A
- Aglet
- The small plastic or metal tip that keeps a shoelace from fraying and helps it pass through an eyelet.
- Arch support
- A shaped part of an insole or footbed that supports the arch of the foot.
B
- Blake-stitched
- A shoe construction in which a row of stitching joins the insole, upper and outsole directly.
- Block heel
- A broad shoe heel with a substantial surface in contact with the ground.
- Blucher
- A lace-up shoe with separate lacing tabs attached to the vamp.
- Brogue
- A shoe decorated with small perforations and often serrated edges along its panels.
C
- Cap toe
- A shoe with a distinct cap section over the toe, usually formed by an additional piece of upper material.
- Cemented
- A shoe construction in which adhesive bonds the outsole to the upper.
- Chelsea boot
- An ankle boot with elastic side panels and usually a pull tab, designed to slip on without laces.
- Chukka boot
- An ankle-height boot, usually with two or three pairs of lace eyelets.
D
- Derby
- A lace-up shoe with an open lacing system: the panels carrying the eyelets sit over the vamp.
- Desert boot
- A type of ankle-height chukka boot traditionally made with a suede upper and a crepe-rubber sole.
E
- Espadrille
- A shoe with a sole made from, or edged with, braided rope such as jute, often with a canvas upper.
- Eyelet
- A small hole through which a lace or cord passes, often reinforced with a metal or stitched ring.
G
- Goodyear-welted
- A shoe construction in which a welt joins the upper to the insole assembly and is separately stitched to the outsole.
- Gusset
- An inserted piece of material that adds room, shape or flexibility to a garment or shoe.
H
- Heel
- The part of a shoe beneath the back of the foot, often raised above the level of the forefoot.
- Heel cap
- The replaceable protective piece on the bottom of a shoe's heel, also called a top lift or heel tip.
- Heel counter
- A reinforcing piece around the back of a shoe that helps the heel area hold its shape.
I
- Insole
- The inner sole of a shoe, beneath the foot.
L
- Last
- A shaped form used to build a shoe and establish its shape and fit.
- Loafer
- A slip-on shoe without laces or another fastening, usually with a low heel.
M
- Midsole
- The layer between a shoe's insole and outsole, often used for cushioning or support.
- Monk strap
- A shoe fastened by a strap and one or more buckles instead of laces.
- Mule
- A backless shoe that leaves the heel exposed.
O
- Outsole
- The bottom layer of a shoe's sole that comes into contact with the ground.
- Oxford
- A lace-up shoe with closed lacing, where the eyelet panels are attached beneath the vamp.
P
- Patent leather
- Leather finished with a hard, high-gloss coating built up in layers over its surface.
- Patina
- A surface appearance that develops through use, aging or deliberate treatment, particularly on leather or metal.
- Penny loafer
- A loafer with a strap across the vamp containing a small shaped opening.
- Plain toe
- A shoe whose toe has no separate cap or decorative perforations.
- Platform
- A shoe with a thick sole beneath the forefoot, sometimes combined with a raised heel.
- Pull tab
- A small loop or tab that helps the wearer pull on a shoe or boot.
Q
- Quarter
- The rear or side section of a shoe's upper, extending around the heel.
S
- Saddle shoe
- A lace-up shoe with a contrasting, saddle-shaped panel across the middle of its upper.
- Saddle stitch
- A hand-sewn leather seam made with one thread and a needle at each end, the two ends crossing at every stitch.
- Shank
- A reinforcing piece beneath the arch of a shoe, between the insole and outsole.
- Spectator
- A shoe made with contrasting colors or materials, commonly on the toe, vamp and heel sections.
- Stiletto
- A high, very slender heel, or a shoe with that type of heel.
- Storm welt
- A welt with a raised edge against the upper to help limit water entering the sole joint.
- Suede
- Leather finished on the flesh side, the inner face of the skin, and sanded to a soft, velvety nap.
T
- Toe box
- The part of a shoe that encloses the toes.
- Tongue
- The flap beneath a shoe's laces or other fastening, covering the top of the foot.
U
- Unlined
- Made without a separate inner lining, either throughout a shoe or in a specified part of it.
V
- Vamp
- The front section of a shoe's upper that covers the top of the foot.
W
- Wedge heel
- A heel joined continuously to the sole beneath the middle or front of a shoe.
- Welt
- A strip of material used in some shoe constructions to connect the upper and insole assembly to the outsole.
- Wholecut
- A shoe whose upper is cut principally from one piece of leather.
- Wingtip
- A shoe with a toe cap whose pointed center and curved sides form a wing-like or W-shaped outline.
