Although shoes are footwear originally designed for foot protection, they have become more of a fashion statement today. They have been in existence since the Ice Age (5,000,000 years ago) and were made of leather then, to protect the feet. In ancient times, both men and women regularly wore shoes that were full size. Shoes were used to identify one's position in society, with the height of the sole and the color orientation indicating the wearer's social class. However, footwear started as a practical application in one part of the globe and ended up as a fashion statement in another.

Nowadays, stores and Online auction sites offer different types of vintage shoes including court shoes with tiny Louis heels, lace-up boots, evening pumps with buckles, sneakers, single-bar pump shoes with a pointed toe and T-straps, spectator or two-tone shoes, rounded toe shoes with wide, thick heels, cork or wood-soled wedgies from the 1950s, saddle shoes, go-go boots, chukka boots, espadrilles, pattern, chunky shoes from the 1970s and more. These vintage shoes are made of various types of materials ranging from rubber to pure leather to satin to leather mixed with colored canvas or gabardine to form two-toned shoes.