1800-1900

Although the history of shoes ties in at several points along the way with the style and design of the current Clarks Wallabees collections, there are also more than a few interesting moments in footwear's illustrious past that have an independent fascination. The case could be made that the Clarks Wallabee Boot Brown Oily Leather has a style that can be traced back to the turn of the century, but there are really no sturdy ties that go any further back in time than 1965 when the first of these shoes was introduced.

Still, there's little doubt that anything from the clarks originals line would have made a huge impression in the French Empire that was proclaimed in 1804. During that time in history two famous people Josephine and Napoleon held the fashion. Military boots held the vogue for men and one is left to wonder how several boots from the clarks desert boot selections would have stacked up during that time.

Napoleon's favorite boot was cut away from the upper edge at the back—that's not a far cry from the style that was subsequently imitated later on in the clarks originals line. In 1818, boots were only about fifteen inches high. All footwear at that time was as much a part of the costume for the rich and poor alike as the clothes that they wore on their backs. As well, the type of shoe that a person wore was often indicative of their social standing. In some instances, the point of a toe of a shoe was legislated so that only the nobility had the chance to wear them.

The dandies of the day wore tight trousers that extended well down the leg to their boots which were often decorated with flowers to show off their positions. These boot were always kept in a highly polished condition that showed clearly that they were the most important articles of clothing for many of these people. In the period between 1820 to 1830, the nature of boots evolved to the point where they more closely resembled the boots like the Clarks Wallabees that we see today. Historians caution us that although the boot had great popularity in that time period, the shoe still had it's followers as well and never really fell out of style. They did have some different accessories back then however as flowers and tassels were popular with some of the more fashionable types at the time.