There’s no denying that the shoehorn is a particularly useful addition to your wardrobe. Before we go any further, though, we should answer the question of just how long they’ve been around. History of Shoehorns Sometimes, you’ll find shoehorns that have a mixture of leather and metal, usually with the leather being incorporated into the handle and often seen in folding designs. The use of two materials in one shoehorn and the folding design, in particular, can come across as a bit overly fussy. In our own testing at Fort Belvedere, we’ve found that water buffalo horn is not only the most durable choice, but also the most beautiful with every individual shoehorn being a fully unique piece and reflecting the beauty found in nature. The Luxury Shoe Horn with Long 25″ Handle from Fort Belvedere. No two horns are exactly alike; the Luxury Travel Shoe Horn from Fort Belvedere is compact in size!

Lastly, we think that there’s one material for shoehorns that stands head and shoulders above the rest, and the clue is right there in the name: horn. Being made from multiple layers of dense fibers, animal horn is naturally strong when it’s carved into the required shape for a shoehorn. Shoehorn history actually dries up somewhat at this point, but that may be because the shoehorn seems to be one of those rare gems that do the simple task it’s designed for so well that it’s simply flown under the radar for most of its recorded history. That’s why we thought it was high time to give the shoehorn a bit more love and attention. Shoehorns Today As we’ve alluded to in the materials that shoehorn are being made from, a good quality shoehorn is made with an animal horn; that is, a genuine one. LengthSo, with such a wide variety of different shoehorn types available, it should be no surprise that they’re also now made from a wide variety of materials. Plastic Although there are no particular records that credit any one person with having invented the shoehorn, it appears that they’ve been around since about the late Middle Ages. The first recorded documentation sees the device referred to as a “schoyng horne.” I think I pronounced that right. First up is the optimum length for putting your shoes on while standing up: 25 inches. From most retailers, it’s almost unheard of to find a genuine water buffalo horn shoehorn at this length, because it requires so much time and care to find one continuous piece of horn with no marks or other blemishes for the job. There are also all leather shoehorns on the market as well, and these certainly do look a bit more gentlemanly, perhaps as a complement to your Chesterfield sofa. In reality, though, the majority of these models are actually plastic shoehorns with leather glued to the outside before it’s stitched down around the edge. Still, there is a possibility for wood to weather, weaken, break, or get rough over time and with repeated use. Horn

Where these folding styles are concerned, more moving parts mean a greater chance for things to go wrong. And given Murphy’s Law, you know that things will go wrong just when you need your shoehorn to work most. Leather