Carved shoes are arguably the most common decorative design used on leather shoes, but in fact, the origin of carved shoes is not for beauty. In fact, according to the different patterns of carved shoes, they even represent different regions or nobles. In the design and production, because of the use of tools and the proportional arrangement of holes, there will be different effects, let’s understand the story of carved shoes.
The origin of carved shoes – from functional to beautiful
Brogues, a decorative carved hole in the upper. The origin of the term carved flower first appeared in the wetter and swampy areas of Scotland and Ireland, and its name Brogues comes from the Old Irish word Bróg (meaning swamp).
At that time, due to the lack of sufficient waterproof and machine sewing technology (machine sewing can increase the density of sewing and make it easier to absorb water), shoes are prone to moisture after long-term wear, so they will use thicker leather to make and pierce holes on it, which is conducive to the moisture drainage and ventilation of shoes; Therefore, the original carved hole design was designed to make the shoes more ventilated and dry faster.
▲The earliest evolution of Irish and Scottish traditional costumes and carved shoes
It was not until the mid-19th century that formal heels were added to the heel, and in the 20th century, because of the clear sound of the heel, it was also used in traditional Irish dances and social banquets.
It was even used as a golf shoe by the fashionable Prince of Wales in the 1930s; The two-tone carved shoe was also widely used during the Jazz Age, and it became famous for being used by Elvis Presley in the Jailhouse Rock film during this period.
▲Elvis Presley’s outfit in the classic movie Jailhouse Rock was a trend at the time.
With the evolution of the times, carved shoes have been widely used in formal and casual occasions, and are also one of the representative shoes of gentlemen. (Formal occasions here refer to social occasions such as banquets, and are not recommended for business purposes.) )
The craft of carved shoes | Tools and methods of carving holes
At present, the most common carved shoes are usually made of round chopping tools, of course, there are also other different shapes such as flower chopping and flattening, but at present, the punching and carving used by Lin Guo are still mainly round chopping.
▲ round chopping equipment
According to the principle of proportion and balance of holes of different sizes, the carved style and the punching position are designed, and the holes are made in the leather surface by using the mallet to hit the round chopping tool according to the cardboard design.
▲Carved punching demonstration
▲ The use of cardboard to assist in the production of carved uppers
At present, the diameter of the hole used in Lin Guo is about 1.2-2.1mm, which is the size of No. 4-6 of the round chop.
Through different arrangement of punching size and arrangement, it will form different effects visually, sometimes it may be a regular arrangement, or it may be a large and small punching scattered on the leather surface, so there is no fixed rule in the design form of carving, and it also adds more interest and possibility to leather shoes.
▲The arrangement of the carved upper can have a lot of changes and combinations
Carved shoes are not Oxfords not Brouges.
The classic line “Carved Shoes Are Not Oxford Shoes” in the movie “Gold Medal Spy” also shows most people’s misunderstanding that carved is Oxford, carved can only be said to be a design element, it can be widely used in Oxford, Derby, Monk and Lefou’s four major shoe types, and the four shoe types are the form of shoes, and because of this, it will be said that carved shoes are not Oxford shoes.
Special introduction – Linguo’s classic carved shoes
3/4 carved zigzag wing oxfords
3/4 Carved Oxfords, which combine all the design elements of a classic Oxford shoe, such as wings, engravings and leather soles.
The intricate design shows the craftsmanship of handmade leather shoes to a large extent, and at the same time makes Oxford leather shoes the focus of attention on the feet.
Click me to see more carved shoes
[Further Reading]
The Story of Carved Shoes – Part II |Types of Carved Designs and Wear Notes
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