Chukka, ankle boots, oxfords ... Many models of shoes have a rather long and interesting history, but it is not easy for a Russian to understand their names and features. We selected the most popular models with unusual names for the ear to tell us more about them.
Ankle Booties - This is a model of women's shoes, which is a cross between shoes and boots. Ankle boots do not cover the calf, reaching only the ankle, so in English they are called "ankle boots" ("ankle" - ankle).
Ankle boots are low and moderately high, with lace and zippers, low heels and high, decorated with bows, fur, buckles, rhinestones and simply strict. They can be worn with completely different clothes: with a skirt, for example, with a short or pencil skirt, and tight tights, with tight trousers or jeans, even with evening dresses and business suits. Ankle boots with a coat will look great.
Brogues: so-called shoes with perforation, the top of which, as a rule, consists of several parts. These are men's shoes, but there are also models adapted for sophisticated female legs. It is believed that brogues were invented by Irish farmers in the distant seventeenth century.
Driving flocks of sheep through humid terrain, shepherds were faced with the fact that water constantly fell into their boots. So that the shoes would soon dry out and easily aerate, one such shepherd also thought of making holes in it. Gradually, the brogues migrated to the shoe wardrobe of the aristocrats, who began to wear them while playing golf. Over time, the perforation began to take shape and turned into a kind of decor. At the request of Edward, the Prince of Wales and the brother of King George VI, a cutting head in the form of the letter W appeared in the brogues. Depending on the area of the perforated surface, full brogues, half-brogues and quarter-brogues are distinguished. It is recommended to wear this type of shoe with informal clothes, as it is believed that any perforation deprives the shoes of officiality.
Gladiators - A type of summer women's shoes, in a modern version, representing flat sandals with an open toe and a large number of straps. There is also a variety of gladiators - an elongated model to about the middle of the ankle, or even higher, more reminiscent of ancient Roman shoes. One way or another, wearing gladiators is not always recommended, as their flat sole is unfavorable for the foot. But more modern options like gladiators on the platform or on the heel are very welcome.
Deserts are considered the most versatile autumn shoes. These are ankle-high boots made of suede, usually with rubber soles and several holes for threading the laces. The history of the creation of deserts dates back to Nathan Clark from the founders of the British shoe brand Clarks. In the early fifties of the last century, he developed a universal model, based on the samples that he found on the market in Cairo. These were suede boots with rubber soles, which allowed these shoes to remain light and flexible. Deserts quickly fell in love with the British, who nicknamed them “desert boots” because they were ideal even for the desert. Deserts can be worn with almost all things, with the possible exception of business suits, as these shoes more likely create a bohemian and informal look. There are female models.
Derby - shoes with open lacing, in which the upper parts of the boot are pulled together without crossing, and the berets are sewn on top of the vamp. In terms of compatibility with other wardrobe items, derby suits both informal walks and the office. In Britain, the derby is often called the “Bluchers” - in honor of Marshal Blucher, whose troops participated in the Battle of Waterloo. According to historical records, his army’s soldiers wore open-laced boots.
Loafers - these are women's or men's shoes, similar to moccasins in the modern sense of the word (soft shoes made of suede or leather without laces and fasteners, but with a long tongue and flat sole). Loafers differ from moccasins mainly by the presence of a wider sole, sometimes even with a small heel. Another feature is the presence of leather brushes that perform an exclusively decorative function. In the fifties, Gucci fashion house began selling loafers with a gold-plated jumper buckle, which became the brand name of the brand. Loafers are very practical and are considered less formal than laced shoes.
Monkey - Men's shoes that lack lacing, but have one or two buckles. The name translates from English as “monastic straps”, since the buckles resemble the fastening on the shoes of monks. Monks are considered practical shoes. They are worn with narrowed, slightly short trousers so that they do not cling to the edges of the buckles. Monks go very well with a blazer.
