Clogs Over the Years

A vintage clog and a fur-lined clog.

CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

Clogs have gone through many changes over the years. Carved wooden clogs can be traced back to the 1300s in Europe and were mostly worn by peasants and the lower classes. The footwear was traditionally made out of a singular block of wood and made by craftsmen known as bodgers. By the 14th century, clogs became a stylish choice, adopted and upgraded by the upper classes. Clogs of the 21st century mix traditional silhouettes with modernized materials embellished with buckle and horsebit detailing. The shoe style now comes in a variety of inventive prints and colorways. Designer brands like Viktor & Rolf, Chanel, Anna Sui, Maison Margiela and Balenciaga have come to include the footwear style in their runway shows, remixing the historic silhouette in unique ways.

Clogs Over the Years

Pottery Peddler, 1738. Artist Caylus, Anne-Claude-Philippe de.

Photo : Sepia Times/Universal Images Gro

Clogs Over the Years

Paul Gauguin, (artist), French, 1848 – 1903, Pair of Wooden Shoes (Sabots), 1889/1890, polychromed oak, leather, and iron nails, overall: 12.8 x 32.7 x 11.2 cm (5 1/16 x 12 7/8 x 4 7/16 in.)

Photo : Courtesy Everett Collection

Clogs Over the Years

Belgian women coal miners dressed in trousers. They wear workers’ clogs and headscarves, and tight belts that emphasize their waists. Between 1900-1920.

Photo : Print Collector via Getty Images

Clogs Over the Years

British sailors wearing Dutch clogs, First World War, 1914-1918, (1933). ‘Some 2,000 of the sailors who were sent over by Mr. Churchill to aid in the defence of Antwerp were cut off and only saved their liberty and their lives by crossing the frontier to Holland, where they were interned.

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Clogs Over the Years

Clogs as bathing shoes 1936.

Photo : Courtesy Everett Collection

Clogs Over the Years

The Netherlands circa 1950, wooden shoes in front of a doorway. Clogs in front of aan entrance to a house.

Photo : Mondadori via Getty Images

Clogs Over the Years

Jessica Szohr shooting “Gossip Girl” episode “Belles de Jour”, season 4, ep. 401, aired Sept. 13, 2010. taken in 2007. Many characters, including Vanessa, wore clogs during the filming of the hit show.

Photo : AFP via Getty Images

Clogs Over the Years

A model presents an outfit by German designer Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel as British singer Lily Allen performs during a ready-to-wear spring 2010 fashion show on Oct. 6, 2009 in Paris.

Photo : Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Clogs Over the Years

A model walks the runway during the Balenciaga ready-to-wear spring 2018 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 1, 2017 in Paris.

Photo : Getty Images NYFW: The Shows

Clogs Over the Years

Tina Haase is seen wearing beige creme white dress Iris & Ink, black bag Jacquemus, sunglasses Joseph, Clogs Scholl on June 10, 2021 in Berlin.

Photo : Getty Images