The Lotus footwear is among the earliest styles of footwear recorded that were specifically designed for females use. Now, the production of these shoes nowadays is virtually not happening and the small number of lotus shoes still in existence now are preserved in museums or personal collections similar to antique items and artifacts. Although the footwear were made for women of any age, any single woman today who is older than the age of ten would probably find it out of the question to wear these shoes. For the reason that this particular type of footwear had originated in traditional China and was designed for females when foot binding had been practiced. For the people unaware of the process, foot binding literally implies the tight binding of the feet with wraps. The importance of this particular practice is such that it is only started on girls between the ages of two and five.

The procedure for foot binding would more than likely be seen as being a brutal act of vainness since it involved the action of maliciously breaking up the arch and toes of each foot prior to being bound. In addition, this technique was accomplished with no form of pain alleviation. The reason for this practice was such that the people at the time deemed that slim and tiny feet had been regarded as beautiful as well as making the person's gait a lot more womanly. A number of misconceptions surround the origin with the technique of foot binding as well as the Lotus shoe. One of the most notable of these misconceptions was around the Tenth Century period, when Royal Prince Li Yu that ruled within the 10 kingdoms. Li Yu acquired a concubine in his entourage who had particularly petite feet and she was an exceptional dancer that wore among the earliest versons of the Lotus footwear.

This foot binding practice then began amongst the women of upper society and royals to be able to mimic the Prince's concubine. As a result, foot binding ended up being clearly linked with wealth and status during that time. The following centuries found to the widespread use of the foot binding all the way through China. The foot binding grew to be to ensure that girls that didn't have smaller feet ended up not marriage material. Back then, it was the hardest possible destiny for a Chinese woman. The foot binding aside however, the Lotus shoe is actually a sight to see and the present day world would probably be taken back with the considerable pain this process inflicts on the woman. Obviously, when the foot binding began to be used by everyone, varieties came along. The procedure was ultimately banished.

At first, this delicately manufactured footwear were made with cotton and silk materials though there is evidence of variants manufactured working with other materials which include animal hides. Other versions frequently had distinctive characteristics for example high heels and also bottoms which look like those of the present day wedge shoes. Nevertheless, by far the most distinguishing feature with the lotus shoe is the complex designs and patterns present in them all. Besides that, most of these shoes had been embroidered having ornate designs featuring animal and also floral motifs in conjunction with shapes. This is especially when you check out the rare and expensive footwear made out of the finest materials that ornamented the feet of people in positions of power.