High Standards: The Chopine

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What are Chopines? They are high-platformed shoes with thick soles which would usually allow women to wear their normal shoes at an elevated level [1]. The ones that have survived the centuries were made of wood or cork but the ones from Spain sometimes included metal bands. The shoes were highly decorated but usually hidden from sight since the women would usually wear long dresses or skirts. The Chopine’s material would usually match the fabric of the wearer’s outfit or shoes. While Chopines from Venice have a great amount of artistic carving, the ones coming from Spain had a more symmetric style [2].

Chopines were introduced in the very early 15th Century and were popular even in the following 2 centuries. During the century of their creation, the footwear was actually being fashionably worn in Spain and since they were so popular, the majority of cork supplies of the country went in to the construction of the Chopine. Since there is a lot of content from 14th Century Spain of Chopines, some believe that they originated in the Iberian nation [2].

Not only were Chopines worn to prevent stepping on dirty streets with your regular footwear, they also allowed the wearer to show off their nobility. The general rule of thumb used to be that the higher the Chopine, the greater the wearer’s status [2].

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The footwear was most popular for the women of Venice who would usually be helped by their attendant to maintain their balance. The attendants were considered almost essential since the Chopines would result in wearers walking in an unstable manner, possibly described as comical [2]. It is even said that in 1430, the tall platform of the shoe was reaching around 76cm tall but even after the Venetian law banned Chopines taller than 3 inches, the people of Venice continued wearing the ridiculously tall options [3].

Bibliography:

[1] Harold Koda 2002, The Chopine, Met Museum, viewed 10 October 2020, <https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chop/hd_chop.htm>

[2] Wikipedia 2020, Chopine, Wikipedia, viewed 10 October 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopine#:~:text=A%20chopine%20is%20a%20type,and%20patrician%20women%20from%20c.>

[3] Wikipedia 2020, High heel policy, Wikipedia, viewed 10 October 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_heel_policy>

Referencing:

[1] Bata Shoe Museum. (N/A). Chopines. [image]. Available from: https://batashoemuseum.ca/allaboutshoes/#gallery-4 [Access date: 10/10/2020]

[2] Met Museum. (N/A). Chopines. [image]. Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/156120 [Access date: 10/10/2020]