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Posted

Does anyone know where the term "mule" came from and are they the same as slides? Whatever, my favorites also.

Posted

Does anyone know where the term "mule" came from and are they the same as slides? Whatever, my favorites also.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mule (a French word) is a style of shoe that is backless and often closed-toed. They can be any heel height from flat to high. The style is predominantly worn by women, but not exclusively.

The term derives from the Ancient Roman mulleus calceus a red or purple shoe worn by the three highest magistrates[1], although there is little indication of any structural resemblance.

High-heeled mules were a popular indoor shoe style of the 18th century, influenced by the patten, a backless overshoe of the 16th century.

In the early 1950s, Marilyn Monroe popularized the shoe,[1] and helped to break its poor reputation.

Mules experienced some popularity in the 1950s and early '60s, and were seen in 1970s almost exclusively in the form of open-back Scandinavian clogs, but then re-emerged in the early 1990s, especially in its open-toed form (the "slide"), and began to dominate the shoe market for women.

Slide is a common term that refers to a shoe that is backless and open-toed, essentially an open-toed mule. Generally, all slides are a type of sandal. Thongs and flip flops are normally classified separately. Slides can be high-heeled, flat-heeled or somewhere in between, and may cover nearly the entire foot from ankle to toe, or may have only one or two narrow straps. They usually include a single strap or a sequence of straps across the toes and the lower half of the foot to hold the shoe on the foot. The term is descriptive in that this shoe is easy to 'slide' on and off the foot when the wearer wants to do so.

Posted

From Robyn Michaels Website - Spring-o-lators and Polly Glamour Mules -- "Bad Girl" High Heel Shoes

“The mule dates back to the ancient Sumerians and it was called a mulu. Centuries later, it was the Italians (wouldn't you know!) who added a curved heel under it. "This sexualized both the foot and the shoe by putting the shoe on a pedestal and leaving the foot half dressed and half undressed. It continues to be popular throughout the world, and is often used as an evening shoe...its half-open half-closed look is designed on the same principal as the see-through blouse or dress." The Sex Life of the Foot and Shoe, Dr. William A. Rossi

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The spring-o-lator high heel mule has an elastic strip located on the insole of the mule that “hugs” the foot to keep the mule on the foot. Also from Robyn’s Website:

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Who Invented the Spring-o-lator?

The elastic arch sole that we refer to as the "Spring-o-lator" was granted a patent on October 11, 1954 (U.S. Patent Number 2,691,227 ) to a Mr. Maxwell Sachs, on a design submitted in December of 1951. (The original illustration on the patent application is for a man's loafer or slip-on style shoe!) Beth Levine, the wife, designer and business partner of noted shoe maker Herbert Levine, is credited with taking that concept and designing a women's mule type shoe around that feature.

Visit Robyn’s Website or send her an e-mail at: robynmichaels@hotmail.com

~john

Mule Freak

Posted

ff nylons = full fashion nylons....you know, nylon stockings with seams and reinforced tops for garter (suspender) belts.

Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.

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