A brief history of one of the oldest and most comfortable style of shoes which are currently enjoying a renaissance.

1. A very short history of
slippers
Cameron Kippen
The_footman@yahoo.com.au

2. Slippers
The term slippers derives from Middle
English, ‘sliper’ or ‘slipor’ (Old
English) meaning "slip-shoe" and
generally describes any low-cut,
lightweight shoe which the foot can be
slipped into.
Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)
described them in his dictionary as; “A
shoe without leather behind, into
which the foot slips easily.”.

3. Pre-historic Slippers
According to Rossi (2000), slippers are
one of the oldest shoes which were
most certainly worn in prehistoric
times. The oldest known shoes are
radio-carbon dated to at least, 10,000
years old and include simple platforms
(made from woven fabric) with the
front part folded in a pocket to
protect the toes. The first slippers
were strapped to the foot with a
thong.
The oldest known shoes were discovered
in Fort Rock Cave, Oregon (1938). Made
from woven sagebrush bark

4. Babouche
Babouche from the Arabic 'babush' or
Persian 'papush', describe a flat,
slipper-like style with an exaggerated
point at the toes.
These slippers are thought to have
originated during the Cradle of
Civilization and worn by nomadic Arab
desert dwellers from the earliest of
times.

5. Spread of fashionable footwear
Fashionable dyed footwear spread
throughout the known world carried
by the seafaring Phoenicians.
From Ancient Egypt, India and China,
sumptuous footwear became essential
for the rich and powerful.

6. No shoes on Holy Ground
Generaly it was considered inappropriate to wear shoes
on holy (consecrated) ground. Today, only some
religions continue to observe this custom.
Removing shoes before entering a place of worship is
thought to be a humbling mark of respect and
conscious effort to leave the material world behind.
The possible exception in some parts of India, are
Khadau. These wooden slippers are worn by priests,
and those who work inside the temple.

7. Removing shoes as a mark of respect
A common practice throughout the
Orient, is to remove shoes before
crossing the threshold of a building,
whether it be a place of worship or
humble domicile.
In agricultural societies outdoor shoes
harboured dirt and filth and by
necessity were made from animal
materials which for many, were
unholy.

8. Why remove shoes in domestic dwellings ?
Much of domestic life involves contact with the
floor including eating and sleeping on mats. In
Asian homes, visitors remove their shoes in the
genkan (Japan) , or hyeon gwan (South Korea). The
genkan always sits lower than the house and
slippers are provided by the host.
Some buildings are built above ground to enable
ventilation also a piping system below the home
was used to push smoke to warm all the floors.

9. Cover up bare feet
Culturally, the sight of bare feet
could offend and were generally
hidden from sight with socks or
house slippers. In Korea these
were called ‘sil nae hwa’, a literal
translation meant ‘room indoor
shoes’.
In Japanese homes, a separate
pair of bathroom slippers was kept
specifically for the bathroom.

10. Slippers of the Orient
 Slippers of the Orient were written
about in the 12th century. Later
advances in cartography and sailing
meant Europeans charted new
trading routes to the Far East. The
spice trade was a major attraction
and colonisation soon began.
 Home based Europeans were
fascinated with the exotic Orient
and all the more so because of the
quality of Chinese and Indian
imports.

11. Pattens to Pantofles
Pattens were clog like over shoes used to protect the
expensive shoes of ladies in the late fifteenth
century. Soon these were modified to accommodate
the forefoot and became lightweight backless slip-
ons with a fabric upper and cork soles.
Dubbed by the French, pantofles (Middle French
pantoufle or “slipper”). Later, the term became
generic, and described any fashionable slip-on shoe
e.g. chopines. A modified form of the slip-on, mule,
had a small heel (approx. 1 -2 cm) and could be worn
outside.
The terms were often interchanged which
subsequently led to much confusion among shoe
historians.

12. Cinderella’s Glass Slipper
The most famous pair of pantofles, were
described by Charles Perrault (1628 -
1703) in the fairy tale Cinderella.
According to the writer, she wore ‘la
petite pantoufle de verre, " which was
initially translated as a fur slipper
(French: vair).
Many believed this became a glass slipper
only after the Walt Disney animated film
(1950).
However, this interpretation has since
been discredited and the general opinion
is the author meant glass mules.

13. The English Slipper : Symbol of the
bourgeoisie.
By the time Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709
- 1784) described slippers in his
famous dictionary, bedroom slippers
were in common use.
“A shoe without leather behind, into
which the foot slips easily.”
Both ladies and gentlemen wore
ornately designed bedroom mules.

14. Chinoiserie to Rococo style
Rococo style was elegant and strongly
influenced by Chinoiserie. Bed room
slippers were characterized by
exuberant decoration, asymmetry, made
from sumptuous materials with tapestry
uppers often outlined with golden
threads.
At a time when real men dressed like
peacocks, bedroom slippers were the
sexy shoes of the time and by the end of
the 18th century, slippers (open and
closed) were matched with the attire of
the boudoir

15. The neoclassical style
The rise of the neoclassical style during
the reign of Emperor Napoleon (1804 –
1814/1815) led to a marked division in
slippers.
Popularity of Grand (Dress) Balls saw the
introduction of dancing slippers worn for
formal wear only; whilst house slippers
(or carpet slippers) were for casual wear.
Empire shoes or dancing pumps were heel
less and did not extend beyond or above
the vamp and quarter top lies.
Pumps required no fastening (button,
buckle, of bows) and followed the simple
line of classic fashion made in silk and
other fine materials. It was common
etiquette for women to take a second
pair to the ball.

16. Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, formalised slipper ware when
he wore velvet slippers with quilted silk lining and leather outsole to
black tie diner events. The Prince Albert slipper soon became associated
with smoking jackets and were worn outside the home to clubs and
smoking rooms.
The Prince Albert Slipper

17. The Modern Slipper: Anything goes
From hotel bathroom slippers, both
reminiscent of Eastern culture to the
distinctly Victorian ‘pipe and slippers,’
they are still very much part of domestic
life.
Slippers are now made from many
different types of material both natural
and synthetic.
Emphasis on security, particularly at air
and sea ports has had an unintentional
consequence, with an exponential rise in
the popularity of slip on shoes. Slipper
boots like uggs are typically furry boots
with a fleece or soft lining, and a soft
rubber sole.

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