In the first half of the nineteenth centuries the influence of military spirit on all aspects of everyday life and a fashion, in particular, was very strong. It was the time of Napoleonic, Crimean and Franco-Prussian wars. The officers were the center of social life and a secular society. Boots, which half a century before were exclusively a prerogative of the military or only used for riding, again appeared in the center of public attention. They remained the basic man's footwear for the most part of the nineteenth century: the military and the civil, regardless of social status, were wearing the boots.

The beginning of the twentieth century has not brought anything new into the footwear design. Ladies continued to wear long skirts therefore it was seldom possible to have the pleasure to see their shoes. The most popular models of the previous century remained in a fashion until beginning of the First World War.

The shoe design of the 20s was not the result of the gradual development in fashion. It was a total disruption of the former tradition, which has expressed itself in the riot of colors, textures and an abundance of decorative components. Vogue writes about footwear in 1921: " there is a certain tendency - to depart from the colors that would simply match clothes and to place a tone intentionally contrasting". The hem of a skirt has rapidly risen up to the knees - and even higher in the second half of the 20s, partly reflecting playful mood of the turbulent decade. The footwear now appeared in the center of attention.

After the crash at the New York stock exchange Great Depression swept over the world, resulting in unemployment and lack of money. Frivolity and luxury in clothes and footwear have given way severe practicality. However the reason was not only dire straits, but also a certain tribute of the present: cubism, art deco preferred geometrical lines, and design decisions of influential architects have pushed the idea of functionality to the foreground.

The fashion of the forties was under the influence of war, but has not disappeared absolutely as it might have been expected. Fashion magazines have not stopped the activity. They strongly recommended to women to look after themselves as well-groomed appearance helped to increase fighting spirit. This problem was not an easy one. In Europe and in the United States strict restrictions on use of materials and styles were imposed with the beginning of war, thus allowing to redirect the light industry and resources on for the needs of the military.

Influence of the New Look style has continued into the 1950s, although Dior himself was already bored with it, and he promoted a new silhouette every half-year. Style continued its existence irrespective of the founder. A sandglass silhouette, characteristic for this trend, was manifesting itself everywhere, starting with architecture, interior design and finishing with household goods.

The idyll of the fifties has ended. The young wanted to change the world and have risen against values of a bourgeois society of the parents. The conflict of "fathers and children", which never till now in history was beyond interpersonal attitudes, has undermined the traditional social device of a society. Young stirrer-up of trouble started to make a strong impact on cultural and economic life in the different countries and even aspired to influence politics.

The 70s were the time of postmodernism and eclecticism. Everything was mixed and everything was tried – the main goal was self-expression. Retro-kitsch, disco, glamour rock, and ecological consciousness – anything would go under the motto "The best taste is bad taste!" - the more shocking and ridiculous, the better. However, this decade brought a real revolution into the world of fashion. Freedom of self-expression, boldness on and behind an edge of taste, rigid provocation and childish admiration for the ridiculous and ugly – this was the force freeing the creative powers of the seventieth.