Footwear accessories

thumb|A hand-knitting|knitted sock thumb|Argyle (pattern)|Argyle socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. Machine-knit socks were first produced in the late 16th century. Until the 1800s, both hand-made and machine-knit socks were manufactured, with the latter technique becoming more common in the 19th century, and continuing until the modern day.

thumb|upright=1.35|Black shoelace Shoelaces, also called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots, and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known as aglets. Each shoelace typically passes through a series of holes, eyelets, loops or hooks on either side of the shoe. Loosening the lacing allows the shoe to open wide enough for the foot to be inserted or removed. Tightening the lacing and tying off the ends secures the foot firmly within

thumb|A metal shoehorn thumb|A shoehorn used to don a pair of loafers thumb|A heavy duty long stainless steel shoehorn used to don safety footwear A shoehorn or shoe horn (sometimes called a shoespooner, shoe spoon, shoe schlipp, or shoe tongue) is a tool with a short handle that flares into a longer spoon-like head meant to be held against the inside back of a snug-fitting shoe so that a person can slide their heel easily along the shoe's basin to its inner sole.

thumb|320x320px|Pair of steel spurs from the Auckland War Memorial Museum Collection

product for leather care

thumb|right|Slip-on galoshes thumb|Russian-style galoshes with valenki Galoshes are a type of overshoe or rubber boot that is put on over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet during inclement weather. They come in both low cut and high, and in both slip-on and buckle-front versions.

thumb|right|An anklet on female feet 150px|thumb|right|A toe ring with attached anklet An anklet, also called ankle chain, ankle bracelet or ankle string, is an ornament worn around the ankle. Barefoot anklets and toe rings historically have been worn for at least over 8,000 years by girls and women in Indus Valley, in Indian subcontinent where it is commonly known as pattilu, payal, golusu and sometimes as nupur. They have also been worn by Egyptian women since predynastic times. In the United States both casual and more formal anklets became fashionable from the 1930s to the late–20th centur

thumb|200px|Three different types of aglets: double-punched copper, plastic sheath, and inward fold brass

traction device for ice-climbing

thumb|Hiking gaiters

removable sole or form-fitted foot support inside shoes

short gaiters worn over the instep and usually fastened under the foot with a strap

device approximating the shape of a foot that is placed inside a shoe to preserve its shape

protruding part or screwed tip placed under the sole of a shoe to prevent slipping and aid traction

protective overshoe with a wooden or wood and metal sole, held in place by leather or cloth bands

footwear accessory for increased traction in ice and snow