• Teenagers
• 1950s Teenage Consumers
• Teenage Fashion Idols
• Typical Late 1950's Teenagers - Old Photos
• Teddy Boys or Neo-Edwardians
• Dudes
• Beatniks

The Growth of Teenagers as a Market Force in 1950's Society

Teenagers

Until 1950 the term teenagers had never before been coined.  Children were known as girls and boys were known as youths once they displayed signs of puberty. Then young people were grown up at 18 and fully adult legally at 21 when they often married and set up a home of their own, even if it was a rented room.  Getting married was a way of showing the adult world that you belonged to their world and was a way of escape from puberty.

1950's Teenage Consumers

During the 1950s a range of influences including film, television, magazines and the rock music scene created a new market grouping called teenagers.  Teens made themselves known.  A sudden flurry of consumer goods denied to war torn Europe were available and a consumer boom was actively encouraged. 

These single young people with cash from paid work soon had their own fashions, own music, own cafes, own milk bars and by the end of the decade even their own transport in the form of fuelled scooters. Teenagers suddenly dominated style in clothes, haircuts and even travel abroad. A generation gap began to emerge between parents and teen offspring. It seemed almost unholy at the time and was viewed as rebellious, but compared to later anti-fashion and anarchic movements it was all rather innocent.

Teenage Fashion Idols

American influence on European teenagers was huge. Rock and Roll idols including Elvis Presley, Bill Hayley, Jerry Lee Lewis and film stars James Dean and Marlon Brando set fashions almost unwittingly. The main looks for teenagers were greasers and preppies.

Greasers followed the standard black leather and denim jeans look set by Marlon Brando in "The Wild One" (1953) and later emulated in the 1978 film called "Grease". They raced about town on motorbikes and were consider outrageous. 

Preppie qualities were neatness, tidiness and grooming. Teen girls wore full dirndl or circular skirts with large appliqués on their clothing. Neat pleated skirts were also popular.   The pleated skirts were made from a then new fabric called TERYLENE (polyester) which helped maintain razor sharp sunray pleating.

The skirts were supported by bouffant paper nylon or net petticoats. On top, teens wore scoop neck blouses, back to front cardigans, tight polo necks or three quarter sleeve white fitting shirts often with a scarf knotted cowboy fashion at the side neck. These teen clothing fashions that originated in America, filtered to Britain in watered down fashion.

Old Photos of Typical Late 1950's Teenagers.

1956 - 57

Typical teenagers of the 1950s wearing general fashions of the day. Nothing too extreme, but very much in fashion with a fair bit of grooming evident.

Note the wonderful layers of net petticoats under Vera's skirt.  These male teens are wearing standard male fashions of the day with token attention to small fashion details such as the narrower tie. The teen boy on the left has suede shoes.

It's important to remember that more conventional young men wore this type of clothing than teddy boy gear. Men still did national service and this had an effect of a 'uniform' mentality approach to dress of wearing pressed, neat clean clothing.

The BBC states 'Between 1945 and 1963, 2.5 million young men were compelled to do their time in National Service - with 6,000 being called up every fortnight.'  This basic blazer or jacket look was favoured by the majority of youths and is fairly conventional but was in that era thought quite sharp. 

Growing up in the 1950s I recall far more young teen men dressed like those in the picture above, than as the 'typical teddy boy look' so often used as an image of the 50s. 

My thanks to Vera for the use of these images.

~

Teddy Boys or Neo-Edwardians

As the site is about female dress my interest in developing male dress entries is very limited.  Even though this site does not really deal with male dress, the Teddy Boy was an important look in fashion history of the 1950s.  As an extreme look it is remembered and all conventional looks of the day tend to be overlooked. It is worth remembering that when costume history documents a look it is almost ways in retrospect and hones in on the final extremes of any look. 

A site visitor recently wrote to tell me that he felt the teddy boy style originated in the forties by spivs and was then taken up by teenagers in the very early 50's.  He maintains that the Teddy Boy clothes of the early fifties would not be recognised as a Teddy Boy by most people today. So here are a few points below on the memorable extremes of the teddy boy look.

It is known that in England, a group of young men who rejected the shabby, but functional clothes styles worn by their fathers began to long for elegant fashions.  From around 1949 this was expressed as a liking for Edwardian style velvet trimmed skirted coats and specific accessories.  This fashion is thought to have really originated when 500 Jamaicans arrived in Tilbury in 1948 on board the ex troop ship "Empire Windrush" in response to the UK's government plea to the Caribbean for workers.  They wore Zoot suits and the Edwardian look is thought to have been an adaptation of the suit the Jamaicans were seen wearing about the East End towns.

Until 1951 the Edwardian look suits were custom made.  In August 1951 reports state that the Edwardian look was gaining support in America.  By November 1951 the Edwardian look had percolated to the UK factory tailoring trade as a new trend.

By 1952 in London's East End this fashion was taken on by semi skilled adolescents formed groups, who lurked in cafes and hung around street corners.  The self imposed uniform that gave them group identity was that of the Teddy Boy.  Even though some groups were violent, many who wore Teddy Boy clothes were not.  They simply wished to break away from the conforming clothes of the day.

Traditionally Teddy Boys or Neo-Edwardians sported the "Drape" a long knee length, single breasted wool jacket with narrow contrasting lapels and cuffs either of velvet or satin and plenty of pockets.  They wore contrast or matching narrow drainpipe trousers, brocade waistcoats, stiff shirts and shoestring ties or bootlace slim Jim ties topped off with suede shoes.  Teds also wore crepe soled shoes which helped with the dance movements of jiving. 

Teddy Boy clothes were not cheap to buy and when custom tailored, usually cost up to £100 for one outfit.  An ordinary mass produced drape suit cost approximately £20 and shoes £3.  So sporting a new suit indicated to peers how well an individual was doing money wise.  At this time a Teddy Boy would have earned between £5 and £12 a week.

A site visitor has written to tell me some fifties facts - The 'Crape' sole shoes originated during the second world war and looked nothing like the Brothel Creepers seen in the 50's, George Cox the company who first made the Brothel Creeper is still in business and making the Creeper.

The boys slicked back their hair with Brilliantine into a wavy Quiff style with long sideburns and because of the way the hair was finished to the back of the head, the style was brushed back to meet in the middle with the finishing touch of a comb run down the centre back ,thus giving the look of a DA (ducks arse). The most common Hair cut was called a Tony Curtis taken from the way he wore his hair.

Lots of Teddy Boys had Bikes in the fifties, the rocker style was born from the Teds who wore Drapes at weekends but leathers on the bike, by the early 60's Rockers were a major style. A trip to the Ace Cafe in London is well worth a visit to learn about Rockers.  (Thanks to Chris for input on these few paragraphs).

