Zappos.com - Glossary Terms
In addition to offering a wide variety of shoes, clothing, handbags, accessories, and more! We strive to provide you with the best service in the industry. We feel it is our duty to not only provide you with great service, but we would also like to provide a reference guide for you to learn more about us and our industry. We are giving you the inside scoop to our company glossary so you can learn about shoes, handbags and accessories just like us. We hope this guide is useful to you and will make you feel more confident about the features that our products provide. Enjoy!
Other Guides:
- Measurement Guide:
- A guide to how we measure our products
- Size Conversion Chart:
- A guide to find your correct size no matter the shoe's origin
- Park
- In a single lifetime you only get one pair of feet, so make sure to take care of them. Comfort, support, quality, our Park collection includes the top names in comfort footwear. Whether you are walking, working, or just on your feet, make sure you are giving them the support they deserve. View The Park Collection
- Patent Leather
- A glossy leather that has a shiny appearance. Patent leather is typically created from cattle hide.
- Patina
- A luster that develops on quality materials due to natural aging.
- Peau de soie
- A soft satin weave of silk or rayon, with a grainy and dull luster.
- Pebbled Grain
- An embossed-leather grain finish that resembles a pebble surface.
- Penny Loafer
- A slip-on style shoe with a slit over the instep where a penny traditionally was placed for good luck.
- Perforation
- A pattern of small holes punched or bored into the trim of a shoe, for the purpose of decoration or ventilation.
- Phthalate
- Phthalate is an organic compound commonly used as plasticizer for plastics to increase the softness and flexibility. It is used and found in common household items such as children’s toys, shower curtains, liquid soap, food containers and wrappers. Research has been conducted to study the effects phthalate has on carcinogenicity, environmental effects and estrogen mimicking.
- Pigskin Leather
- Leather made from the skin of pigs.
- Pinking
- Saw-tooth shaped edging applied to the trim of shoes for decoration.
- Piping
- A decorative, narrow strip of leather that typically follows the seam of a shoe.
- Pitch
- The angle of the back part of the heel where it meets the sole, compared to the front part of the heel where it meets the sole. On a high-heeled shoe the pitch should be at a larger angle, in order to stabilize the heel.
- Platform Shoe
- A style of shoe featuring a thicker sole at the front; the heel is typically high to accommodate the higher height of the sole.
- Podiatry
- A branch of the medical profession dealing with the prevention and remedy of foot diseases.
- Polyurethane (PU)
- A synthetic material frequently used as an alternative to leather in the manufacturing of footwear. PU is light, flexible and durable.
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- A semi-rigid plastic material, often used in heel counters and outsoles for added support.
- Pouch Handbag
- A general term referring to a handbag with a framed closure. May come in a variety of sizes with a variety of straps.
- Primer
- also known as foundation primer. A cream or liquid that creates an invisible barrier between your makeup and skin, helping the foundation to go on more smoothly and last longer. There are different formulations for different skin tones available.
- Pronation
- The inward rotation of the foot as it strikes the ground, causing shoes to wear on the inner line of the outsole.
- Pull-Up Leather
- A type of high-quality, stretched leather that has been treated with oils, waxes, and dyes to create a finish that is lighter in the stretched areas.
- Pump
- A low-cut women's shoe, typically moderate in heel height.
