Duckbill shoe

A duckbill, bearpaw or cow's mouth was a style of shoe with a broad toe which was fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries. This style started with Charles VIII of France, who had an extra toe, and was later worn by Henry VIII of England. It replaced the excessively long toe of the poulaine but also tended to become impractical, as it became enlarged with stuffing and horns and so could be a foot wide, giving the wearer a waddling gait. It might also be adorned with slashes to show the fine lining and sumptuary laws were introduced to restrict all these excesses.^[1][2] Duckbill shoes were rounded like a duck's bill; cowsmouth shoes widened abruptly at the toes; and bearsclaw shoes had slashes parallel to the toes, so the toe could expand laterally.

There is a surviving design for a duckbill shoe by Albrecht Dürer; he describes it as made on an absolutely straight, symmetric last, and as having an entirely flat sole of two thicknesses of leather. They were also to have straps over the instep.^[3]

See also

• Pigache – a pointed style of shoe which was fashionable earlier in medieval Europe

References

Dress shoes

Slip-on shoes	Court shoes Prince Albert slippers Loafers Venetian-style shoes
Women's	Ballet flats High-heeled footwear Mary Janes Mojari Mules Peep-toe shoes Saddle shoes Slingbacks

Other shoesWooden footwearBoots

Military	Ammunition boots Bunny boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Tanker boots Trench boots Munson Last
Work	Australian work boots Cowboy boots Engineer boots Hip boots Jika-tabi Rigger boots Steel-toe boots Waders
Fashion boots	Chelsea boots (Beatle boots) Chukka boots Go-go boots Knee-high boots Over-the-knee boots Platform boots Sinatra boots Thigh-high boots Ugg boots
Other	Jodhpur boots Wellington boots Ballet boots

Sport-related footwearFolk footwearHistorical footwearShoe construction

High heels	Clear heels Kitten heels Spool heels Stiletto heels Wedges

Hosiery