The fashion for Teddy Boy clothes spread across the world, even to the USSR.  In the USA teen fashion fads were paralleled by youths who wore leather jackets instead of a drape, sometimes leather trousers, but often jeans, all accessorized with a shiny motorbike.  The film West Side Story captures this era perfectly as does the later retrospective film Grease.

These skirt pattern images are courtesy of anothertimevintageapparel and are typical of the full skirts worn by teddy girls for rock n'roll or jiving. 

The pony tailed girlfriends of Teds wore eye make up and took every fashion to excess.  Their favourite outfit was a close fitted black sweater and calf length skirt, or toreador pants or circle skirts with low cut tops all perfect to display the body when dancing. 

By 1956 the Teddy Boy movement was on the wane in the UK and by 1958 was fading rapidly as teenagers fixed on new fashions influenced by American pop and cinema culture and a nod to the Italians.

Dudes

Dudes were another kind of dandy who were American in origin.  They wore spanking clean white socks, white buckskin shoes, 5 buttoned jackets, trousers with top waist pleats and turn ups.  The outfits were often enlivened with coloured bead belts or jazzy patterned hats, with for example polka dots.  An exaggerated version of this was favoured by Little Richard.

Beatniks

As the trend for a beatnik look developed, oversized chunky long sweaters with huge cowl collars were worn over slim fitting pencil skirts or slacks with stirrups. The girls usually had a French pleat hairstyle or showed the start of a beehive. Wearing all black was a favourite choice for beatniks. 

Conclusion

As a new, more liberated society evolved, teenagers became a marketing man's dream. 1950's teenagers had comparatively huge spending power compared to pre 1950 youth. Their spending power enabled them to make self indulgent purchases, sometimes with even more freedom than adults.  The teenagers were keen to find special clothes designed just for teens.  Eager to capture this extra cash, manufacturers began to look toward the teenage market concentrating on younger desires rather than the desires of the middle aged and elder populations.  Ironically as the population once again ages in the noughties, marketers have begun to focus on the very same generation that held influence over the economy in the 1950s and 1960s.

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1950s Girdles In the 1950s, glamour was what women wanted most.  They had been deprived in the war and they had seen the Hollywood stars that had curves, nipped waists and breast uplift that almost reached their necks. A variety of girdles existed to help achieve those contours and they are shown here in advert form.  Most women and girls still wore girdles or opted for one of the newer lighter garments called a roll-on or some chose the opposite, a sturdy all in one corset.  Twilfit were one of the household names for roll-ons and bras in the 1950s. 1950s Bras and Corselettes Adverts from 1953 In 1950s underwear, other support existed in the form of the all in one corselette such as this example by Roussel of Regent street selling at 8 guineas for this made to measure item.  This was an expensive corselette at the time and was featured in The Queen magazine of the Coronation in 1953.  The upper bra has a cleavage gap for low cut décolletage. Roussel Corselette Another corselette of the time also featured in 1953 The Queen magazine was the Marquise which also took into account the need for low cleavage unhampered by visible centre fronts of a bra.  It has a beautifully structured upper bra with the perfect cleavage gap for low cut décolletage.  It would be wonderful to find such an interesting, well constructed corselette or bra top today.  The company advertises swimwear here too and it is interesting to note that swimming corsets of the era looked much like this corselette. Illa Knina Corselette - The Strapless Marquise With Deep Plunge Coronation Controlette by Berlei 1953 My favourite advert of the Coronation Edition of Queen magazine was this one right which shows a magnificent corselette from Berlei, priced at just under £7.  The name for it is wonderful and it's called the Coronation Controlette. 1953 General Underwear Kayser Bondor Advert Other underwear by companies like Kayser Bondor advertised all their underwear in one large advert like the one below.  This shows what the average woman of the 1953 era may have chosen to wear for underclothes dependant on the top garment.  The items would have been available in the new nylon and also in pure cotton. I particularly recall my mother wearing Broderie Anglaise petticoats such as the full slip at the very top of the image. This thumbnail makes a nice enlargement.   ~ Sweater Girl Glamour 1950s Brand names like Maidenform, Berlei, Triumph and the British Marks & Spencer bras under the St. Michael label, all sold excellent bras that gave the correct pointed, circular stitched, conical shape of the era. The conical bra was the 1950s bra that gave the support silhouette for girls who longed to emulate the curves of film star sweater girls like Lana Turner and Jane Russell famous for the cantilever bra.   Bras began to be revolutionized by the use of nylon, making them lighter, prettier and easier to wash.  The pointed pre formed conically stitched bra was actually a fashion accessory, as without one, the sweater girl look was certainly not complete. The K Line Bra English Rose Bra & Suspender Belt 1953 The two bra adverts below from 1953 put some emphasis on the use of new materials such as nylon and contouring the body in a lighter less stiff way. Bras in cheaper ranges include those by K.  This K bra advertisement of 1953 clicks through to see construction details in close up. Below -  K Line Bra Advertisement and and English Rose Bra & Suspender Belt Advert 1953   Women also made their own bras from paper patterns or magazine guidelines for making bra and French knicker sets. The fabric they used was sometimes parachute silk, parachute nylon or old satin wedding dresses.  Advances in Fabrics for Underwear After the War, once textile technology advanced, we saw new developments in all 1950s underwear items and many started to purchase what began to be called lingerie. The advert below emphasise that the suspender belt and 1950s bra are in the new easy care nylon fabric, but just as pretty in a broderie anglaise style. Soon Elastomerics transformed foundation garments with power net fabric.  The old elastic bra backs and straps were replaced by the newer elastomeric family of modern stretch yarns Courtauld's Spanzelle or Lycra fittings.  Overstretched rotted rubber bits that made bras and girdles lose their grip were gone forever. The suspender belt also disappeared from the average wardrobe by 1970 as tights (pantyhose) were the easier simpler alternative.  Stay up stockings with a self adhesive grip also made an appearance. Ironically as power dressing returned in the 1980s there was a boon in more sensational lingerie of this type fuelled by programmes like Dynasty where characters lounged in all in one teddies and bodysuits.  Pretty form following underwear had been lost for 20 years when practicality was the only priority.  Suddenly lingerie sales took off and soon women were wearing what was once underwear as outerwear and intended to be seen. Now women can browse sites like Figleaves. There you can choose any lingerie item from a corset to self adhesive silicone cups or a structured bra to a balcony bra known as a 5 minute bra as it is mostly put on deliberately to be removed 10 minutes later.  Maybe those women of the 1950s were more knowing than we give them credit.

