country. And Cheese Waffies (Wise's name) seem to be mostly a PA/NJ/NY thing. Waffle looking crackers with a cheese filling between them. Sub or hoagie? And I think there's another name for this type of sandwich, but I don't recall off the top of my head. Shake or frapped? And when you ask for a chocolate shake in your area, is it made properly with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup of do you get a brown cow with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup? And from what I've experienced, if you order a chocolate egg cream anywhere but the NYC metropolitan area, you have to explain how to make it. If they will make it for you...
If you pushed the red ball on your Red Ball Jets you could run faster.
Mongo, yes there was a trend in the aughts/teens for commuting women to wear flipflops the way they used to wear athletic shoes. The flipflops take less room in the desk after they change to heels in the office.
That trend died out - I think because of the rising amount of human feces on the sidewalk…
JSM
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