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The slipper's origins -

It was the Chinese who started the trend for wearing slippers. They began pulling on this type of footwear as early as 4700 BCE, a simple shoe made of cotton or woven rush, replete with leather linings, and featuring symbols of power, such as dragons and mountains. Much later, satin was used to craft exquisite slippers embroidered with silk and metallic thread like the example shown, which dates back to the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

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Roman deerskin slippers -

In 2008, archaeologists working at Boscombe Down in England unearthed a stone coffin. Inside were the skeletons of a woman cradling her child. Both were wearing deerskin slippers—luxury items afforded only to those of considerable status. Pictured is a 2nd-century CE Roman mosaic showing a noblewoman being dressed by two maidservants. The scene is expressed in a realistic way with utensils and female accessories including a pair of slippers, seen in the top left of the mosaic.

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Native American moccasins -

Native American Indians created their own version of the slipper with the moccasin. Also made of deerskin, these shoes were often embellished with silk thread, beadwork, moosehair, and quill. The designs sometimes depicted nature scenes.

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A symbol of repression -

In 12th-century Vietnam, slippers took on a far more sinister connotation. Rather than serving as comfortable footwear, they were a symbol of captivity. The female servants of wealthy monarchs were made to wear them, the loose fit and soft sole preventing a hurried escape from slavery over loose, rocky terrain.

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Captivity -

Similarly, slippers worn by members of a sultan's harem represented something entirely different. The shoe's delicate nature made it, once again, impossible to escape to freedom over rough terrain.

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Origin of the babouche -

The Oriental slipper known as the babouche, or baboosh, likely originated in Persia as early as 3400 BCE.

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A different point of view -

Described as slipper-like with an exaggerated point for the toe, the babouche was exceptionally comfortable due to the repetitive cleaning and drying process carried out when the slippers were made.

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Centuries of appeal -

An appealing fashion accessory back in the day, the babouche is still worn today in places like Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, India, and Pakistan.

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Gondolier's shoe -

In Italy, the slipper gained considerable kudos in the 16th century as the Venetian furlane— footwear otherwise known as the gondolier's shoe. Early examples of the furlane featured a rubber sole made from old bicycle tires, thus ensuring that the gondolier's didn't slip. The velvet upper, meanwhile, was created from old dresses and curtains.

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Venetian furlane slipper -

But Italy being Italy, the gondolier's shoe quickly became a far more stylish and sophisticated fashion statement. By the early 1800s, the Venetian furlane slipper was a much sought-after piece of footwear.

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Icon of la dolce vita -

Today the slippers are still distinctively Venetian, an icon of la dolce vita worn not only by the gondoliers, but by a broad section of the community.

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Charentaise felt slipper -

Elsewhere in Europe, French high society could be seen wearing sumptuously embroidered slippers as part of royal court regalia. The charentaise felt slippers originally from Charente in France were created in the 17th century, during the reign of King Louis XIV, the dandy Sun King.

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Queen Victoria's slippers -

Later across the Channel, a young Queen Victoria made waves with her intricately embroidered cream satin ballet-style slippers decorated with gold braid and gold rosettes. A pair of white ribbon ties attached to each slipper rounded off this very personal item.

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A testament to needlecraft -

For Victorian ladies in general, slippers provided an opportunity to show off their needlepoint skills and to use embroidery as decoration. Pictured here is a pair made specifically for a young boy.

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American evening slipper -

It was the Victorian slipper that made its way across the pond to the United States, where in the first three decades of the 19th century evening slippers were often worn in both bright and pastel colors. The grass green of this pair of shoes, notes the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was one of the few bright colors that persisted for evening wear into the 1840s.

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Toeing the line -

It was during the 1840s that the design of evening slippers evolved to feature the distinctive wide square toe commonly worn thereafter.

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Worn by the wealthy -

Back in England, slippers were still being worn somewhat as a symbol of wealth and privilege. These red velvet fur-lined slippers were owned by a young Prince Albert Edward, later King Edward VII, in the 1840s.

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The Prince Albert slipper -

It was during Queen Victoria's reign that the Prince Albert slipper appeared. Named after the monarch's consort, this slipper was a style of carpet friendly footwear designed to complement the smoking jacket, typically worn by Victorian gentlemen hosting lavish dinner parties. It's a slipper that's endured. Pictured is Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, wearing a pair of velvet Albert slippers embroidered with a fighter plane design while attending the UK premiere and Royal Film Performance of 'Top Gun: Maverick' in London on May 19, 2022.

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Political motifs -

One well-known figure who regularly wore monogrammed Prince Albert slippers was British statesman Sir Winston Churchill. He's pictured here in 1955 arriving at No. 10 Downing Street in a fur-lined coat and said footwear.

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The slipper's cultural significance -

Slippers play an important cultural role in many countries. In Japanese society, for example, slippers are carefully placed for guests on arrival at temples, positioned at the entrance, or engawa, for visitors to change into before advancing beyond the threshold. Visitors to Japanese homes are also required to remove their shoes at the entrance, replacing them with appropriate hallway footwear. Slippers that are left ready to change into are known as uwabuki.

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Stepping on holy ground -

Arab Muslims are required to remove their shoes when entering a mosque. Traditionally, non-Muslim guests are offered a pair of slippers to wear before they can enter. In this rare 1920s-era photograph, an attendant is seen tying slippers to a female Western tourist's feet before she enters a mosque in Cairo, Egypt.

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Fuzzy slippers -

The '50s witnessed the arrival of women's fuzzy slippers, an incredibly cozy and comfortable mode of household footwear still popular today.

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Papal slippers -

The Pope usually has two kinds of red shoes: indoor "liturgical slippers" made of silk and gold brocade, and an outdoor, loafer-like pair (pictured). Red slippers have traditionally been worn by pontiffs since the time of the Roman Empire.

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Following the yellow brick road -

One of the most celebrated pair of slippers are those worn by Judy Garland's character, Dorothy Gale, in the 1939 movie 'The Wizard of Oz.' They are displayed here at the Hollywood Costume exhibition in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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If the shoe fits... -

Equally famous but not strictly a slipper is the glass footwear worn by Cinderella. In modern parlance, her shoes would probably be called glass high heels. Whatever the case, this original Swarovski crystal slipper from the film 'Cinderella' (2015) positively sparkles.

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Making a clean sweep -

At their most practical application, slippers can be worn as novel floor cleaners! Here, store owners are geared up to shuffle along the floor of a boutique in Thailand.

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A socialite's slippers -

One famous celebrity collected slippers as symbols of freedom and liberation. American socialite Rita de Acosta Lydig (1875–1929) was friends with Italian designer Pietro Yantorny, the self-proclaimed "most expensive shoemaker in the world." Yantorny handcrafted his illustrious client numerous pairs of shoes, including mules, a style of footwear that has no back or constraint around the foot's heel.

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Allusion to the boudoir slipper -

Yantorny's mules were inspired by the aforementioned babouche; the consequent allusion to the harem was especially appropriate to a boudoir slipper, and Lydig wore them often with her distinctive harem-style dresses. Lydig's personal wardrobe became the basis for the start of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Designer slippers -

While most of us today own a pair of humble slippers, it's still possible to buy into luxury evening footwear if your feet and wallet are so inclined. Pictured is Jimmy Choo's signature slipper, designed by Rob Pruitt, displayed in New York. Pruitt's famous panda is embroidered on the shoe.

Sources: (BBC) (The MET) (mahabis) (Ernest journal) (Crockett & Jones) (Broadland Slippers) (Piedàterre Venezia) (Town & Country) 

See also: Why are ugly shoes so appealing? 

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