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 Hanfu ,also known as Hanzhuang ,Huafu ,or guzhuang (meaning "ancient clothing"), and sometimes referred in English sources simply as Silk Robe^[1] (especially those worn by the gentry) or Chinese Silk Robe refers to the historical dress of the Han Chinese people, which was worn for millennia before the conquest by the Manchus and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644. The term Hanfu derives from the Book of Han, which says, "then many came to the Court to pay homage and were delighted at the clothing style of the Han [Chinese]."^[2]

Han Chinese clothing is presently worn only as a part of historical reenactment, hobby, coming of age/rite of passage ceremonies, ceremonial clothing worn by religious priests, or cultural exercise and can be frequently seen on Chinese television series, films and other forms of media entertainment. However, there is currently a movement in China and overseas Chinese communities to revive Han Chinese clothing in everyday life and incorporate in Chinese festivals or celebration.

Some costumes commonly thought of as typically Chinese, such as the qipao, are the result of influence by brutal laws (Queue Order) imposed by Manchurian rulers of the Qing Dynasty, and are regarded by some advocates as not being "traditionally" Han. Technically, the Qing dynasty and afterwards would be considered modern China, so the qipao would be modern clothing and not traditional. Today, most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing in everyday life. Some urbanites wear modified or modernized traditional clothes, while many in the countryside still use distinctive peasant dress.

Many East Asian and Southeast Asian national costumes, such as the Japanese kimono, the Korean hanbok and the Vietnamese áo tứ thân, all show influences from Hanfu, as historically these countries were part of the Sinosphere.

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Garments 1.2 Hats and headwear 2 Style 2.1 Informal wear 2.2 Semi-formal wear 2.3 Formal wear 2.4 Court dress 3 Ethnic identity 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

History

Hanfu has a history of more than three millennia, and is said to have been worn by the legendary Yellow Emperor. From the beginning of its history, Hanfu (especially in elite circles) was inseparable from silk, supposedly discovered by the Yellow Emperor’s consort, Leizu. The first solidly historical dynasty known of in China, the Shang Dynasty (c.1600 BC-1000 BC), developed the rudiments of Hanfu; it consisted of a yi, a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a narrow, ankle-length skirt, called shang, worn with a bixi, a length of fabric that reached the knees. Vivid primary colors and green were used, due to the degree of technology at the time.

The dynasty to follow the Shang, the Western Zhou Dynasty, established a strict hierarchical society that used clothing as a status meridian, and inevitably, the height of one’s rank influenced the ornateness of a costume. Such markers included the length of a skirt, the wideness of a sleeve and the degree of ornamentation. In addition to these class-oriented developments, the Hanfu became looser, with the introduction of wide sleeves and jade decorations hung from the sash which served to keep the yi closed. The yi was essentially wrapped over, in a style known as jiaoling youren, or wrapping the right side over before the left, because of the initially greater challenge to the right-handed wearer (the Chinese discouraged left-handedness like many other historical cultures, considering it unnatural and unfortunate).

In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the "deep robe" (shenyi) appeared a combination of tunic and skirt. The upper and lower halves were cut separately but sewn as a single unit. An additional change was the shaping of the left side of the costume into a corner, fastened on the chest. Perhaps because of Confucian influence, disapproving of a hierarchical society in favour of social mobility based on personal merit, the shenyi was swiftly adopted. There still existed an elite however, and they monopolised the more ornate fabrics and grandiose details.

[edit] Garments

The style of Han Chinese clothing can be summarized as containing garment elements that are arranged in distinctive and sometime specific ways. This maybe different from the traditional garment of other ethnic groups in China, most notably the Manchurian influenced Chinese clothes, the qipao, which is popularly assumed to be the solely recognizable style of "traditional" Chinese garb. A comparison of the two styles can be seen as follows:

Component	Han	Manchu
Upper Garment	Consist of "yi" (衣), which have loose lapels and are open	Consist of "pao" (袍), which have secured lapels around the neck and no side openings
Lower Garment	Consist of skirts called "change/shang" (裳)	Consist of pants or trousers called "ku" (褲)
Collars	Generally, diagonally crossing each other, with the left crossing over the right	Parallel verticle collars with parallel diagonal lapels, which overlap
Sleeves	Long and loose	Narrow and tight
Buttons	Sparingly used and concealed inside the garment	Numerous and prominently displayed
Fittings	Belts and sashes are used to close, secure, and fit the garments around the waist	Flat ornate buttoning systems are typically used to secure the collar and fit the garment around the neck and upper torso

A complete Hanfu garment is assembled from several pieces of clothing into an attire:

• Yi (衣): Any open cross-collar garment, and worn by both sexes
• Pao (袍): Any closed full-body garment, worn only by men in Hanfu
• Ru (襦): Open cross-collar shirt
• Shan (衫): Open cross-collar shirt or jacket that is worn over the yi
• Qun (裙) or shang (裳): Skirt for women and men, respectively
• Ku (褲): Trousers or pants

People are also able to accessorize with tassels and jade pendants or various ornaments hung from the belt or sash, known as pei (珮).

[edit] Hats and headwear

On top of the garments, hats (for men) or hairpieces (for women) maybe worn. One can often tell the profession or social rank of someone by what they wear on their heads. The typical male hat or cap is called a jin (巾) for commoners and guan (冠) for the privileged. Officials and academics have a separate set of hats for them, typically the putou (幞頭), the wushamao (烏紗帽), the si-fang pingding jin (四方平定巾; or simply, fangjin: 方巾) and the Zhuangzi jin (莊子巾). A typical hairpiece for women is a ji (笄) but there are more elaborate hairpieces.

Traditionally, the Chinese wear their hats indoors as well as outdoors unlike their Western counterparts. This is mainly because most hats are too impractical to take off and carry around.

[edit] Style

Han-Chinese clothing had changed and evolved with the fashion of the days since its commonly assumed beginnings in the Shang dynasty. Many of the earlier designs are more gender-neutral and simple in cuttings. Later garments incorporate multiple pieces with men commonly wearing pants and women commonly wearing skirts. Clothing for women usually accentuates the body's natural curves through wrapping of upper garment lapels or binding with sashes at the waist.

Each dynasty has their own styles of Hanfu as they evolved and only few styles are 'fossilized'.

[edit] Informal wear

Types include tops (yi) and bottoms (divided further into pants and skirts for both genders, with different terminologies qun for females and shang for males), and one-piece robes that wrap around the body once or several times (shenyi).

• Shenyi (深衣): a long full body garment

• Quju (曲裾): diagonal body wrapping
• Zhiju (直裾): straight lapels

• Zhongyi (中衣) or zhongdan (中單): inner garments, mostly white cotton or silk
• Shanqun (衫裙): a short coat with a long skirt
• Ruqun (襦裙): a top garment with a separate lower garment or skirt
• Kuzhe (褲褶): a short coat with trousers
• Zhiduo/zhishen (直裰/直身): a Ming Dynasty style robe, similar to a zhiju shenyi but with vents at the side and 'stitched sleeves' (i.e. the sleeve cuff is closed save a small opening for the hand to go through)

A typical set of Hanfu can consist of two or three layers. The first layer of clothing is mostly the zhongyi (中衣) which is typically the inner garment much like a Western T-shirt and pants. The next layer is the main layer of clothing which is mostly closed at the front. There can be an optional third layer which is often an overcoat called a zhaoshan which is open at the front. More complicated sets of Hanfu can have many more layers.

