Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-01-24
SHOES AND THE WEARERS
DEALERS IN FooTeEAR FOR MEN
AND WOMEN GIVE SOME FACTS.

Eastern Women Wear the Largest and
Southern Women the Smallest Shoes.
Chicago Girls Have Been MaIigned.
Western Men Are Not Very Particular.
what kind of shoes are the ladies
wearing nowadays"
"If you should say that they are wear
ing all kinds you would Just about
strike it; but there IL one thing certain,
much more sensible shoes are worn by
women today than there were five years
ago. The best selling shoe we have in all
sections of the country, with one or two
exceptions, is the New York medium toe.
A shoe with this toe has q comfortable
and yet natty appearance, and is usually
fitted with an inch and an eighth heel,
which is comfortable height. Next in
popularity to the New York medium toe
is the New York opera toe, which is more
pointed at the end and has heel one
quarter of an inch higher than the for
mer. Either of these styles of shoe may
or may not be adorned with the patent
leather tip which has been SO popular for
the last year."
"Where are the largest shoes worm
81 suppose you will think will say in
Chicago, but shan't, for while in that
city the sizes range from one to seven, in
Boston there are very few No Is sold,
the prevailing numbers ranging between
two and seven. Chicago women have
been much maligned, and it is fact that
we send more large sizes east than to
any other section of the country. New
Workers wear much simmer shoes than
are worn in any other city, and while we
sell more medium sizes, threes and threes
and half, for instance, right here some
women wear as high as fiVes. We sell
very few shoes over that size in New
York"
IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
where are the smallest shoes worm"
"You will be surprised when I tell you
that for small feet the southern women
are in the van. They wear rather wider
shoes than their New York sisters, but
their feet are shorter. To sum up,
think can confidently assert that the
largest shoes are worn by eastern women,
slimmest by New Workers and the widest
and smallest by tho fair creatures who
make the south and west their homes"
NAre there particular styles manufact-
ured for different sections?''
There are. Here, for instance" and
the member opened black walnut show
case and took Cut what looked like mems
shoes, lis q sample of the ladies' wauk-
enphast shoe, which is now very popular
in that city of blue blood and beans
Boston.
"You will notice that they are nearly
as heavy, have as wide heels, and look
fully as useful as mems shoes. We sell
them nowhere else but in the east
Again, here is pair of shoes which you
Will observe have perfectly square toes
and narrow feet. These are what the
Philadelphia bellies dote upon, and you
couldn't see pair in any other city to
save your neck. Funny, isn't it?''
Are women wearing heavier or
lighter shoes than formerly?'
You would naturally suppose from
my previous statement that thcy are
wearing moro sensible shoes, that I
would say heavier. regret to say that
cannot. Fair woman has come to the
conclusion that distorted feet resulting
from too short and too tight shoes de-
tract from her appearance, and is there
fore wearing better shaped feet cover
lngs. You cannot persuade her to wear
anything clumsy looking. A thick soled
shoe is her abomination, and there are
more deaths resulting every year from
her determination to wear paper soled
shoes than from any other cause. At
least, that Is my opinion. Why, just
look at it moment. The thickest shoe
we make has but three-eighths of an
inch sole-about the thickness o man
would wear en- a summer shoe--and yet
women will put ON their thick boots as
they call them, and tramp through slush
and mud all day long in them. It makes
no difference if their feet are soaked
when they get home; they have worn
their thick boots,' and that settles it.
That's what | like about the eastern
women. They will wear comfortable
and suitable shoes every time, appear
ances or no appearances"
SIS the French high heel as much in
vogue as it wasT'
For street wear, no. For the house
and carriage the most popular button
shoe is the New York opera toe, with the
high French heel. This shoe naturally
is not adapted for much walking, and
the women have discovered this. For
low shoes the New York medium toe and
the opera with high and moderately high
French heels sell the best. For d good
walking shoe S5 to SS should be paid; for
fancy ball slippers of course fancy prices
are given" ...
IMPROVEMENT IN MEMS SHOES.
A wholesale manufacturer of mems
shoes said: 1T would be hard to say
that any particular style of shoe is being
worn now. We make and sell all styles.
1t can be said, though, that men are get
ting better shoes for their money today
than ever before Not only better in
quality but in fit. The time has gone by
when q man expected to buy an I'm
comfortable, ready made shoe and tor
ture himself by wearing it until it was
comparatively comfortable. Improved
methods of taking measurements and
improved machinery have accomplished
this, and man can today go into
reputable ready made shoe store and get
aperfect fitting shoe without the slightest
trouble"
(Which section of the country de-
mands the largest shoes?"
"That would be difficult to say, but
probably the western man will wear
little larger shoes than other men. AS O
rule the western man, you know, is not
so particular in his dress as an east
erner, and SO long as shoe is comfort
able that is about all he cares for"
"Do you make particular styles for
different parts of the country"
II can't say that we do except for the
south. Southerners wear more boots
than men in the north. In fact there
are very few Of the finer grade of boots
worn up here The southern man likes