The Southern herald., 1900-08-17
FASHIONS IN SHOES.
The "Toothpiek," 0ut-Of-Dats Here, Is
Popular Abroad


Popular Abroad
"The old-fashioned toothpick shoe
has gone entirely out of vogue in this
country" remarked a New Orleans |
manufacturer, "but it is still in high
favor in certain localities abroad. |
Within the past few years We have
built up very pretty trade with Nor
way and Sweden, and also with Mex
leo. When We first attempted to en-
ter the Baltic territory We sent lot Of
our finest and latest models to a big
dealer whose headquarters are in
Copenhagen. The samples were all
variations of the popular broad and
round toe, and We prided ourselves
on their extreme modishress. What
was our surprise when we received a
letter from our agent saying that the
quality and workmanship we're en-
tirely satisfactory, but the patterns
werealllamentably outof date, Cant
you get US up some stylish, sharp
pointed shoesY he asked; something
suitable for gentlemen Of fashion,
We looked over our stock Of antique
lasts and fshed out several that were
sharp enough to open boils. They
were busted off and turned over to the
shop foreman, and, when the next
consignment arrived, the agent was
delighted. They sold like hot cakes,
and our orders for them have been
steadily increasing ever since. An
other place where spike-toed shoes
still have the call is Mexico. We had
about a similar experience there, and
our Mexican orders are all filled with
the same lasts that are used for the
Baltic trade. fancy it would be very
disastrous for man to be kicked in
any Of those countries.
"There is no doubt a marked differ
ence," continued the manufacturer,
''in the size and shape of the average
foot north and south of Mason and
Dixon's line. A great deal of nom
sense has been written about the So
called Creole last but the shoe best
adapted to high-class southern trade
does possess certain distinguishing
features Of its own. 1t is shorter than
the northern shoe to begin with, and
has a much higher instep. The diff
ference in tho instAp varies from one
half to one and a half inches, which
is equivalent to saying that a man
with a typical southern foot could not
get into a shoe made on a typical
northern last. The Creole model cuts
less of a figure in the trade now than
it did formerly, for two reasons:
First, people wear looser footgear at
present than they used to, and the dis
tinctive points are not so noticeable;
and, second, an immense number of
northern folk have come into the
south, and the local manufacturers
cater to their patronage with a con-
siderable percentage of the factory
output. But the native southern Gus
toner still calls for a short, high
arched shoe. In the old days every
southern gentleman had his boots
and shoes made to order, and the i'm
preston is even now pretty general
that no factory-made article can pos
sibly be as good as the hand built
wares turned out by the antebellum
craftsman. That is great mistake.
A high-class machine-made shoe is
better than anything produced by
hand, for the simple reason that the
stitching is absolutely uniform
throughout. In hand work no two
stitches are Of exactly the same ten
sion, but on the machine they are as
like as SO many peas. The result of
this uniformity is that the shoe holds
its shape better and lasts longer. That
is one point out Of many. The only
question is that of being fitted, and
last-making has been reduced to such
an exact science that there is no diff
Guilty with any foot not absolutely de-
formed" ."-N. 0. Times-Democrat.