Shoe lexicon

Brief and clear explanations of a large number of different words and concepts in footwear and shoe care.

Click to go directly to a letter:
# - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

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270° welt
When the welt that goes around the shoe has sole stitching going around the front of the shoe but stops at the heel.

360° welt
When the welt and the sole stitching goes all the way around the entire shoe, also around the heel area. More common on more casual shoes.

A

Adelaide
Shoes that have a brogue pattern that runs in a U-shape around the laces of the shoe, usually it’s made in the form of a quarter brogue.

Aniline dyed leather
Leather dyed in colour baths. In the past, aniline dyes, which are toxic, was used, however now for many decades other harmless dyes are used, but the method is still called aniline dyeing. Here the colour goes deeper into the leather, although the core is usually still undyed.

Annonay
A famous French tannery, Tannerie D'Annonay is the full name, which is considered one of the world's leading tanneries of calfskin for shoes. Has been owned by French Hermès for a number of years.

B

Balmoral
Designation of an oxford shoe that has a horisontal line going from the vamp along the two sides of the shoe all the way to the back.

Bevelled waist
A term that is used today on all waists that have a more or less rounded shape.

Blake
The simplest stitched construction method for shoes, where a Blake machine stitches together the insole, upper leather and outsole. You will be able to see the seam inside the shoe (although it’s sometimes covered with a loose insole). The advantage is that the shoes can be made light and flexible, disadvantages that water easily enters the shoe and that you can only resole them a limited number of times.

Blake/Rapid
A design method where you first stitch insole, upper leather and a midsole with a Blake stitched, then the midsole and outsole are stitched with a sole stitch (Rapid stitch), which goes from the top of the sole edge to the bottom of the outsole. Therefore it can be very difficult to see the difference between a welted shoe and Blake / Rapid shoe, but often you can see the Blake seam on the inside of the shoe. Can be resoled in the same way as a welted shoe.

Bologna construction
Very similar to a Blake construction with a seam that runs straight from the insole to the outsole. The difference is that on Bologna constructed shoes, the upper leather is sewn together like a sock with a thin soft leather insole (sometimes called also a moccasin construction), where the entire upper part is finished first and then attached to the outsole. This allows even softer shoes then Blake.

Breast
The front edge of the heel, which is towards the waist. Often slightly concave in shape.

Brogueing
Perforated holes running along the parts of the shoe. Traditional brogueing has one large hole and two small holes one after the other.

Burnishing
When parts of the shoe, usually the toe and heel, is darkened a bit with cream and waxes, to give more depth to the shade of the shoe.

C

Cedar wood
A fragrant wood type that has good absorption capacity and also deter insect pests, making it well suited for products such as shoe trees, hangers and other shoe and clothing care products.

Charles F. Stead
Famous British tannery which specializes in various types of suede.

Chelsea
Boot model, characterised by having two wide elastics on both sides of the shaft. Easy to put on and take off, a model that is very popular nowadays. 

Chiseled
Description of shoes where the last, the shape of the shoe, has sharp edges somewhere, usually at the sides of the toe which is why one often talk about chiseled toes.

Chrome tanned leather
Leather tanned with chrome salts, which goes relatively quickly and provides a smooth and durable leather. Almost all shoes that are sold are made of chrome tanned leather. Chromium is a toxic substance, but European tanneries have very strict environmental requirements and completely enclosed systems, so nothing is released into the nature. Shoes in chromium-tanned leather must be recycled as environmentally hazardous waste, since the chromium(III) used in tanning is converted into more dangerous hexavalent chromium in combustion. If you buy chrome-tanned leather products from European tanneries and then recycle the shoes when they can no longer be used, no chromium is released into nature.

City sole
A name for a thin rubber sole with minimal pattern, usually just some kind of ruffle or similar.

Closed channel
The expression used for when you hide the sole seam in a channel, which is covered by a flap carved out from the leather sole. A method that requires more work than open channel soles, and which provides a cleaner more aesthetically pleasing leather sole, which is also a bit more resistant to water.

