Stylish Teacher

Glamorous Shoe Shields

The teacher of the Šeduva Jewish primary school, Ilijon Josel, dressed stylishly. In the photos, he wore beautiful suits or proudly displayed his coat. The latter met all the fashion standards of that time: it had large pockets, and pointed lapels, which further emphasized a larger-than-usual silhouette and a fur collar.

But that's not all. Look at his meticulously polished shoes. White shoe protectors were placed on them! Only Ilijon wore such in Šeduva. The protectors warmed the ankles and protected the top of the shoes from moisture and dirt. At that time, only a small part of the streets in Šeduva were paved with stones. It was common to wade through mud, so shoes quickly lost their beauty.

Ilijon could have borrowed the idea of protecting shoes from dirt from Hollywood movies. Movie stars portraying gangsters wore such protectors. They showed the shoe owner's sophistication, status, and financial position.