Just the Right Vintage Shoes

1970's Shoes

Hello Cape Girardeau, Missouri and beyond,

Shoes give us an attitude for the day, can create emotional memories, and give us just the right vintage look. It does not have to be true to the era, just true to the look, or, just because you like them.

Women love shoes. I was surprised to read Danielle Steel currently has the largest know shoe collection in America and it includes 6,000 pairs of Louboutins! At the very least, that's over four million dollars. By the Middle Ages, shoes were firmly established as a fashion item and were available in many styles and fabrics.

Who invented the heeled shoe? Desiring to look her groom in the eye on their wedding day, Catherine de Medici is credited with commissioning a Florentine artisan to make her a special pair of shoes, a padded four inch heel, the first of it's kind, and a precursor to the modern day heel.

To date a vintage shoe, you must look at the construction, the material, and research the label. A synthetic sole or simulated wooden heel indicates that the shoe is from the '60s or later.

Is any shoe style new? Like the Jazz Age, the Age of Aquarius was youth dominated and styles were drastic for their time. The '60s brought back granny boots and ankle-strap platforms. The '70s brought back baroque pumps and pilgrim shoes with buckled vamps. At the turn of the 20th century, women's shoes were conservative low-heeled pumps and lace-up boots.

In the '20s, there were also higher heels, but they were not the most stylish of their time in America unless you were at the Opera or the lavish wealthy assemblage and the popular catalogs of the day did not offer them for sale. The magazines did show them and I'm sure the shoe departments in larger cities offered them for sale. They were of course, French designed. The block heels were the most popular style or lace up boots. They had leather or suede soles and a slightly pointed toe. The below the ankle straps were very popular. In 1927-1928, most heels were higher. Just add a pair of shoe clips to add opulence to your shoes.

The early '30s had leather soles and blunt toes, and in the mid-'30s we started seeing more decoration on the shoes and even silk and brocade shoes became more popular. In the late '30s, we stated seeing ankle straps and even some wedge heels.

Ah, the '40s. I love those round toed practical shoes and beautiful too. The wedge shoe was a classic in the '40s. A satin-heeled shoe was evening finery. The platform, wedge, and ankle strap will forever be associated with the era.

The '50s were higher heels, pointed toes, cutout toes, sandal high heels, and a variety of colors. And, oh so pointed toes in the late '50s. In 1954 was the introduction of the still popular stiletto heel.

Is any shoe style new? Like the Jazz Age, the Age of Aquarius late '60s and '70s was youth dominated and styles were drastic for their time. The '60s brought back granny boots and ankle-strap platforms and the '60s was a mish-mash of shoe styles and colors but with lower heels and block heels and bring on the go-go boots.

We really stepped to the wild side in the '70s. The '70s brought back baroque pumps and pilgrim shoes with buckled vamps like the turn of the turn of the 20th century; women's shoes then were conservative low-heeled pumps and lace-up boots. You have to love all these ugly, and at the same time great shoes of the '70s. Oh, those revival platform with medium to high heels for women and men and the multiple colors on a pair of shoes and the colors in general were vibrant. What a fun style decade!

These are only the basics for shoes and there are exceptions in almost every decade for all fashion and accessories. And decade styles carry over to the next decade. Usually, fashion repeats itself with minor changes or no changes except material and structure of the item.

Find your own Cinderella glass slipper or Dorothy's ruby-red slippers with a vintage shoe for your own style or mood.

Join us for vintage fun at Unique Chic workshop Thursdays, March 6th -- 27th from 6 -- 8 P.M. Use the magic word VINTAGE as your promotion code when registering for a $5 discount. You may register in person, by phone, or online at Southeast University Continuing Education.

Have fun. Be classic, be you, wear vintage.