Closed lacing
See Oxford.

Closing
Closing is when assembling the upper leather of the shoe, it’s done by a closer with a sewing machine.

Commando sole
A rubber sole with a heavier pattern which initially was manufactured by the British sole company Itshide, but now the name is also used on soles with the same type of pattern from other manufacturers..

Cordovan
Cordovan, or Shell Cordovan as it’s often called, is a material made of muscle membrane that sits under the skin on the rump of the horse. Tanned with a vegetable method where the material is stuffed with waxes and oils, giving it a special character. Very durable.

Corrected grain leather
Leather that does not have the natural grain left, but a corrected surface. Most often this refers to as some kind of plastic film, which gives a glossy, slightly artificial surface, which is easy to care for, but usually breaks after a period of use. You usually see if it’s corrected grain when it has an unnatural sheen and no pores, found on full grain leather. Corrected grain leather cannot be polished with shoe polish and wax. There are many different terms on corrected grain leather, such as high shine, bookbinder, polished binder, cavalry calf, and more.

Crust leather
Leather that has only been dyed on the surface. Sometimes the crust leather is delivered in it’s natural undyed color, often in a blue-grey tone from the chrome tanning, which is dyed by the manufacturer before being made into shoes or painted after the shoe is manufactured. Most often, however, the hides are colored by the tanneries. Easier to achieve a depth in the shade compared to aniline-dyed leather.

D

Dainite rubber sole
Used today mainly for a special type of rubber soles with round studs, which was first manufactured by the British sole company Dainite. Dainite Studded is the name of the original sole. Today, the same type of soles from other companies are also often referred to as Dainite soles.

Derby
A shoe with so-called open lacing, which means that the tongue is part of the shoe's vamp, and the parts that the eyelets are attached to are separate parts. Usually a less formal shoe. Compare with oxford shoes with closed lacing.

Du Puy
A famous French tannery, which together with Annonay is considered to be among the best in the world on calf leather for shoes, bags and accessories. Bought by French Hermès a couple of years ago, so Annonay and Du Puy now have the same owner.

E

F

Fiddle back waist
Designation on a beveled waist which has a clearly marked ridge. Reminds of the shape of the back of fiddles, hence the name.

Full brogue
A shoe with brogue pattern along all parts of the shoe, which has a wingtip pattern and medallion. Can be both oxford or derby. A relatively informal shoe.

Full grain leather
Leather that is made up of the whole skin, without it being split or the surface treated with, for example, a plastic film to look finer (see corrected grain leather). Has the longest lifespan, and is treated with shoe cream and wax.

Full-resole
When the whole heel and sole are removed and replaced by a new sole and at least a new top piece of the heel. On a welted shoe this can be done without touching the welt seam that holds the insole, upper leather and welt together, which makes the procedure relatively easy. Most often, the cork filling in the footbed between the insole and the outsole is also changed at the same time.

G

Gemming
On Goodyear welted shoes, a canvas strip is usually fastened with glue on the underside of the shoe's insole. To this the welt stitch is then sewn when the insole is fastened with upper leather and welt.

Gimping
When the upper leather parts have a jagged edge, they are usually made in combination with brogueing.

Goodyear welted
A construction method that allows durable, comfortable shoes that are relatively water-resistant and that can easily be re-soled. The insole, upper leather and welt are sewn together with a welt stitch, this is done with a Goodyear sewing machine, and then the welt is attached to the outsole using a Rapid machine. When you re-sole the shoe, you only remove the sole stitch so that the welt seam and the fundamental construction of the shoe are intact, thus enabling easy re-soling which can be done many times.

Grain
Tanned full grain leather has an outer surface that is extra resilient, it is called the grain. On full grain leather you see small pores in the surface, and if you look at the leather in cross section you see it as a millimeter-thick harder layer at the top of the hide. The purpose of shoe cream and wax is primarily to care for and protect the grain.