Mule - This is a model of elegant women's shoes with heels, without a back, with a closed pointed toe. The name comes from the Latin word “mulleus”, which means “thinker”: in ancient Rome, shoes, vaguely reminiscent of the modern model of mule, were worn by pundits, for whom it was considered a privilege. In modern mules, an open cape and a small platform are allowed, so they can resemble clogs. Mules are often decorated with rhinestones, rivets, lacing, sequins. In the middle of the last century, due to the abundance of rhinestones and feathers, mules were considered very impractical and even frivolous shoes, only Hollywood actresses wore them. However, already in the nineties, designers revived this model, creating new options on an established basis. Now, depending on the model, mules are considered shoes for all occasions: they can appear in the office and at the party.
Mary Jane: so-called women's shoes with a strap on the rise and most often with a rounded toe, with or without heels. The name comes from the American comic strip Buster Brown of the beginning of the 20 century, in which a heroine named Mary Jane wore these shoes. At first, Mary Jane shoes were a child’s model: they were produced by the Brown Shoe Company, the creator of which signed a contract with the author of the comic to use the name “Buster Brown” in their advertising campaigns. Since then, Mary Jane has become the girls' favorite shoe. Now this style can be transformed into anything - into wedge sandals, ballet shoes, and boats. They are worn with dresses and skirts, which gives the look a retro effect.
Oxford considered the most stringent of all male models. For them, in contrast to the derby, closed lacing is characteristic, when two contractible parts are sewn down to the vamp, forming a horizontal seam. In the UK, so-called balmorals are still worn, which anticipated the appearance of oxfords. The name Oxfords comes from Oxford University, where these shoes were at the height of fashion in the early nineteenth century. The classic colors for this model are brown and black. Oxfords are also worn by women: such models are often decorated with sequins, rhinestones and rivets. They can be both on a flat sole and on a heel.
Initially sleepers (from the English. "slippers") were the home shoes of London aristocrats. They were worn by Robert Kennedy, Steve McQueen, Winston Churchill. Sleepers are male or female half-closed low-shoes with a tongue on the rise of the foot, soft and comfortable. Initially, they were made of textiles, but now you can find models of velvet, suede, leather with a variety of finishes. Today, sleepers are considered a universal model, which means that you can wear them with anything. The main thing is not to wear socks under them and not to combine sleepers with pants similar to pajama, as there is a risk of looking at home.
Top sellers (from the English “topside” - deck) or “boat shoes” are another variety of moccasins. Sperry Top-Sider invented this model in 1935 as shoes for wearing on yacht decks. Its origin explains the white sole characteristic of boaters, which leaves no traces on light surfaces. According to legend, the inspiration for creating top-siders was the cocker spaniel walking on the ice: from here supposedly went a grooved sole, which allows you to not slip on the deck with a strong roll. Boaters are made of suede and leather, and their distinctive feature is the front lacing through four holes, which also runs along the entire backdrop. There are female and male models. Boaters are customary to wear without socks, and as a summer model they combine perfectly with a T-shirt, shorts, tucked up jeans and help create a relaxed style.
Челси - Ankle-high or slightly taller boots with a narrowed nose. Their characteristic feature is elastic inserts in the shafts, thanks to which chelsea is very easy to remove and put on. It was for this particularity that Queen Victoria fell in love with 1837, who received a pair of such boots for riding as a gift in XNUMX, and other female riders began to shoe behind her. Very quickly, this primordially women's shoes ceased to serve only for riding and moved into a men's wardrobe. And the Liverpool Four, the Beatles even upgraded the chelsea to their own so-called beatle boot, endowing the classic chelsea with slightly higher heels.
Chukka: shoe experts believe that there is no significant difference between Chukka and deserts. However, this model still has not too obvious differences: the Chukka has a larger number of holes in the lacing, they are higher and their sole is rubber or leather. The fanciful name of this shoe came from playing polo: the term "chucker" refers to the minimum playing interval of this game. The model helps to create a casual style and is considered quite universal.
