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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vnl1evdkko

Gadzooks man! Deviant.....!!! 

As deviant as centre partings indeed

X rated fashion. Should this have come with a morality warning?  

What a wonderful bit of statistical analysis to link pointy shoes to bunions and to falling over and breaking your arm!  -1 mobility to any troops with pointy shoes.

Quote from: Keraunos on January 06, 2025, 08:58:23 AMWhat a wonderful bit of statistical analysis to link pointy shoes to bunions and to falling over and breaking your arm!  -1 mobility to any troops with pointy shoes.

However humans remain very stupid - high heels stay in fashion despite the dangers and the pain, my wife was a physio and won't touch them with a bargepole for very similar reasons.
[troops in high heels extra damage in difficult terrain? ?]

Interestingly, an English term for these shoes was "pikes", from the original meaning of pike - a point.  So, when we see reference to medieval pikemen, instead of men with long pointy sticks should we think units in curly-toed shoes?   

Winkle pickers in my parts...

Quote from: Imperial Dave on January 06, 2025, 12:45:03 PMWinkle pickers in my parts...

Sounds painful. 

For younger and overseas members, winkle pickers were very narrow pointed shoes in fashion in the (I think) early 60s. Their name comes from the sharply pointed tool used to pull winkles out of their shells.

...which will doubtless confirm any impression that one might hold regarding the eccentricity of the Brits.  I mean, who else would attempt to eat the timy periwinkle sea snail with their shoes?

 

I remember seeing a youtube video some while ago which pointed out that before the hard leather sole, people tended to put their toe down first, whereas we tend to put our heels down first. So the visual effect of the shoe might have been different 

I was handed a pair of 'pointy shoes' on the Outlaw King set.

As I watched folk skite all over the place I came to the conclusion nobody ever wore pointy shoes in medieval times and the only reason we think people did was the artists of the day were crap at drawing Doc Martins   

 

Quote from: Erpingham on January 06, 2025, 09:50:25 AMInterestingly, an English term for these shoes was "pikes", from the original meaning of pike - a point.  So, when we see reference to medieval pikemen, instead of men with long pointy sticks should we think units in curly-toed shoes?   

Does this apply to Hannibal's pikemen as well?