Grain leather
What you usually call leather that has an embossed texture. Various common types of grain leathers are scotch grain, pin grain, hatch grain, etc. Instead of flattening out the skin's natural wrinkles, like with smooth pressed leather, you emboss a new kind of pattern when making embossed grain leather.

H

Half resole
A simpler form of resoling for mainly welted shoes, where you only replace the front part of the sole which is towards the ground, without touching the waist itself. Most often this is done while changing the top piece of the heel at the same time.

Hand welted
Here the welt stitch is sewn by hand directly to the shoe's insole, the seam then holds the insole, upper leather and welt.

I

Insole
The sole that is the part that holds the shoe together, at least when it comes to traditionally constructed shoes. As a rule, a thicker leather sole and on a welted shoe, which you see looking into the shoe only covered by a sock lining on the back 1/3.

Instep
Corresponds to the ankle on the foot, on the shoe thus the part covered by the lacing. You often talk about high and low insteps, which refers to whether this part is high or low, which affects the fit of the shoe.

J

Jodhpurs
Boot model that has a strap that runs one lap around the shaft of the shoe and is fastened with a buckle. Initially it was a kind of riding boot, but nowadays the boot model is also used for everyday wear.

K

L

Last
A last is the form on which one makes a shoe, often made of plastic, sometimes made of wood or metal. When talking about lasts in everyday use it’s about the shape of the shoe, which determines what the shoe looks like and how it fits.

Lazyman
Shoes that have elastics on each front of the facings, so that you can step in and out of them without the need for lacing (hence the name). Unlike loafers, they are cut like regular low shoes, and therefore need the elastics. Often made to look like regular lace-up shoes, with non-functional decorative laces at the front.

Leather board
Material used mainly for heel stiffener, but sometimes on cheaper shoes also for insoles and heel lifts. It’s leather sanding dust mixed with glue and pressed together. When it comes to heel stiffeners it is more conformable than celastic / plastic stiffeners, but not as much as real leather heel stiffeners.

Leather sole
Sole in vegetable tanned leather. There are different qualities, where inferior leather soles can wear out quickly, but those of better quality are very durable and also can handle rain without any problems, as long as they get to dry properly afterwards. The shoes Skolyx sells use the second highest rating Super Prime, even more durable (but more expensive) are oa bark tanned leather soles.

Loafers
Shoes without laces, usually with a lower cut opening to make it easier to get in and out of the shoe. A variation of slippers one can say, but made for proper outdoor use.

M

Monk shoe
Shoes that are fastened with one or two buckles, instead of using laces. The name comes from the fact that it was monks in the High Middle Ages (1000-1300 AD) needed work shoes, and developed a more substantial version of the sandals they used to wear.

Museum calf
A special kind of leather with a mottled finish, which is achieved by picking up the hides from the baths with dye and dabbing them with sponges.

N

Nubuck
Here, the exterior (grain side) of the leather has been sanded, giving a surface that has a finer, less hairy finish than suede.

O

Oak bark tanned leather soles
Sole leather tanned with mainly oak bark, this is done for a long time, usually about a year, and provides very durable soles. Well-known manufacturers of oak bark tanned soles are German Joh. Rendenbach and British Baker.

Open lacing
See Derby

Oxford
The most formal shoe model, which has a so-called closed lacing. This means that the shoe's quarters sit together with the vamp in the front, and the lacing is completely joined together, with a tongue that is attached separately. On oxford shoes you usually have a small V at the lacing.

P

Q

Quarter brogue
A model where you have brogue patterns along the different parts of the shoe or just the toe cap, but without a medallion.

Quarters
The parts that run on each side of the shoe's lacing / facing, to the back part of the shoe, along the shoe's opening.

R

Reverse calf suede
Suede that, like full grain leather, consists of the entire skin, where the flesh side has been grounded to get the characteristic velvety surface. Thicker, finer and more expensive than split suede.

