In the medieval period, fashion determined all of the shoe styles. People wore shoes for protection, for decoration, and to indicate social status.

Shoes were made by hand all throughout the Middle Ages. Usually, the shoe patterns were one or two pieces, but sometimes had up to five. To make the shoes they used materials such as leather, chains, felt, cording, buckles, and furs. Some styles were: Button Front Boot, Long Toed Boot, Side Strap, Ankle Strap, Thigh Boots, Boots, Ankle Boots, Slippers, and Footed Hose. People who were rich had shoes made of more expensive materials. Their shoe styles took longer to make and were sometimes hard to walk in. The poor people had shoes made of cheaper materials and that were styled to work in. One unusual shoe style was the Crackowe that had extremely long toes. Other shoes had soles that were very thick.