For footwear, white socks and black cloth shoes (with white soles) are the norm, but in the past, shoes may have a front face panel attached to the tip of the shoes. Daoists, Buddhists and Confucians may have white stripe chevrons.

[edit] Semi-formal wear

A piece of Hanfu can be "made semi-formal" by the addition of the following appropriate items:

• Chang/shang: a pleated skirt
• Bixi (蔽膝): long front cloth panel attached from the waist belt
• Zhaoshan (罩衫): long open fronted coat
• Guan or any formal hats

Generally, this form of wear is suitable for meeting guests or going to meetings and other special cultural days. This form of dress is often worn by the nobility or the upper-class as they are often expensive pieces of clothing, usually made of silks and damasks. The coat sleeves are often deeper than the shenyi to create a more voluminous appearance.

[edit] Formal wear

In addition to informal and semi-formal wear, there is a form of dress that is worn only at certain special occasions (like important sacrifices or religious activities) or by special people who are entitled to wear them (such as officials and emperors).

Formal garments may include:

• Xuanduan (玄端): a very formal dark robe; equivalent to the Western black tie or white tie
• Daopao/Fusha (道袍/彿裟): Taoist/Buddhist priests' full dress ceremonial robes
• Yuanlingshan (圓領衫), lanshan (襴衫) or panlingpao (盤領袍): closed, round collared robe; mostly used for official or academical dress

The most formal Hanfu that one can wear is the xuanduan (sometimes called yuanduan 元端 ^[3]), which consists of a black or dark blue top garment that runs to the knees with long sleeve (often with white piping), a bottom red chang, a red bixi (which can have a motif and/or be edged in black), an optional white belt with two white streamers hanging from the side or slightly to the front called peishou (佩綬) (like adding a white bow tie on a Western dinner suit to convert it to a full evening suit), and a long black guan. Additionally, wearers may carry a long jade gui (圭) or wooden hu (笏) tablet (used when greeting royalty). This form of dress is mostly used in sacrificial ceremonies such as Ji Tian (祭天) and Ji Zu (祭祖), etc but is also appropriate for State occasions.

Those in the religious orders wear a plain middle layer garment followed by a highly decorated cloak or coat. Taoists have a 'scarlet gown' (絳袍) ^[4] which is made of a large cloak sewn at the hem to create very long deep sleeves used in very formal rituals. They are often scarlet or crimson in color with wide edging and embroidered with intricate symbols and motifs such as the eight trigrams and the yin and yang Taiji symbol. Buddhist have a cloak with gold lines on a scarlet background creating a brickwork pattern which is wrapped around over the left shoulder and secured at the right side of the body with cords. There maybe further decorations, especially for high priests ^[5].

Those in academia or officialdom have distinctive gowns. This varies over the ages but they are typically round collared gowns closed at the front. The most distinct feature is the headwear which has 'wings' attached. Only those who passed the civil examinations are entitled to wear them, but a variation of it can be worn by ordinary scholars and laymen.

[edit] Court dress

Court dress is the dress worn at very formal occasions and ceremonies that are in the presence of a monarch. The entire ensemble of clothing can consist of many complex layers and look very elaborate. Court dress is similar to the xuanduan in components but have additional adornments and elaborate headwear. They are often brightly colored with vermillion and blue.

Court dress refers to:

• Chaofu (朝服): ceremonial dress of officials or nobility
• Mianfu (冕服): ceremonial/enthronement dress for emperors

The practical use of court dress is now obsolete in the modern age since there is no reigning monarch in China anymore.

[edit] Ethnic identity

According to Tang Dynasty scholar Kong Yingda's official commentary to Zuo Zhuan and Shang Shu, Chinese clothing plays an important role in the Chinese ethnic identity. It says, "In China, there is the grandeur of rites and social conduct; that is why it is called Xia (夏). There is the beauty of dress and decoration; this is called Hua (華) ^[6]." The words Hua and Xia combine to form the word Huaxia (華夏), which is a name that is often used to represent the Chinese civilization. ^{[7] [8]}

[edit] Gallery

Tang Xuanzong and his audience in Chinese official/academical dress	Yuanlingshan robes of a Tang emperor	Court ladies of the Tang from Li Xianhui's tomb, Qianling Mausoleum, dated 706.	A painting of Tang Dynasty women playing with a dog, by artist Zhou Fang, 8th century.
A painting of Bai Juyi in robes that are standard for literati gentlemen	A Tang Dynasty earthenware figurine of a woman in a hood and robes.	A modern sketch of male literati Hanfu	A modern sketch of female Hanfu
A group of Chinese Taoist priests wearing Zhuangzi jin caps	Taoist priest in 'scarlet gown'	Taoist priests and priestesses