Espadrilles - these are lightweight summer shoes with rope soles made of natural dense fabric, such as linen or cotton. Espadrilles were invented by Catalan peasants at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The French word “espadrilles” was used to refer to a variety of grass from which ropes and ropes were made and from which peasants weaved soles for their shoes. Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, as well as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn were seen in espadrilles. By the way, thanks to these actresses, espadrilles first "lit up" in the movies. Shoe-making master Manolo Blahnik began his career by decorating espadrilles made by his parents. But the espadrilles became famous after one of the shows of Yves Saint Laurent in the 1960's, after which they became very popular. Espadrilles now come in all sorts of different styles: flat, wedges, heels, open, half-closed. The main useful property of espadrilles is that they allow the legs to breathe and are ideally combined with any summer clothes. However, not so long ago, this model fell prey to convention: some fashionistas believe that espadrilles should not be worn by men and they are unacceptable in the city.
| Please rate the article |
Sales of additional goods and services can add up to 20-30% to a store's turnover.
Many stores today have hit a sales ceiling: they have the product range, the team is working hard, the marketing is up and running, but revenue isn't growing. Where can they find growth opportunities? In reality, the potential for growth lies right in the customer's receipt. And it's not about raising prices, but about offering customers more value at the point of purchase. We discussed with Maria Gerasimenko, an expert at SR in fashion business management and development, how to increase sales with additional merchandise, why accessories and related products are becoming a strategic source of profit, and the role of the store team.
How to learn to effectively manage store customer traffic?
Customer traffic in shopping malls and street retail is declining; people are shopping less offline for a number of objective reasons, one of which is the convenience of online shopping with all its advantages. And yet, offline shopping continues to thrive. How can we control store traffic, learn to correctly calculate and influence the number of people visiting stores to ensure profitability?
From July 27 to 29, the Euro Shoes@CAF_Eliteline 2026 exhibition will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Elite Line is an international specialized exhibition of footwear, fur, leather, and accessories. The exhibition will feature collections from international and domestic manufacturers from Russia, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, and other countries.
"When Customers Are Few: How Fashion Store Owners Can Squeeze the Most Out of Every Customer"
In recent years, offline retail in clothing, footwear, and accessories has been operating under conditions of a steady decline in incoming traffic. By the end of 2025, offline store traffic in Russia had declined by 8-15%, with the offline segment's purchase rate declining more sharply than the overall market, according to Retail.ru. According to statistics from individual shopping centers, the decline by the end of last year was between 15 and 25%. How can salespeople effectively engage with customers in such challenging conditions? We'll explore service strategies in low traffic conditions with SR expert Elena Vinogradova, who specializes in purchasing and sales in the fashion business. The expert shares proven methods with practical examples of speech modules. Elena is confident that, in a context of declining traffic, high-quality service is becoming the main competitive advantage for the shoe industry.
The main colors of women's shoes for the fall-winter 2026/27 season
Fashion continues to embrace the language of emotion. The upcoming Fall/Winter 2026/27 season promises to be emotional and slightly reflective. Vibrancy gives way to depth, and ostentatious luxury is replaced by enveloping warmth. Five key shades of women's footwear reflect precisely these sentiments: trust in naturalness, attention to texture, and a desire to find beauty in nuances. Let's turn to the professional forecast of seasonal, cutting-edge colors from the international trend bureau Future Snoops. The selection of the Fall/Winter 2026/27 palette from Future Snoops presented in this article is an emotional map of the coming season, speaking of trust and fragile honesty, balance, inner strength, and warmth that requires no occasion. These five shades transform the seasonal footwear styles into a unique color language that can help the brand and its customers express themselves and their emotions.
Offline vs. Marketplaces: How to Survive and Win in 2026?
In Russia, e-commerce's share has grown from 5% in 2019 to nearly 23% in 2024 and continues to grow, with e-commerce market analysts predicting it will reach over 30% by 2029. Offline retail, meanwhile, can not only survive but also grow by 20-30% annually if it stops offering clothes on hangers and shoes on shelves and starts selling unique experiences. We discuss this topic with Shoes Report regular contributor Elena Vinogradova, an expert in fashion buying and sales and the author of the Fashion Business Blog, a blog for retailers and buyers.
Needs Identification Techniques That Really Work in Shoe Stores
"How can I help you?" is the most common, yet least effective, question in shoe retail. Customers rarely articulate their needs clearly. Some are shy, while others don't fully understand what they're looking for. Therefore, a salesperson's job isn't simply to suggest styles; they need to be able to identify the customer's true desires. In this article, SR expert Maria Gerasimenko and I explore five techniques that will help your staff better hear, see, and understand your customers, and therefore sell more and better.
