Pups Shoes Now Used by most Women. Pumps are now one of the most recognizable of women’s shoes. In most cases, they are a closed-toe shoe that covers the toes.

Pumps are now one of the most recognizable of women’s shoes. In most cases, they are a closed-toe shoe that covers the toes. The shoe uppers on the sides of pumps extend around the back of the foot to cover the sides and heel of the foot. Though we think of pumps as women’s shoes, this was not always the case.The earliest pumps were made in the 15th century for men and were called pompes. Pompes were often flat shoes, but later, some men incorporated a wide higher heel into the shoe. Soon women also began to wear varying pump styles, but we can date modern pumps to the early 20th century. Early women’s pumps were often worn by servants, who did not have time to spend on buckles or laces. Elaborately buckled and laced shoes were considered dressier for women for a number of centuries.

Now pumps are considered very dressy to casual, and incorporate a wide range of styles. They can be either heeled or flat, and heel height varies considerably. Heel height often depends upon the current style, as does the shape of the uppers covering the toe. In the past century, fashion has introduced pointy toed pumps, rounded toe pumps, and peep-toe pumps which feature a cut out of the upper over the middle tip of the shoe, allowing a peek at the toes. No matter what the style of the toe covering area, stiletto heels remain one of the traditionally fashionable ways to wear pumps.