Antique Chinese Golden Silk Embroidered Lotus Shoes

The embroidery pattern on these lotus shoes has always mystified me. There is a woman and an animal that is possibly intended to be a giraffe. I vaguely remember some bits of information. The Chinese first heard about the African giraffes from verbal and written descriptions. They were fascinated with the animal but having never actually seen one...they made drawings to represent what they imagined the animal to look like...

Obviously, these lotus shoes have been used and show signs of wear and a bit of dirt. They are intact and the embroidery is very fine.