vintage shoes

collecting vintage has become an international pastime, but while sales of retro clothing are booming as never before, shoes have been largely overlooked. however in recent years, footwear designers have brought out collections inspired by masters of the past and fashion icons such as kate moss have been photographed in vintage footwear, sparking frenzied interest in the originals.

Carrie Bradshaw and her shoes

in the early 2000s, miu miu produced a collection paying homage to terry de havilland's seventies' platforms, leading to a resurrection of the shoe designer's career. now, de havilland's gorgeous pop-art python-skin heels regularly sell for high prices at auction. original vintage shoes by top designers such as roger vivier, beth levine and andre perugia are also becoming sought-after, hunted down by collectors from london to los angeles.

Cate Blanchett wearing Roger Viver

cate blanchett caused a stir when she was photographed at the helpmann awards in australia wearing a fabulous pair of vintage limited-edition roger vivier stilettos, studded with swarovski crystals. yet vintage shoes are in general still cheap compared with other items of clothing: you can pick up a pair of chanel shoes for a fraction of the price of a blouse or a belt.

here are some of those vintage shoes:

1) salvatore ferragamo stilettos

Salvatore Ferragamo

famed for the quality of his craftsmanship, as well as for the extravagance of his designs, salvatore ferragamo imbued stilettos with his own brand of italian glamour. from 1956, stilettos became much higher after the italians started to strengthen plastic heels by running an aluminium spigot down the shaft. his heels became synonymous with the sex appeal of la dolce vita for a whole generation of hollywood stars such as marilyn monroe, who owned 40 pairs.

perhaps the most famous pair of ferragamos were the scarlet satin rhinestone-studded stilettos that became renowned after their starring role in the 1953 film 'gentlemen prefer blondes'.

2) roger vivier pilgrim pump

Roger Vivier pumps

this shoe captured the freedom of the early sixties. flat and square-toed, it was designed by roger vivier to be worn with short skirts. in 1965, vivier designed a striking series of pilgrim pumps, as they were called, to complement a collection of yves saint laurent's mondrian-inspired mini-dresses. the shoe was so flattering, comfortable and easy to wear that everyone wanted at least one pair.

shoe designer christian louboutin says: 'vivier's shoes spoke by themselves. he understood that a shoe has a bone structure and that has to be perfect. he covers his shoes with beautiful embroidery and embellishment but underneath it all is a perfect plain pump with perfect proportions - pure perfection.'

the pilgrim pump went on to be the most imitated shoe shape of the decade and its simple silhouette was used as a blank canvas onto which many designers projected their own fantasies.

3) terry de havilland wedges

Liz and Terry de Havilland

the most fantastic seventies platforms were wrought by the hands of terry de havilland. originally born terry higgins, he came from a shoe-making family in the east end of london. he once said: 'i'd be surprised if i'd got into this business if my dad hadn't been in it. i grew up watching shoes being made.'

 

he opened his first shop on the king's road in 1972, irreverently named cobblers to the world. now, sienna miller and kate moss wear his gold and red python skin bene and margaux wedges. the late amy winehouse also performed in his pop-art painted mules. all are modern versions of his original designs.

4) manolo blahnik cone heels

Manolo Blahnik heels

the cone heel was perfect for the power-dressed woman, combining height with comfort in a way the stiletto did not. invented by designer maud frizon, the cone heel was for the woman who wanted to show she was glamorous, but would not stand for being messed around - glamour with a hard edge. as such it summed up the mood of the decade, with its materialist ambitions and business mantras. blahnik captured the imagination of the era - most of his styles sold out as soon as they were launched.

he had many high-profile fans including jerry hall, who accessorised her dramatic antony price gowns with blahnik's black suede heels and wore his flat gold leather thongs while sunning herself on mustique. blahnik cemented his status when fashion fanatic carrie bradshaw was mugged and famously pleaded: 'please, sir. you can take my fendi baguette, you can take my ring and watch, but don't take my manolo blahniks.'

fash'on... BAM!