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In China, there are many established practices concerning shoes, many of which have become standard life etiquette. For example, shoes are presented to a baby one full month after its birth; newlyweds have to wear wedding shoes at their wedding ceremony; shoes embroidered with the Chinese character fu are often given as birthday presents to elderly people; and at funerals, the children of the deceased have to wear filial shoes. Among the various shoe-related customs, wedding shoes have played an extremely important role in one's marriage since ancient times. Presenting Shoes When Delivering Betrothal Gifts In ancient times, males were referred to as qian (symbol of heaven in the Eight Trigrams, or the eight energies in the t'ai chi martial art), and females, as kun (symbol of earth in the Eight Trigrams). Women's shoes are therefore called kun shoes. During the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), when a woman was getting married, she usually wore a pair of wooden sandals painted with colorful patterns and fastened by colorful ribbons, both of which were seen as auspicious symbols. During the Southern Dynasty (420-589), if a man was to take a wife, he had to first present to the woman a new pair of silk shoes when delivering betrothal gifts. The custom continued in many places, such as in Ningbo and Yinxian cities of today's Zhejiang Province in East China, during the dynasty's Guangxu Period. According to the local matrimonial customs at that time, when a marriage was settled, the woman's family would find out the shoe sizes of the man's grandparents and great-grand parents. Then, the woman would painstakingly make elaborate shoes for them. When delivering betrothal gifts, the man would give jewelry, silk, cattle, food, and wine to the woman's family, who would hold a feast to entertain. Afterwards, the woman's family would give the man the self-made shoes in return, which were meant to show their daughter's filial piety to her future in-laws. Shoes to Show the Bride's Needlework The shoes made by the bride, though not necessarily for herself, are a must among the bride's dowry in many places. In the Shangluo Region of North China's Shanxi Province, every woman, prior to her marriage, has to make a pair of shoes for every member of her fiancé's family. On the wedding day, after the wedding ceremony, the bride has to distribute the shoes she has made to every family member, who will try on the shoes on the spot and make some comments. The shoes, in addition to showing the bride's needlework, also signify that the bride will respect the elder, love the young, and get along well with the whole family. The "Sifting Shoes" Custom There is an interesting custom called "sifting shoes" among today's Zhuang Ethnic Minority people today. When two young people get married, the bride's sisters escort her to the bridegroom's family. Then a wedding ceremony is held, in which the bride and bridegroom make formal bows to the groom's parents. After that, the escorts sing songs together before the bridegroom's family lay out the wedding banquet, during which the ritual of tea or wine serving is held. As the escorts are beginning to take leave, a young man brings out a sift (container of sort) and begins "sifting shoes". Usually, the escorts will decline politely before putting the shoes they bring with themselves into the sift. Every time the man receives a pair of shoes, he will put a red packet into the container and then presents it to the escort as he shakes the container and sings songs of gratitude. He does this until he has "sifted" shoes into red packets for all the escorts. Auspicious Wedding Shoes During the wedding ceremony, the bride usually wears special wedding shoes. For example, in Southern Fujian Province, the bride has to wear a pair of shoes embroidered with patterns of a turtle or a deer, which symbolizes blessing, happiness, and longevity after marriage. In southern Zhejiang Province, making shang jiao xie (shoes worn while stepping into the sedan chair) before getting into the sedan is akin to praying for auspiciousness. Either the bride or others can make the wedding shoes. These kinds of shoes are made with red and green cloth and usually with a soft sole, and are worn by the bride as she steps into the sedan chair. In some places, relatives who are thought to have good fortune make such shoes, while in other areas, they are made by the bride and another single girl on the morning of the wedding day. All about Wedding Shoes In the Haizhou Region of East China's Jiangsu Province, wedding shoes are known as xi xie or "happy shoes". Before liberation (in 1949), when a girl was getting married, she usually wore a pair of happy shoes, which were made with red cloth or silk and were sometimes embroidered with flower patterns in the front part. With the increasing appearance of leather shoes after liberation, the bridal wedding shoes gave way to the leather ones. The bridegroom's first pair of shoes after marriage should be made or bought by the bride. In the Longquan Area of Sheeting Province, there are many regulations on the bride and bridegroom's wedding shoes. For example: The bride usually wears pink or orange wedding shoes, which are made by a girl whose parents are still alive or a grandma who has witnessed three generations. The front uppers are embroidered with a pair of phoenixes picking peony flowers. Inside the shoes is a lining of white cloth, on which is embroidered a pair of the Chinese character "喜," meaning happiness. On the wedding day, the bride wears this pair of shoes to get on and off the sedan chair, as well as for the following three days. After that, the shoes will be put away. When the first child she bears reaches one month old, she wears this pair of shoes to meet guests to show that she is a first-time mother. The bridegroom's shoes, on the other hand, are made with black cloth by the same kind of people who make the wedding shoes for the bride, and can be worn until they are worn out. Variety of Wedding Shoes Wedding shoes have different names in different places. In ancient times, wedding shoes were also called "Zodiac Shoes", since a propitious date was chosen for the wedding ceremony. When getting on the sedan chair, the bride always wore a pair of yellow shoes, which were changed to red ones upon her arrival at the bridegroom's family. In some places, wedding shoes refer to shoes worn while making formal bows to the bridegroom's parents at the traditional wedding ceremony, and are therefore named cai tang xie or "stepping hall shoes". In other places, wedding shoes refer to those worn by the bride when changing her hairstyle on the wedding day, featuring a thin sole, red lining, and embroidered flower patterns. After that, the bride has to change to another pair of shoes, and throw the wedding shoes under the bed to show her determination of not marrying again. In the old days, the bride often wore a pair of soft-sole shoes when spending the night in the nuptial chamber softened by candlelight. When in bed, the bridegroom would take off the shoes for the bride, and then look at the drawings inside the shoes together. There is another kind of wedding shoes called hui men shoes". A month after marriage, the brides' family usually invites the bride to live with them for several days, which is known as hui men. The bride can live there for a month if accompanied by the bridegroom. Otherwise, she can only live as long as her mother-in-law allows, usually eight or eighteen days. During her stay at her parents' home, the bride has to make each member of the bridegroom's family a pair of shoes, which are the so-called hui men shoes.

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Chinese wedding culture is a vital part of Chinese tradition.  Many rituals and customs have been lost in course of history, but many are observed even today.  It is practiced in honor of family value and respect to committed relationship, the holly marriage.  

We offer this printer-friendly version of a complete guide to Chinese wedding in hope you could print it and read it at your convenience.  Blue color text is hyperlinks which will leads to that particular ritual or product and service.

Chinese Wedding Customs and Rituals Before the Wedding

Proposal & Betrothal

In Chinese Culture, a marriage is considered the joining of two families.  Thus the parents of the bride's and groom's get involved in their wedding planning from very early on.  Two families pick an auspicious date as the Betrothal Day.  This is a formal meeting between the parents of the perspective bride and groom. The groom's family presents various proposal gifts that represents fertility and prosperity in Chinese culture, which is also known as "Grand Gift" or "Guo Da Li".  All gifts should come in even numbers, meaning "good things double" in Chinese culture.  Thus, the two are considered officially engaged. 

Chinese Wedding Cakes

After the betrothal  meeting, both families will make wedding announcement to their relatives and friends by sending out  "Double Happiness Cakes" along with wedding invitations.  This is the Chinese style wedding cakes also known as "Dragon & Phoenix Cakes".  These are baked cake with dragon and phoenix imprint on the surface.  Some styles have fillings made of lotus seed paste, red bean paste or green bean paste.  

The wedding cakes are usually presented to the bride's family by the groom's family as part of the proposal gift. Bride's family will then present some of the cakes to worship their ancestors and send the rest of cakes to friends and relatives along with wedding invitations. Quantity of cakes to be sent depends on seniority of guest or relationship with the family.  Nowadays, the wedding cakes are usually served to the guests at the wedding instead of the western style wedding cakes.

Chinese Wedding Dowry

The bride's family then prepares dowry and give a list of the dowries to the groom's family.  Dowry is mostly composed of daily necessities for the new home, such as bedding, linen and dining set, etc.  In the old Chinese culture, girls start learning needle work at young age, and prepare plenty of shoes, socks, table cloth etc, as part of her dowry.  This is also an opportunity for the bride's family to display their love for their daughter as well as their wealth.  

Bridal Bed Setting (An Chuang) Ritual.  

A few days before the wedding, the bride's family send dowry to the groom's family, or the couple's new home nowadays.  The groom's family will invite a respected female relative or friend to "set the bridal bed" at the new home.  In some part of China in the old days, a unmarried young boy will be invited to sleep in the bridal bed the night before the wedding to bring fertility to the newlyweds.

