Poulaines were a style of shoes with extremely long toes very popular in the 15th century. They were worn by men and women, but men's were sometimes extravagantly long and often considered dangerously phallic by authorities. Sometimes the point of the shoe would need support from a string tied to the leg (just below the knee) to stop the point getting in the way when they were walking. Another name for poulaines is crackowes. A related item were sabatons which were pointed plate armor covering a knight's foot.