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Men's shoes, that is, shoes without
tapering, high heels, consist of an upper section and a lower section
– known conveniently as, respectively, the upper, and the
lower. |
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This is the main portion of the
shoe; that is, the part that matters most from an aesthetic point-of-view.
It is all the parts of the shoe above the sole, and is attached
to the sole and lower of the shoe via the optional welt. It can
be broadly divided individually into the vamp and the quarter. |
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The front portion of the shoe upper is called the vamp, which
wraps the toes and metatarsals, keeping them protected from the
elements; unless, of course, the shoe is a sandal. For closed
shoes, however, leather is the most practical, and therefore, the most
widely-used variety of vamp/upper material because of its ability
to breathe, keeping feet rather cooler than with cheaper,
synthetic alternatives. Another benefit of natural leathers is
their ability to conform over time to the shape of the wearer's
foot, thus making leather shoes more comfortable with age.
The vamp can be made up of more than one piece, and includes
the tongue of the shoe – the flap of material that protects
the foot from the laces of the shoes. Often, the tip of the shoe
– also referred to as the toe puff, or toe box – is
reinforced so as to keep the shoe's overall shape as well as protect
the wearer's toes from stubbing.
The rest of the upper of the shoe, behind the vamp and including
the rear, is referred to as the quarter. Note that the quarter
and the vamp overlap where one laces the shoe, because the tongue
is part of the vamp while the lace eyelets are part of the quarter,
although this may vary depending on the type of shoe. Again, like
the toe, the heel area is stiffened to give the shoe shape as
well as protect the Achilles tendon.
Between the eyelets (if applicable) and the toe section of the
shoe, and part of the vamp, is the throat of the shoe, which determines
the breadth of the opening of the shoe that allows feet to pass
through. More often than not, the throat is also the fulcrum at
which the shoe bends when one walks.
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Starting from the ground up, the lower is made of the outsole,
the heel, and the shank. The outsole is the bottom, ground-facing portion of the entire sole
(the other portion of which is the insole – part of the upper).
The outsole is the point of contact between the shoe and the ground,
so grip is directly affected by the material used to make the outsole.
Like in an automobile, rubber may be used to provide the shoe with
grip or traction, although leather is still a common material for
the outsole, despite not being totally weatherproof.
The shank is a piece of rigid material such as wood,
metal, or plastic that is inserted between the front section of
the outsole (under the ball of the foot) and the heel section in
order to maintain the general shape of the shoe, which usually distorts
while walking. The shank limits this distortion because of the firm
nature of its constitution as well as its shape and orientation,
which follows the contours of the outsole and is situated longitudinally
along the shoe's outsole, under the arch of the foot. The heel is the part of the outsole that is often
thicker than the rest of the sole, because it is most likely to
be the first point of contact between the ground and the shoe, thus
bearing most of the shock-absorption duties. The heel is sometimes
omitted from some designs of shoes, as shoes come in all shapes
and sizes, naturally. |
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Between
the lower and the upper section of a shoe is the welt. The welt
is usually a layer of rubber, plastic, foam, or leather that connects
the two parts together, and forms the base for both the shoe's insole
and the outsole. That is, the insole and the outsole are both affixed
to the welt, one on top and one on the bottom.
There are few kinds of welt, and dismissing the purely
decorative faux welt, which is essentially a strip of material applied
where an actual welt would be if that particular shoe needed one,
there is the Goodyear welt, which is the most popular kind. The
Goodyear name refers to the man who patented a sewing machine designed
specifically for the construction of shoes and boots. While not
all methods of shoe construction require the presence of a welt,
the welt is still a part of the traditionally-crafted men's shoe.
Now that you know about what a shoe is made of, we
can talk about how it is made. |
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Next page: Making a Shoe |
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