Chinese Wedding Decorations

The two families decorates the bridal house and the reception site for the upcoming wedding ceremony.   Lots of lively colors, red in particular, is used in Chinese wedding decoration.  Red banners used for wedding is called "happiness banners", which is an essential part of the wedding decorations.  It's decorated on both sides of the doors of the newlywed's home and the reception site.  The Chinese writing on the banners are rhythmic poem praising the adorable couple and the perfect marriage. 

Papercut of Double Happiness, dragon and phoenix are widely used at Chinese wedding.  

Wedding Day Ceremony

In the morning of the wedding day, "hair dressing" (Shang Tou) ritual is performed for the bride. A "good luck woman", woman with living parents, spouse and children, will come to help dressing up the bride's hair. The woman should also say auspicious words while tying up her hair in a bun, a style of married woman. The groom's family perform "capping" (Jia Guan) ritual for the groom at their home.  These rituals in Chinese culture symbolize that they are entering adulthood.  

Chinese Wedding Door Game

Then the groom sets out to the bride's home, and he will inevitably be blocked at her door by her friends, and the bridesmaids will play door game with the groom and his attendants.

Door game originated from ancient time which implies that the bride is a lovely girl and her family and friends do not want to marry her away.  The groom will be blocked at the bride's door, and her friends will try to stop him from entering by asking questions about the bride, a way to test if he really cares about her.  They may also do other tricks to delay the bride's leaving.  The groom will try to buy his way in by presenting "Li Shi", token money wrapped in red envelops. Door game is a joyous and good-natured "bargain" game essential in Chinese wedding.

When the bride finally goes out to ascend the car, a bridesmaid will hold a red umbrella over her head, meaning "raise the bark, spread the leaves." Other relatives will scatter rice, red bean and green bean on her. The red umbrella protects the bride from evil spirit, and the rice and beans are to attract the attention of the gold chicken.

When the bridal sedan, equivalent of motorcade nowadays, arrives the groom's home, firecrackers and music with gongs and drums greets the bride.  The bride will leap over a iron basin with lit charcoal inside. It is a ritual to bring prosperity and keep evils away.

Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony

Then at the official ritual that equals to the wedding vow in western wedding, the newlyweds kneel three times, to the heaven and earth, to the ancestral tablets and their parents, then to each other.  The kneeling part has been replaced with bowing in modern Chinese wedding.  The bride then present tea to the parents and relatives in sequence of seniority.  Those who receive the tea usually give the bride gifts such as jewelry or Li Shi money wrapped in red envelope.  Thus it's the end of the ritual and the wedding proceeds to the banquet venue.

Chinese Wedding Food

Certain types of food are commonly served at the Chinese wedding banquet, which include fish, roast suckling pig, pigeon, chicken cooked with red oil, lobster and desert bun with lotus seeds stuffed inside. The pronunciation of fish is the same as "abundance", meaning the newlyweds will have plentiful of wealth. Roast suckling pig is usually served whole, a symbol of the bride's purity (virginity). Pigeon implies peaceful future. Chicken also means phoenix, cooked in red oil to symbolize the wish for a prosperous life ahead for the newlyweds. Lobster is literally called "dragon shrimp" in Chinese. Having lobster and chicken together at wedding banquet indicates that the dragon and the phoenix are hormones together, and the Yin and Yang elements in this family is balanced.

Most oriental caterers can give you an idea of the menu.

Chinese Wedding Dress

The color red is considered good luck, a strong color that can drive away evil spirits. The traditional Chinese wedding dress in northern China usually is one-piece frock named Qi Pao, embroidered with elaborate gold and silver designs. Brides from southern China usually wear two-piece dress named Qun Gua, Kwa or Cheongsam, also elaborately adorned with golden phoenix and dragon. 

In the old days, a piece of red veil is part of the bride's costume to cover her face during the wedding ceremony.  Newlyweds would see each other's face for the first time in their lives at their wedding night.

In modern Chinese wedding, the bride changes dresses at least 3 times at the wedding day.  She would start with western style white wedding gown for a church for civil ceremony.  Then at the tea ceremony, she would change to traditional Chinese bridal dress, which she will wear to the reception too.  Before the end of the banquet, she would change into a cocktail dress, and great the guests, and then see them off at the door, thus this dress is also called "Song Ke" (See Guests Off) dress.

Chinese Wedding Night Ritual

The night of the wedding, the bridal room will lit dragon and phoenix candle to drive away the evil spirit.  This is a Chinese version of unity candle.  The newlyweds will drink wine from two cups tied together with a red string, arms crossed from each other. This is the formal wedding vow in Chinese culture. Then the bride will be offered dumplings that's boiled half-raw.  The pronunciation of "raw" is the same as giving birth to children, a indication of family prosperity.

Post-wedding Customs

The next morning of the wedding, the bride should get up early and make a meal for the groom's family to demonstrate that she is well-nurtured. Three days after the wedding, the groom and bride will go back to visit the bride's parents.

Frequently Asked Questions by Bride and Groom at Chinese Wedding

Q: When should I start preparing for my wedding?
A:  You should start preparing 6 months before the wedding. Since marriage in Chinese culture is considered the joining of two families, you need to arrange a proposal and betrothal meeting for parents from both families. You will also need to make arrangement for wedding gown, banquet venue or church if you so choose...  More at Check List>>>

Q: How do I choose an auspicious wedding date?
A: You should choose a even number date for the wedding. The more even numbers the merrier, e.g., Saturday, October 28, 2004. Sometimes, people choose date with special meaning, e.g. lunar calendar September 9th is a festival for family reunion, and the Nine means "forever"...Sign up for China Bridal Newsletter...>>>

Q: I want to have a Chinese wedding, but my in-laws are Christians, how can I combine a church wedding with a traditional Chinese wedding?
A: In modern China, more and more young couples favor a church wedding for its solemn surrounding and the holly wedding vow. You may combine the two styles together and cater to both families. First, perform traditional Chinese rituals at home, e.g., hair-dressing ritual, tea ceremony, etc. Then after the bride has served tea to her in-laws and bowed to the ancestral tablets, proceed to the church to exchange wedding vows. After the banquet, you can continue to have the traditional bridal chamber party at the wedding night... More at Wedding Procession...>>>

Q: How many dresses should I prepare for my wedding, and what kind of dresses do I need?
A: The bride change dresses a few times during the wedding while the groom changes once or does not change. In the morning, the bride is usually dressed in traditional Chinese wedding gown.  She won't change until after she has served tea to her in-laws. Then she changes to  western style white wedding gown for the ceremony in which the newlyweds will bow to the heaven and the earth, the ancestor's tablets and to each other. At the wedding banquet, the bride changes to a formal day time gown, and the newlyweds will serve wine to every guests at the wedding. The last one is a night gown she wears when she sees the guests off at the end of the banquet.  The groom usually is dressed in a Chinese men's traditional gown in the morning, then change to cocktail suit before the banquet.. It is also acceptable to wear a formal suit instead of cocktail suit... More at Chinese Wedding Dresses...>>>