The 37th Euro Shoes Premiere Collection exhibition concluded successfully in Moscow.
From March 4th to 7th, the International Euro Shoes Premiere Collection exhibition took place at the WTC Congress Center in Moscow. It is a specialized B2B event for footwear industry and fashion retail professionals and the key industry event of the new purchasing season and selection development for fashion retailers. Approximately 100 companies and brands participated in the exhibition, presenting their Fall/Winter 2026/27 footwear, bag, and accessory collections to professional visitors.
Revisiting classic standards of retail lighting through the lens of modern technology
Just yesterday, the principle governing retail lighting was: the brighter the light, the brighter the store, the more customers and sales. Today, this principle has lost its relevance. It has been replaced by a trend toward a well-thought-out concept, intelligently applied lighting, and carefully selected lighting fixtures. Anastasia Efremova, SR's expert in retail lighting and lighting designer at Tochka Opory, discusses current lighting principles in fashion and footwear retail, and how light helps interact with merchandise, space, and customer emotions. She will help you understand the fundamental principles of lighting through the lens of new retail space requirements.
How a fashion brand can launch a successful licensed product with a celebrity
Why fashion brands should consider licensing as a strategic tool—this is what Natalia Timashova, editor-in-chief of Shoes Report magazine, discussed with Maria Kozeeva, CEO of the Yulia Vysotskaya media holding (part of the Andrey Sergeevich Konchalovsky Production Center) and brand director of the Edim Doma and Julia Vysotskaya businesses.
How to strengthen and make your brand more sustainable
2025 has become a year of survival for many fashion brands in the challenging and rapidly changing conditions of an overheated market: declining traffic, the closure of entire chains and companies, the consolidation of sellers on marketplaces, the shift of customer traffic from offline to online—all these and other factors have impacted everyone, especially the weaker ones, those experiencing various challenges. The market has shifted to savings consumption. Some consider this a crisis, but our expert, Dania Tkacheva, a business consultant specializing in sales management and strategic development for fashion brands, calls it the maturation of the market. She offers distressed companies her own tool for diagnosing their business and opportunities for recovery and recovery. She calls this tool the Brand Maturity Pyramid.
Just a month until the Euro Shoes exhibition in Moscow!
We are counting down the days for the main international exhibition of footwear and accessories Euro Shoes Premiere Collection in Moscow! The exhibition will be held from August 27 to 30 at a new premium venue – the capital's congress center WTC on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
The Battle for the Sports Shoe Market
Fashion market experts and economic analysts predict a decline in sales of Nike and Adidas. The leadership positions of the unsinkable sports giants may be seriously shaken in the coming years, as they are being pushed out by young, bold and active competitors – challenger brands.
Micam and Livetrend presented a selection of footwear trends for the spring-summer 2026 season
The Italian international footwear fair Micam presents the "Spring-Summer 2026 Trend Guide", developed in collaboration with Livetrend. The guide is based on the analysis of social networks, online marketplaces and fashion shows, as well as new technologies such as artificial intelligence and Big Data.
The share of marketplaces will grow
The footwear category on Ozon Fashion shows steady growth
Turn to Asia. Features of shoe production at a factory in China
Finding a partner factory for shoe production is not an easy process. Today, many Russian brands sew their collections in factories in China. The concept of the women's shoe brand N.early N.aked, founded in 2019, was based on the idea of producing shoes suitable for dancing, with a perfect fit. Initially, the shoes were sewn in Europe, but in 2022, shoe production was moved to China.
How to Compete with Marketplaces in 2025
The shoe business is a complex process due to the many related micro-strategies used to extract profit. It is necessary to determine how much goods to purchase, what trade margin to set, and approve the norm of balances at the end of the season. In addition, it is necessary to draw up a sales plan and decide on marketing campaigns that take into account seasonal demand and the competitive environment, set up a personnel motivation system and correctly set control points.
Rieker and Remonte will present their new collections at Euro Shoes!
