Mule (a French word) is a style of shoe that is backless and often closed-toed. They can be any heel height from flat to high. The style is predominantly worn by women, but not exclusively.
The term derives from the Ancient Roman mulleus calceus a red or purple shoe worn by the three highest magistrates[1], although there is little indication of any structural resemblance.
High-heeled mules were a popular indoor shoe style of the 18th century, influenced by the patten, a backless overshoe of the 16th century. By the early twentieth century, mules were often associated with prostitutes[2].
In the early 1950s, Marilyn Monroe popularized the shoe,[1] and helped to break its poor reputation.
Mules experienced some popularity in the 1950s and early '60s, and were seen in 1970s almost exclusively in the form of open-back Scandinavian clogs, but then re-emerged in the early 1990s, especially in its open-toed form (the "slide"), and began to dominate the shoe market for women.
Gallery
 18th century mules |
 Red mules (front) |
 A pair of green mules |
 Woman's loafer style mules with a flat heel |
 Woman's Maryjane style mules with a wedge heel |
 Various styles of mules in a shop window |
References
- ^ a b Games, Alex (2007), Balderdash & piffle : one sandwich short of a dog's dinner, London: BBC, ISBN 9781846072352
- ^ Richardson, Edited by Catherine (2004), Clothing culture, 1350-1650, Burlington: Ashgate, ISBN 9780754638421, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=64sDijuQIvUC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=mule+shoes+prostitute&source=bl&ots=EoZHKAoTuX&sig=0UaJJbUm4nnMOncNmNxA42EExPw&hl=en&ei=EMzASZ31HpDRjAeLzu0z&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPA103,M1
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