Why were pointed shoes popular in medieval times?
Let’s get to the point: from the 12th to 15th centuries, shoes were all about status. Both men and women wanted to put their best foot forward – as far forward as possible, in fact. Pointed shoes, known as poulaines or crackowes, may have been inspired by the new Gothic style (all high, pointed windows and arches) or by the slippers seen in the Middle East by crusaders. Generally, they protruded a few centimetres beyond the toes – but the higher the status, the longer the point. Laws limited length based on class, so only the highest nobles could galumph around in the silliest shoes, up to 60cm long. To maintain their shape, they had to be stuffed with moss, wool, hair or grass, braced by whalebone, or tied to the shins with a chain.
Such shoes were codpieces for the feet. As such, Church leaders condemned them as sinful, complaining that they made