The brands Rieker and Remonte, which are among the leading shoe companies in Germany, will present their Spring-Summer'26 collections in Moscow at the international exhibition of footwear and accessories Euro Shoes! The exhibition will be held from August 27 to 30, 2025 at a new premium venue in the WTC Congress Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
New Tamaris Spring-Summer 26 Collection: Comfort and Elegance in Every Model
German footwear and accessories brand Tamaris will present its new Spring-Summer '26 collection at the Euro Shoes exhibition in Moscow, from August 27 to 30.
KV+ sneakers for city and sports for the first time at Euro Shoes
The Swiss brand KV+ is not so well known to the general Russian audience, but it is well known in the world of skiing, because it was there that KV+ took its first steps and actively developed. The Swiss brand has earned the trust of the professional sports audience over the past 35 years. At the same time, the Russian sports market of ski equipment has always been a priority for the Swiss.
Creating an emotional connection through a showcase
Emotional response from customers is the key to successful retail sales. Shop windows are capable of not only attracting attention, but also evoking emotions: from joy and nostalgia to a sense of belonging and the desire to possess. Using psychological triggers in shop window design helps turn a passerby into a buyer. SR expert in visual merchandising and retail design Viktor Malygin talks about approaches to the concept of shop window design and current themes and plots for presenting goods in shop windows.
Shoe educational program: what shoe soles are made of
“What is the difference between TEP and EVA? What does tunit promise me? Is PVC glue? What is the sole of these shoes made of? ”- the modern buyer wants to know everything. In order not to smash his face in front of him and be able to explain whether such a sole suits him in soles, carefully read this article. In it, process engineer Igor Okorokov tells what materials the soles of shoes are made of and what makes each of them so good.
How to set prices that will earn
Some businessmen still confuse the concept of margin with the concept of trade margins and set prices for their goods, guided solely by the example of competitors. No wonder they go broke! Analyst at the Academy of Retail Technologies Maxim Gorshkov gives several tips and formulas with which you can set not only ruinous, but also profitable prices.
Sales of shoes and accessories: effective techniques for business rhetoric
Which speech modules are effective in communicating with potential and current customers of shoe stores, and which are not, Anna Bocharova, a business consultant, knows.
We form the salary of sellers: expert advice
“How do you charge your consultants for personal or general sales?” Is one of the most popular questions causing a lot of controversy and gossip on the online forums of retail business owners. Indeed, how to properly form the earnings of sellers? But what about bonuses, where to get a sales plan from, do employees allow them to buy goods at discounted stores? In search of truth, the Shoes Report turned to a dozen shoe retailers, but no company wanted to disclose its motivation system - the process of its development was too complicated and individual. Then we asked four business consultants, and finally became convinced that the topic of seller motivation is very complex, because even our experts could not come to a common opinion.
The whole truth about Bayer. Who is he and how to become one?
Bayer is no longer a new, but still a popular and sought-after profession. It’s fashionable to be a buyer. Buyers are at the origins of the emergence and development of trends. If the designer offers his vision of fashion in the season, then the buyer selects the most interesting commercial ideas. It is on buyers that the policy of sales of stores and what, in the end, the buyer will wear depends on. This profession is surrounded by a magical fleur, often associated with a lack of understanding of what exactly is the work of a buyer.
Technology Selling Issues
There is nothing worse than meeting the buyer with the words “Hello, can I help you with something?”, Because the seller works in the store just to help. Criticizing this well-established pattern of communication with the buyer, Andrei Chirkarev, business coach for effective sales and the founder of the New Economy project, shares the technology of truly selling issues with readers of Shoes Report.
Fur, and not only: types of lining
In the production of winter footwear, various materials are used that are designed to retain heat and meet the requirements of consumers: natural sheepleather, artificial fur, artificial fur from natural wool and others. All types of lining fur have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider the properties of each of them.
Retail Arithmetic
Before you begin to solve specific problems, you need to find out how accurately all the leaders of your company understand the basic terminology of retail.
How to fire a worker without tears, scandal and trial
Sooner or later, any manager is faced with the need to part with an employee. Correctly and on time the dismissal procedure will save the company money, and the boss himself - nerves and time. But why sometimes, knowing that a break in relations is inevitable, we postpone the decision for months?