At the beginning of the period French fashions ruled throughout Europe, until the interruption of the Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.  This weakened the influence of the pure classical style and allowed the British to combine it with lavish romantic ornament. The result was that though the shape of shoes might be loosely based on Greek or Roman originals, their decoration tended to be inspired by native ideas and traditions.  A further loosening was evident in the growing tendency towards greater comfort and practicality in shoe design, with rounded toes, wedge-shaped heels and laces tied high over the instep.

By the 1840s, Victorian notions of gentility and restraint had come to affect the look of shoes no less than the rest of women’s dress.  The shapes continued as before but in more subdued colours. For a while, it was fashionable for the woman’s foot to look small and delicate beneath her dress, and for shoes consequently to be small and pinched.   At the same time, the impractical heel-less satin shoe remained popular, but boots were developed as an alternative for outdoor walking and everyday wear.

The move towards greater practicality accelerated in the twentieth century under the pressures of war and increased participation by women in the workforce.  By this time, most women were wearing mass-produced shoes, and the handmade option was retained only for bespoke customers and high fashion. However, the demand for fantasy and frivolity at the expense of comfort has continued unabated to the present day, with the reintroduction of wedge and platform heels in the 1990s, and the current revival of 1960s-style stilettos.