Record details
| Shoe style | Monk |
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| Style description |
A monk shoe has quarters which are the sides of the shoe upper which join the front part or vamp of the shoe. It is usually fastened with a strap over the foot and buckled to the side. |
| Shoe description | This women's pair are made from snakeskin. They were made for Burberry, 1930s. |
| Style example 1 | Men's leather U.S.A Army officers monk shoe. Manufactured by Church's, Northampton. 1942-45. |
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It was originally thought to have been designed by an Alpine monk in the 1400s and for a long time was worn by religious men in European monasteries. When the design became more mainstream the buckle became very ornate and the shoe was richly decorated and coloured. The modern monk style was introduced in the 1920s. Northampton shoe shop Kendalls advertised in 1927 - a monk shoe as a new craze because it had a strap and buckle, and by 1935 John Marlow and Sons and the Army and Navy Stores were advertising women’s monk shoes with buckles in brown or box calf at 30/- a pair. This pair were made for Burberry in the 1930s. |
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| Style example 2 | Men's monk shoe with crepe rubber creeper sole. Manufactured by George Cox, Wellingborough. 1955-60. |
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The monk style coupled with a crepe rubber sole was a Teddy Boy favourite and in the 1970s often worn by punks. |
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| Style example 3 | Men's leather monk shoes. Manufactured by Church’s, Northampton, 1980s |
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The monk is a classic style that can often be coupled with a business suit like this example manufactured by Northampton shoe company Church’s in the 1980s. |