Every step you take

Soon after man learnt how to clothe himself, he focussed his attention on his feet. So, even when Pharaoh Rameses-II was ruling Egypt with his 200 wives and 150 children, other influential and rich ancient Egyptians were busy ordering professional master craftsmen to make them bespoke shoes. The ancient Greeks, the Romans under Julius Caesar and even the Indians from Vedic times had different styles of footwear to boast of.

Over two millennia later, new styles of footwear continue to fascinate us every season. The ancient citizens had no malls to rush to, or else Fred and Wilma Flintstone and many others would surely have made a dash for them every time the “new arrivals” sign went up on the shop windows.

Today, the choices are plenty. If it’s moccasins for some, other fashionably conscious men prefer brogues or monkstraps. Still others might go for Chelsea boots, while the women may look for that perfect stiletto. Party-wear and casual chic are a different matter altogether. New trends in casual wear have just hit the Indian market with global biggies announcing their arrival in style.

Indeed, there are different shoes for different occasions and different styles that suit different people. All of us need to stay updated on footwear fashion almost on a daily basis. What’s the latest thing in footwear? What kind of shoes can one wear to work or to a party? Is it possible to order and get a shoe that’s meant just for you?

The stories that unfold in the following pages talk about all these things and more. We also take you on the shoe’s journey through time where you will learn, among other things, why high-heeled shoes were such a rage in Italy and why you are lucky to be living in an era when you can differentiate the left shoe from the right one.

Turn the page for our special package titled Sole Mates.

— Dhiman Chattopadhyay