Gilmour's Comfort Shoes

	Gilmour's Comfort Shoes Since 1919 Get More at Gilmour's.
Home Specials About Us Our Shoes Foot Problems Shoe Terminology Our Stores Mail Order Returns Policy Contact Us	Shoe Terminology Lace up/Tie A lace up shoe is one that is secured to the foot using laces. There are many different types of lace patterns available including Oxford, Derby and Gillie. Last The Last is the form that the shoe is made around. Lasts are typically made of wood or plastic and have a hinge built into them that enables the shoe maker to get them out of the shoe once it is complete. Moccasin Today Moccasins are made using a single piece of leather to form the insole and sides of the shoe with another piece of leather inserted into the vamp and sewn together. Scuff/Slide A scuff is a shoe without a back, clogs are a type of scuff. Normally scuffs are sandals but increasingly we are seeing dressy scuffs. Size/Length The size of a shoe is generally indicated by a number, most shoes are labelled using the US sizes but gaining popularity is the Paris point, Euro or continental sizes. The US sizes for women's typically range from 6 to 10 and the Euro sizes from 36 to 42. There are other sizing systems as well, still very popular in Britain and Europe are the UK sizes and even in some areas centimetre scales are used. Shank The shank is built into the shoe between the out-sole (sole) and the in-sole. Typically a piece of steel about 10mm - 20mm wide and up to 2mm thick. It stretches the length of the shoe from the heel to just before the ball of the foot. It prevents the shoe from bending in the wrong place and helps provide support. Shanks are normally made from steel but can be made from wood, plastic and more recently carbon fibre. Wood and plastic shanks are often used in shoes that are supplied to prisons. Many light-weight shoes are using carbon fibre shanks to help keep the weight down while still providing strength. Slip-on A slip-on shoe is one that doesn't have any kind of fastener such as laces, buckles or velcro. They can have elastic gussets or gores or may hove no form of give, what's called "positive fit". Sole The sole of the shoe is the part that actually makes contact with the ground. Soles can be made from many different materials. Traditionally made of thick leather they are now most commonly made from synthetic materials such as Polyurethane (PU) or rubber. Width The width of fitting of a shoe determines how wide that shoe is relative to it's length. There are several width scales in use, the most common being the narrow, medium, wide and wide wide terms applied to widths. These are normally abbreviated to N, M, W and WW respectively.

Gilmour's Comfort Shoes
Since 1919
Get More at Gilmour's.

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Shoe Terminology

Lace up/Tie
A lace up shoe is one that is secured to the foot using laces. There are many different types of lace patterns available including Oxford, Derby and Gillie.
Last
The Last is the form that the shoe is made around. Lasts are typically made of wood or plastic and have a hinge built into them that enables the shoe maker to get them out of the shoe once it is complete.
Moccasin
Today Moccasins are made using a single piece of leather to form the insole and sides of the shoe with another piece of leather inserted into the vamp and sewn together.
Scuff/Slide
A scuff is a shoe without a back, clogs are a type of scuff. Normally scuffs are sandals but increasingly we are seeing dressy scuffs.
Size/Length
The size of a shoe is generally indicated by a number, most shoes are labelled using the US sizes but gaining popularity is the Paris point, Euro or continental sizes. The US sizes for women's typically range from 6 to 10 and the Euro sizes from 36 to 42. There are other sizing systems as well, still very popular in Britain and Europe are the UK sizes and even in some areas centimetre scales are used.
Shank
The shank is built into the shoe between the out-sole (sole) and the in-sole. Typically a piece of steel about 10mm - 20mm wide and up to 2mm thick. It stretches the length of the shoe from the heel to just before the ball of the foot. It prevents the shoe from bending in the wrong place and helps provide support. Shanks are normally made from steel but can be made from wood, plastic and more recently carbon fibre. Wood and plastic shanks are often used in shoes that are supplied to prisons. Many light-weight shoes are using carbon fibre shanks to help keep the weight down while still providing strength.
Slip-on
A slip-on shoe is one that doesn't have any kind of fastener such as laces, buckles or velcro. They can have elastic gussets or gores or may hove no form of give, what's called "positive fit".
Sole
The sole of the shoe is the part that actually makes contact with the ground. Soles can be made from many different materials. Traditionally made of thick leather they are now most commonly made from synthetic materials such as Polyurethane (PU) or rubber.
Width
The width of fitting of a shoe determines how wide that shoe is relative to it's length. There are several width scales in use, the most common being the narrow, medium, wide and wide wide terms applied to widths. These are normally abbreviated to N, M, W and WW respectively.