Why Were Medieval Europeans So Obsessed With Long, Pointy Shoes?

In 1463, London outlawed the shoes of its fanciest men. These dapper lords had grown ridiculous in their dapperness, and had taken to ambling streets shod in long, carrot-shaped shoes that tapered to impish tips, some as long as five inches beyond the toe. These shoes were called “crakows” or “poulaines” (a term also used to refer to the tips alone), and the court of King Edward IV eventually found them offensive enough to pass a sumptuary law prohibiting shoe tips that extended over two inches beyond the toe. AtlasObscura.com

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At a royal Parisian wedding the standard footwear was very pointy. Christophel Fine Art/UIG via Getty Images

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