Q: Some of the Grand Gifts are hard to find, can I substitute with something else?
A: Generally speaking, you can always substitute Grand Gifts with cash, particularly named Li Shi, usually wrapped in red envelope. The Li Shi money usually comes in $99 or $999, as the pronunciation of Nine is the same as "long and forever." However, presentation of Grand Gifts is a symbolic gesture of appreciation to the bride's family for raising her and marrying her away. Many traditional gift shops have Grand Gifts items in stock... More at Gift Shops...>>>

Q: Is there any formal wedding vow in Chinese wedding?
A: There is no formal wedding vow in Chinese culture. The closest ritual is to have the newlyweds drink wine from two cups that are tied together by a red string. The newlyweds cross their right arms and drink at the same time. That's considered the gesture of binding commitment by the two... More at Wedding Day Rituals...>>>

Q: What is the Tea Ceremony at a wedding reception?
A: The Tea Ceremony is when the bride arrives the groom's home, and serve tea to her new in-laws. She will hold the tea cup with both hands, kneel in front of her parents-in-law, and serve it. After the groom's parents, she will serve tea to every one on the occasion, with a sequence of seniority. Those who accepted the tea are supposed to give her gift such as Li Shi money or gold and jade jewelries wrapped in red envelope... Prepare gifts for the bride...>>>

Q: What is the appropriate wedding banquet menu? How can I explain the meaning of the dishes to non-Chinese guests?
A: Certain foods must be served at wedding, which include fish, roast suckling pig, pigeon, chicken cooked with red oil, lobster and desert bun with lotus seeds stuffed inside. The pronunciation of fish is the same as "abundance", meaning the newlyweds will have plentiful of wealth. Roast suckling pig is usually served whole, a symbol of the bride's virginity. Pigeon implies peaceful future. Chicken also means phoenix, cooked in red oil to symbolize the wish for a prosperous life ahead for the newlyweds. Lobster is literally called "dragon shrimp" in Chinese. Having lobster and chicken together at wedding banquet to indicate that the dragon and the phoenix are hormones together, and the Yin and Yang elements in this family is balanced... Most important of all, do not forget to serve Chinese Dragon and Phoenix wedding cakes...>>>

Frequently Asked Questions by Guests to a Chinese Wedding

Q: I am invited to a Chinese wedding, what gift should I bring for the newlyweds?

A: The most common Chinese wedding gift is cash wrapped in red envelope, also named  Li Shi money.  Check is acceptable, of course.  However, if you are not a close relative or friends, go ahead and buy any gift you think is appropriate.  Whatever you buy, do not give the couple a FAN as gift since the pronunciation of fan is "san", which means "disperse" in Chinese, thus considered a bad omen... Gift Ideas at our Shop...>>>

Q: Can you teach me some auspicious words for congratulations to the newlyweds?
A: Bai Tou Xie Lao, meaning "may you two grow old together, and be each other's companion when your hair are white."  Bai Nian Hao Ho, meaning "may you happily together for a hundred years." 

Q: Any taboos at a Chinese wedding?
A: Certain people should not attend Chinese wedding, i.e., pregnant women and someone whose immediate family member just passed away... However, for the younger generations, these are not considered taboo anymore.  Learn more at Do's & Don'ts...>>>

Do's & Don'ts at Chinese Wedding

Don't 1:
At the proposal meeting, the groom's family will present the bride with an alive goose. The bride's family should not kill the goose and eat it because the goose represents the groom. If the goose is quiet when it is turned over to the bride's family, it indicates that the groom has good personality. Otherwise, it indicates the groom is quick-tampered. The bride's family should leave the goose to a pond where it will grow by itself.

Don't 2:
Bride's friends will try to block the groom from entering the bride's room on the morning of the wedding day. But the friends will have to watch time since a auspicious timing is already chosen for the bride to depart her home. 

Don't 3:
When the bride departs her home, and ascends the car, she should change to her formal shoes, thus to indicate that she did not take away even the good luck from her parents.

Don't 4:
When the bride enters the groom's home, the mother-in-law and sister-in-law should not face the door, watching the bride walk in. This is to avoid confrontation in the future.

Don't 5:
Pregnant women and people whose family member just passed away should not participate in the wedding ceremony, nor to touch the newlyweds' clothing or anything in the new home.

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SHOE HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF YOUR SHOES
There is much evidence that a foot covering was one of the first things made by our primitive ancestors. Necessity compelled them to invent some method of protecting their feet from the jagged rocks, burning sands, and rugged terrain over which they ranged in pursuit of food and shelter.
The history of human development shows that the importance of protecting the foot was early recognized. Records of the Egyptians, the Chinese and other early civilizations all contain references to shoes. The shoe is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible and the Hebrews used it in several instances with a legal significance, notably in binding a bargain.

Shoes of one sort or another are rich in legend and figure conspicuously in the folklore of different races. The shoe, even up to the present time, continues to figure in those stories, which have come down to us. The stories of the wonderful Seven League Boots, Mercury's Winged Sandals, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, and others, all existed in some ancient and often nearly forgotten tongue, but are still well known to all children. The custom of throwing the shoe after the newly wedded couple is but one of the many instances in which the shoe, when used according to formula, was supposed to bring luck.

In its first form the shoe was just a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide which was strapped to the feet. Among the relics of early Egyptians are some sandals made from plaited papyrus leaves, beautifully and artistically wrought. Records show that sandalmaking had become a well-recognized art early in the history of that country.

The sandal still is the most generally worn type of footwear in many warm countries. In form and ornamentation it reflects the environment in which it was worn, together with the artistic tastes of the peoples. In some countries the sandal continues to be the same simple kind worn since the dawn of history, while in others the multiple form of the straps and beautiful decorative work reflect the artistry, progress and prosperity of the wearers.

The Japanese, long a sandal wearing people indicated the social status of the wearer by making distinctive sandals for the Imperial Household, merchants and actors, in fact, for the whole range of vocations and professions.
The Greeks emphasized design and beauty, while the Romans devised a military type of sandal that enabled their legions to travel on foot throughout the then known world. In the more luxurious days of the late Empire the sandals were often beautifully wrought with ornaments of gold and precious stones.
The moccasin is the foot protection of cold countries. The puckered seam which outlines the forepart of the moccasin is all that remains of the puckering string once gathered and tied about the ankle. This peculiar seam still appears in the footwear of people in every cold county. The moccasin of the North American Indian, the Eskimo, and the Laplander all have it.
The shoe has always had an important place in costume. Until recent years, many shoes were made to be worn only on occasions of great ceremony. Some of these were very lavish in design and ornament, lending importance and distinction to the official dress of proud wearers.
Through all this development, comparatively little attention was devoted to fitting qualities or comfort. When the medieval guilds controlled craftsmanship in Europe, perfection in workmanship and extravagance in style seems to have been sought in shoes rather than foot comfort and protection.
Among the more conspicuous oddities of style in this period was the peaked shoe or Crackow, with a toe so long that it made walking difficult if not impossible and the passage of laws to prohibit its wearing was necessary before it was discontinued. It was followed by the Duckbill shoe in Elizabethan times. Laws were enacted limiting its maximum width to 51/2 inches. These footwear oddities in turn were followed by a succession of fantastic creations and shapes.
As late as 1850 most shoes were made on absolutely straight lasts, there being no difference between the right and the left shoe. Breaking in a new pair of shoes was not easy. There were but two widths to a size; a basic last was used to produce what was known as a "slim" shoe. When it was necessary to make a "fat" or "stout" shoe the shoemaker placed over the cone of the last a pad of leather to create the additional foot room needed.

