Today, there are different styles of pointy shoes for men and women. The pointiness of modern shoes, however, is no match for the crakows that gained popularity in Europe in the 14th century. The name crakow came from the city of Kraków, Poland, where the shoe style originally came from. Crakows were also called by some as poulaines, and the elongated portion was usually filled with stuffing materials, such as moss or wool, to retain its shape, as noted by the MET Museum. Men and women both wore this type of footwear, but the shoes for the males typically had longer tips that measured anywhere from a few inches up to 20 inches.
According to Atlas Obscura, crakows were more of a status symbol than a fad. More materials were used to create the shoes, which made them more expensive. Additionally, the impracticality of the design prevented wearers to engage in physical labor, which meant that they lived in luxury and could afford to not work and lounge around with their fancy footwear. Most crakows were made of leather, and some were embellished with gaudy adornments. As the popularity of the crakows grew, those in the lower class found ways to recreate the style using cheaper materials, much to the dismay of the nobles.
In 1368, King Charles V of France banned the use of crakow shoes because the pointed tips made it difficult for wearers to kneel down while praying (via Shoe IQ). England followed suit in 1463 when King Edward IV passed a law that made it illegal to wear crakow shoes that had tips longer than 2 inches.
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