Brothel creeper

A pair of "double sole" Creepers shoes

Ali Boulala Osiris Shoes Brothel Creepers trainers

Brothel creeper (sometimes shortened to creeper) is a style of shoe which has thick crepe soles, often in combination with suede uppers. This style of footwear became fashionable in the years following World War II, seeing resurgences of popularity at various times ever since.

History and origins of the name

A version of this style of shoe is said to have become popular with World War II soldiers in North Africa, who adopted suede boots with hard-wearing crepe rubber.^[1] Writing in The Observer in 1991, John Ayto put the origin of the name 'brothel creeper' to the wartime years – although he does not say whether or not similar designs existed before World War II.^[2] The Smithsonian suggests the crepe in the thick sole may have given the shoes the title creeper. It may also be associated with a Ken Mackintosh dance tune popular in 1953 and called "The Creep".^[3]

This style of thick soled shoe was first developed commercially in 1949 by George Cox Limited of Wellingborough, UK, and marketed under the "Hamilton" name, based on George Cox Jr.'s middle name.^[3] Initially they came in shades of blue, ranging from pastel shades to electric blue, and were made of suede or polished leather. Later, more extravagant patterned versions were created.^[4]

Teddy Boys

The shoes were taken up by the Teddy Boys – along with drainpipe trousers worn with exposed socks and drape jackets.^[3] The shoes were also widely worn by the Ton-Up boys of the 1950s and later on the rockers of the 60s, who wore them as an alternative shoe when not riding their motorbikes.

The stilyagi (Russian: стиляги) youth subculture in the Soviet Union of the mid 1950s adopted home-made brothel creepers as footwear, dubbing them "shoes on semolina" (ботинки на манной каше) alluding to the sponginess of the thick crepe sole.

Russian actor Maksim Matveyev wearing brothel creepers while shooting the 2008 musical Stilyagi

Punk and later revivals

The brothel creeper regained popularity in the early 1970s when Malcolm McLaren sold them from his "Let it Rock" shop in London's Kings Road. Teddy Boys were the obvious customers, but the brothel creeper still proved to be popular among regular customers^[5] when McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood changed the shop to more rocker-oriented fashion.

The shoe has since been adopted by subcultures such as indie, ska, punk, new wavers, psychobilly, greasers and goth, Japanese Visual Kei, and was worn by Bananarama and Saffron, singer of Republica.^[6]

A resurgence in popularity of grunge culture in 2011 saw popular artists such as Rita Ora, Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepsen and Miley Cyrus wearing them.^[7]

References

↑ Mcfarland, Jane (3 September 2011). "Brothel Creepers – the Shoes that are Creeping Back into Fashion". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
↑ Ayto, John (19 May 1991). "Words". The Observer. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
1 2 3 Spivack, Emily (16 May 2013). "Where d'you get those creepers". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
↑ Zolla, Lorenzo. "Creepers". vogue.it. Vogue Encyclo. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
↑ See also this site for a brief introduction to the history of the shop.
↑ As per Absolute Radio interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuBMATZDXDg
↑ The Sun 2010 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/3948296/Rihanna-wears-F-word-shoes-live-on-X-Factor.html

Footwear

Men's dress shoes	Blucher Brogues Brothel creepers Derby Monks Oxfords Slip-ons (Loafers) Spectator shoes (Co-respondent shoes) Venetian-style shoes Winklepickers Wholecuts

Women's dress shoes	Ballet flats Court shoes High-heeled footwear Mary Janes Mojari Mules Peep-toe shoes Saddle shoes Slingbacks Slip-ons (Loafers) Venetian-style shoes Winklepickers

Other shoes	Driving moccasins Flip-flops Galoshes Platform shoes Sandals Slides Slippers Veldskoens

Wooden footwear	Bakya British clogs Cantabrian albarcas Clogs Getas Klompen Namaksin Padukas Pattens Sabot Träskor

Military footwear	Ammunition boots Bunny boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Ranger boots Tanker boots Trench boots

Sport-related footwear	Athletic shoes Ballet shoes Boat shoes Climbing shoes Cross country running shoes Cycling shoes Football boots Hiking boots Ice skates Inline skates Jika-tabi Kung fu shoe Minimalist shoes Motorcycle boots Mountaineering boots Racing flats Riding boots Roller shoes Roller skates Safari boots Skate shoes Ski boots Swimfins Water shoes Wrestling shoes

Fashion boots	Chelsea boots (Beatle boots) Chukka boots Go-go boots Knee-high boots Over-the-knee boots Platform boots Thigh-high boots Ugg boots

Work boots	Australian work boots Cowboy boots Engineer boots Hip boots Rigger boots Steel-toe boots Waders

Other boots	Jodhpur boots Wellington boots

Traditional footwear	Abacas Abarkas Avarcas Balghas Bast shoes Clogs Espadrilles Galesh Giveh Haferlschuh Hnyat-phanats Huarache (shoe) Hwas Jorabs Moccasins Mojaris Mukluks Opanaks Peshawari chappals Snowshoes Valenkis Warajis Kolhapuri chappals

Historical footwear	Areni-1 shoes Buskins Caligae Chopines Crakow (Poulaine) Hessians Pampooties Sabatons

Shoe construction	Bespoke shoes Blake construction Goodyear welt

Lists	List of shoe styles

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