S

Semi brogues
Sometimes half brogues. Shoes that have brogue patterns along all parts, but unlike quarter brogues, they also have a medallion, while unlike full brogues, they have no wingtip but a straight toe cap.

Shank
Reinforcement placed inside the waist to give add stability to this, made in metal, wood, plastic or hard leather.

Shoe cream
The most important shoe care product for shoes in smoot leather or embossed grain leather. Moisturises and nourishes, if it has pigment, it also recolours, and provides protection and some shine. A fatter cream that resembles mayonnaise in texture, is usually found in a glass jar or tube.

Sidewall stitched construction
Popular among today's sneakers, where the rubber sole is sewn into the upper with a so-called sidewall stitcher. The seam is at the top edge of the sole and runs around the entire shoe, and inside the shoe is an insole.

Smooth leather
The formal name for plain, standard leather. All hides naturally have some wrinkles, but are pressed smoothly in large rolls to get the even surface.

Sock lining
The thin leather sole that is placed on top of the insole on welted and Blake stitched shoes, usually covers only the back third of the insole, and underneath it often has a softer rubber foam for added comfort.

Sole stitch
On a welted shoe, this is the seam that stitches the edge together with the outsole, which is the one you see on the top of the welt/sole edge and under the sole, if the shoe does not have a closed channel. Is stitched with a Rapid sewing machine.

Split suede
Suede where the skin is split into two (sometimes even three, but unusual among European tanneries), and where the inner parts of the skin are then grounded to get the classic suede finish. A slightly cheaper suede than full reverse calf suede.

Spi (stitches per inch)
The number of stitches in a seam that fits within one inch (2.54 cm). Used to indicate stitch density.

Suede
Suede from the beginning it was the name of leather where the flesh side is sanded to get a velvety-like surface (today referred to as full reverse calf suede), nowadays it’s most common to split the skin and grind the inner sides to get the same finish, for this the full name is split suede.

Storm welt
In order to make the shoe extra resistant to water, the welt running around the shoe has an edge that goes up towards the upper leather, which makes it harder for water to penetrate from the side.

T

Turpentine
A solvent that is often used in shoe care products, so that the waxes and oils can be dissolved together and become an even substance. Extracted by distilling resin from conifers. Is flammable.

Topy
A thin rubber sole that you attach on the outsole in leather, to increase durability.

U

V

Vamp
The part of the shoe that is between the toe and the lacing, over the widest part of the shoe.

Veg re-tanned leather
Leather that is first chrome tanned and then vegetable tanned, so you get some of the benefits of both tanning methods.

Vegetable tanned leather
Leather tanned with only natural tanning substances, usually different types of bark. Takes longer time than chrome tanning. Is especially good for soles and other harder parts of shoes, but also upper leather can be vegetable tanned. Veg-tanned upper leather is in general a bit more sensitive than chrome tanned.

Vibram
One of the world's leading outsole producers, from Italy. Makes soles both for traditionally designed shoes as well as for hiking shoes, climbing shoes and sneakers. Also known for the special shoes FiveFingers.

W

Waist
The usually narrower part of the shoe that goes between the part of the sole that is towards the ground and the heel.

Wax polish
A harder wax that is almost always found in tin cans. Used as the last product on shoes in plain leather, to provide some care as well as extra protection and shine. The Saphir Medaille d'Or Pate de Luxe is an example of a wax polish.

Welt
The leather strip used in a welted construction method. The welt is sewn together with the upper leather and the insole with a welt stitch, and then the welt is stitched to the outsole with a sole stitch (Rapid stitch).

Welt stitch
The seam that holds the insole, upper leather and welt together, made either with a Goodyear sewing machine or by hand. For more info, see Goodyear welted and hand welted.

Wingtip
Pattern shaped like two wings running from the toe to the back of the shoe and down to the sole edge. Appears on full brogues, which is why this model is sometimes called wingtips.

X

Z

Zonta
One of Italy's foremost tanneries with a wide range of leather. Delivers a lot of calf leather and suede to shoe manufacturers in Europe.