Up to 1850 all shoes were made with practically the same hand tools that were used in Egypt as early as the 14th century B.C. as a part of a sandal maker's equipment. To the curved awl, the chisel-like knife and the scraper, the shoemakers of the thirty-three intervening centuries had added only a few simple tools such as the pincers, the lapstone, the hammer and a variety of rubbing sticks used for finishing edges and heels.

Efforts had been made to develop machinery for shoe production. They had all failed and it remained for the shoemakers of the United States to create the first successful machinery for making shoes.
In 1845 the first machine to find a permanent place in the shoe industry came into use. It was the Rolling Machine, which replaced the lapstone and hammer previously used by hand shoemakers for pounding sole leather, a method of increasing wear by compacting the fibres.
This was followed in 1846 by Elias Howe's invention of the sewing machine. The success of this major invention seems to have set up a chain reaction of research and development that has gone on ever since. Today there are no major operations left in shoemaking that are not done better by machinery than formerly by hand.

In 1858, Lyman R.Blake, a shoemaker, invented a machine for sewing the soles of shoes to the uppers.His patents were purchased by Gordon McKay, who improved upon Blake's invention. The shoes made on this machine came to be called "McKays." During the Civil War, many shoemakers were called into the armies, thereby creating a serious shortage of shoes for both soldiers and civilians. The introduction of the Mckay was speeded up in an effort to relieve the shortage.
Even when McKay had perfected the machines, he found it very difficult to sell them. He was on the point of giving up since he had spent all the money he could spare, when he thought of a new plan. He went back to the shoemakers who had laughed at the idea of making shoes by machinery, but who needed some means of increased production. He told them that he would put the machines in their factories, if they would pay him a small part of what the machine would save on each pair.
McKay issued "Royalty Stamps", representing the payments made on the machine-made shoes. This method of introducing machines became the accepted practice in the industry. Mention is made of it because it had two important bearings on the industry. First, shoe manufacturers were able to use machinery without tying up large sums of money. This meant that, in the event a new shoe style suddenly became popular and called for major changes in shoe construction methods and production equipment, the manufacturer wasn't left with a huge investment in machinery made obsolete by these changes - nor with the prospect of further investment for new machines. Second, it developed a type of service which has proven to be of great value in the shoe and other industries.
This unique service was used in the shoe industry long before it spread to other industries. McKay quickly found that in order to ensure payment for the use of the machines it was necessary to keep them in operation. A machine which wasn't working did not earn any money for Mckay. He therefore made parts interchangeable and organized and trained a group of experts who could be sent wherever machines needed replacement of parts or adjustment.
In 1875 a machine for making a different type of shoe was developed. Later known as the Goodyear Welt Sewing Machine, it was used for making both Welt and Turn shoes. These machines became successful under the management of Charles Goodyear, Jr., the son of the famous inventor of the process of vulcanizing rubber.
Following McKay's example, Goodyear's name became associated with the group of machinery which included the machines for sewing Welt an Turn shoes and a great many auxiliary machines which were developed for use in connection with them.
Invention as a product of continuous research has progressed at an almost incredible pace ever since. This has required great sums of money, sometimes more than a million dollars, to perfect one shoemaking machine, and tireless patience and effort. Inventors have often mechanized hand operations that seemed impossible for any machine.

We have progressed along way from the lasting pincer, a simple combination of gripper and lever. For centuries it was the hand shoemaker's only tool for shaping the shoe around the form on which it is made - aided only by his thumbs and tacks, The lasting pincer is a good tool and is still occasionally useful; with it a century ago a man with great effort might form or last a few pair in a long day. Today's automatic toe laster for Goodyear Welt shoes can last 1.200 pairs in an 8-hour day.

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100 Cashmere Sweater

kids rain wear

boiled wool cardigan

baby roca wear

man cashmere sweater

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mens sleep wear

Silk Cashmere Sweater

Cashmere Cardigan Sweaters

ralph lauren sweaters

Women Cotton Sweater

Fashion Ladies Wear

Polar Fleece Pullover

Kids Ski Wear

Formal Dress Wear

Ladies Fitness Wear

Silk And Cashmere

Womens Under Wear

Hand Knit Sweater

Ladies Cashmere Sweater

cashmere blend sweater

Men Knit Sweater

woman business suit

bathing ape sweaters

Flame Retardant Apparel

Lady Swim Wear

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baby western wear

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baby alpaca sweater

Women Argyle Sweaters

cotton fabric apparel

womens cardigan sweaters

Ladies Winter Wear

Pakistani Bridal Wear

acrylic cardigan sweater

Womens Skirt Suits

Ladies Skirt Suits

Racing Leather Suits

Diving Wet Suits

Children Swim Suit

Fire Resistant Suit

fire fighter suit

ladies wedding suits

mens velour suit

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Baby Phat apparel

ladies' sports wear

Fur Collar Cardigan

turtle neck sweater

Pure Cashmere Sweater

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Also See:

juicy bathing suits

baby dress suits

Men Dress Suits

Designer Men's Suits

Mens Wholesale Suits

american football jerseys

michael stars maternity

heat press transfers

polo shirts t-shirts

golf plastic tees

lace table cloths

Elegant Womens Suits

ladies business suits

hemp t shirt

Mens Sweat Suits

nomex fire suits

nike mens suits

mens wool suits

mens suits tuxedo

Juicy couture suits

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leather motorcycle suit

kid swim suit

ermenegildo zegna suits

Jackets And Suits

Men's Jogging Suits

Men's Wool Suits

Ladies Track Suit

brand name suit

men dress suit

reflective rain suit

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kids bedroom suits

acrylic paint colors

juniors bathing suits

t-shirts polo shirts

abercrombie fitch polo

Rhinestone Heat Transfers

Plastic Golf Tees

Polo T Shirts

Short Sleeve Polo

made in peru

Women's Polo Shirts

Electrical Wire Colors

ed hardy tees

bathing ape t-shirts

apparel