Shoe buckles are fashion accessories worn by men and women from the mid-17th century through the 18th century to the 19th century. Shoe buckles were made of a variety of materials including brass, steel, silver or silver gilt, and buckles for formal wear were set with diamonds, quartz or imitation jewels. [1]
Buckled shoes began to replace tied shoes in the mid-17th century: [2] Samuel Pepys wrote in his Diary for 22 January 1660 "This day I began to put on buckles to my shoes, which I have bought yesterday of Mr. Wotton." [3] The fashion at first remained uncommon enough though that even in 1693 a writer to a newspaper complained of the new fashion of buckles replacing ribbons for fastening shoes and knee bands. [4] Separate buckles remained fashionable until they were abandoned along with high-heeled footwear and other aristocratic fashions in the years after the French Revolution, [5] although they were retained as part of ceremonial and court dress until well into the 20th century. [6] In Britain in 1791 an attempt was made by buckle manufactures to stop the change in fashion by appealing to the then Prince of Wales Prince George. [4] While the prince did start to require them for his court, this didn't stop the decline of the shoe buckle. [4] It has been suggested that the decline drove the manufacturers of steel buckles to diversify into producing a range of cut steel jewellery. [4]
Knee buckles are used to fasten the knee-high boots just below the level of the knee.