If with modern society, 12 or 15cm high heels were a difficulty for people to walk, in the 15th and 16th centuries, women in noble families often wore high-heeled shoes called Chopine with height. sometimes up to 50cm tall!
Fashion standards are so different from time to time that we sometimes don’t understand why such bulky dresses or thick buns used to be the norm of beauty. Like Chopine shoes . Imagine in the 15th and 17th centuries in Europe, women often wore high heels that were sometimes up to 50cm tall!
Chopine is most popular in Venice, Italy. From aristocratic to middle-class families, everyone uses these high-heeled Chopine shoes. So why are Chopine shoes so popular?
There are Chopine pairs that reach a height of 50cm.
First, let’s talk about its practical use. High Chopine shoes keep the wearer safe from stepping on their skirts or safely walking through bodies of water.
However, what makes this shoe especially attractive to upper-class women is when it shows the social status of the wearer. The higher the chopine shoes, the more their status is strengthened as well as making them always higher than others.
During the renaissance , chopine shoes became an integral part of aristocratic women’s clothing and were increasing in height. Some couples are over 50cm tall. In 1430, the height of the chopine shoe was limited to about 8cm by Venetian law. However, the ladies just ignored this law.
Chopine is loved by middle and upper class women because it helps them to express their social class.
Usually, the heel of the chopine shoe is made of wood or wood covered with metal. In addition, the upper part of the shoe is made of leather, embroidered with brocade or velvet fabric with precious stones on the shoe. Although decorated to look so sophisticated, chopin shoes are often hidden under the skirt, avoiding the tattooed eyes of the public or others. Because of the shape of the shoe, many people have an odd looking gait.
Some scholars say that chopine shoes cause the wearer to walk with an unelegant and disproportionate gait; In the long run, it can lead to bone and joint problems. Because of this, noble women always have servants by their side to help them travel safely by giving their masters a shoulder to lean on.
A pair of Chopines are embroidered very elaborately and sophisticatedly.
However, there are many who deny that and claim that such high shoes can help the wearer to walk gracefully, even dance, as depicted in many works.
Chopine Spanish style.
In the 15th century, chopine shoes were also introduced to Spain. However, when coming to the country of Gaut, the design and materials of chopine were also changed to suit the needs and tastes of the mandarins and aristocrats. While Venetian shoes are often sculpted, delicately carved, Spanish-style Chopine shoes are often conical and symmetrical. However, the elegance of the shoes is no less than when it is also adorned with precious stones, brocade, velvet and expensive decorations.