Women's Pump Shoes

All About Women’s Pumps!

Everything You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know About Pumps: Platforms, Wedges, and Black Pumps

In every woman’s closet are two essential items: the infamous little black dress and, of course, a pair of versatile black pumps. Pumps are those classy shoes that can be worn on any occasion, from a typical day at the office to the family Christmas party, and have been popular for women in their modern form since the 1940′s.

Women’s pumps can best be defined as shoes without buckles or laces that most often cover both the toe and the heel and normally incorporate a stiletto heel which can range in size. Pumps are commonly known as uncomfortable shoes which pinch your toes and make your calves ache. But with pain comes gain, and pumps also lengthen and shape up your legs, backside, and torso!

The Birth and Growth of the Pump

Actually, pumps were invented in the 1400′s and called “pompes.” They were flat shoes worn originally by men, but eventually, female servants began to wear them. “Pompes” were known as shoes of the lower-class, because, without buckles and laces, the plain shoes were considered cheap.

Today, pumps for women are considered simple, classy, and versatile shoes. Pumps are appropriate office-wear and command the respect of co-workers, giving women height and an authoritarian, self-confident aura. Pumps also double as trendy heels that can decorate and add personality to our simpler outfits.

Keeping it Classy with Name-Brand Pumps

The most popular name brands offer luxurious pumps in both classic and more modern styles. Shoes by these designers could never be mistaken for shoes of the lower class like the original “pompes!” Take, for example, Kate Spade’s “Licorice” black pumps. With a four inch heel, these classic beauties are made of cool black suede and offer a softly pointed toe. These women’s pumps offer a timeless look that make any woman, even the most frazzled, look chic and put together.

Cutting-Edge Comfort

Though pumps offer class, they are not known for comfort. In order to relieve some of the pressure placed upon the foot by the high and often pointy-toed pump, try Christian Louboutin’s “L’evidence” wedge pumps. Wedge pumps are a more modern version of the classic women’s pump that increases the ease of balancing and walking. Made of patent leather and with a heel just shy of two inches, the “L’evidence” wedge pump in green maintains the classic elegance of the original 1940′s pump in shape and with a pointed toe, but adds a modern twist with the relieving wedge.

New Sleek and Sophisticated Styles

If you’re looking for a simple mixture of old and new, check out Maria Sharapova by Cole Haan’s Air Renfrow OT Sling. The shape and style of this shoe is reminiscent of the classic black pump, complete with the glossy black patent leather. But this platform pump is modern within itself because it offers a peep-toe as well as a slingback, two qualities not seen often in the pump style. With over four inches of heel and one inch of a raised front platform, this unique black pump offers sophistication and elegance with a touch of modernization.

The Pump: Withstanding the Test of Time

The pump has been through a lot in its six hundred years of life. Starting out as a shoe for men, the pump then became a trend for female servants and the impoverished, before transforming into the elegant and classic shoe that we females know it to be today. As time passes, the style of pumps can change, for example, with the introduction of wedge pumps, platform pumps, and slingback pumps with peep-toes. But it is obvious that the versatile black pump, much like the little black dress, will be a staple in women’s closets for years to come.

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