Probably one of the most ridiculous fashion trends of the Middle Ages, pulleins are believed to have appeared in Krakow in 1340. This is the opinion of Rebecca Shawcross, a research historian, professor at the Northampton Museum and author of a book entitled Illustrated History: Shoes.
Europe has experimented with absurdly long-nosed shoes since the beginning of the 13th century. At first it was worn by lords and, somewhat less often, by noble ladies; subsequently, anyone who could afford shoes preferred pulleins, although the aristocrats loved even longer, deliberately ridiculous shoes.
For the medieval European elite, the pulleins were primarily a symbol of high status. If a person was titled and rich, he certainly wanted to demonstrate this, even if he went to extremes. Uncomfortable long-nosed shoes were expensive and prevented from performing any kind of physical work, but testified to the luxury and idleness of the owner.
To keep their narrow socks lifted up and not twisted, shoemakers used soft organic material, such as whalebone, for padding.
Most of the pulleins that have survived to this day are made of leather, although various fabrics were also used to make them. For example, the elite sported in bullets made of velvet, silk, and embroidered fabric. These shoes were painted by hand or covered with ornate patterns.
Rebecca Shawcross says that during the Middle Ages, fashion trends did not change for a very long time and lasted for a whole century and even more, as culture spread extremely slowly through cities and countries. Until the 18th century, fashion was formed by the top of society, and then slowly seeped lower and lower, covering one class after another. It took her decades to reach rural areas.
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Finally, the English crown decided to intervene, as all of the lengthening socks of the bullets gave rise to unambiguous connotations. People thought, Shawcross says, that the longer the sock, the more courageous the wearer. Some did not like this subtext, and the parliament recognized the wearing of such shoes obscene. Adopted in 1463. the law forbade shoemakers to sew long-nosed shoes.
By 1475. the pulleins, according to Rebecca Shawcross, have disappeared. Under King Henry VIII, they were replaced by wide, square-toed shoes. By the way, soon in England a law was passed that limited, and rather rigidly, the width of such massive shoes.
Daniil Myslinsky
