Reversible shoe
Reversible shoe refers to a shoe in which the upper and sole are sewn together inside out and then turned inside out so that the sole seam comes to lie on the inside.
History
The reversible shoe first appeared at the time of the Great Migration . It then experienced its heyday in the Middle Ages . Up until the early Middle Ages , reversible shoes did not have a particularly pronounced toe, but a pointed heel area of the sole that was used for stiffening. During the Middle Ages , the toe was longer, up to the pointed shoes of the 12th and 14th century. However, shorter forms remained current as work shoes. In the 16th century the turn of shoes have been increasingly replaced by the more stable welted shoes and nowadays we find to turn stitched style made shoes, for example in the form of pointe shoes of ballet dancers and often with slippers.
construction
A reversible shoe is sewn together with the inside facing outwards and then turned inside out so that all seams of the shoe are protected on the inside. Due to the turning process, however, it is not possible to use leather of any thickness and firmness , which is why reversible shoes are basically very flexible footwear, even though additional partial soles were sewn in for reinforcement.
The seams were placed so that they did not damage the grain side of the leather. Often a triangular or semicircular wedge was sewn into the shoe to reinforce the heel. From the 12th century, an edge strip was usually used between the sole and the upper leather, which should give the construction greater stability and better water resistance. A second sole was sewn to this edge strip in the late Middle Ages .
