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.'

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heeling power

stilettos give the optical illusion of a longer, slimmer leg, a smaller foot and a greater overall height. they also alter the wearer's posture and gait, flexing the calf muscles and making the bust and buttocks more prominent. 

to die for or will die in?

a stiletto heel is a long, thin, high heel found on some boots and shoes, usually for women. it is named after the stiletto dagger, the phrase being first recorded in the early 1930s. stiletto heels may vary in length from 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) to 25 cm (10 inches) or more if a platform sole is used and are sometimes defined as having a diameter at the ground of less than 1 cm (slightly less than half an inch). stiletto-style heels 5 cm or shorter are called kitten heels. not all high slim heels merit the description stiletto. 

Alexander McQueen

the extremely slender original italian-style stiletto heels of the late 1950s and very early 1960s were no more than 5mm in diameter for much of their length, although the heel sometimes flared out a little at the top-piece (tip). after their demise in the mid-late 1960s, such slender heels were difficult to find until recently due to changes in the way heels were mass-produced. a real stiletto heel has a stem of solid steel or alloy. the more usual method of mass-producing high shoe heels, i.e. moulded plastic with an internal metal tube for reinforcement, does not achieve the true stiletto shape.

Victoria Beckham in Marc Jacobs

Kate Middleton

for some women, high heels are hard to resist. as a matter of fact, heels finish off every female's stylish outfit. it increases self esteem. but appearances aside, wearing high heels on a daily basis can cause serious long-term damage to the body, especially the legs and feet. though women look lovely in heels, they have to suffer form many of its side effects.

disadvantages of wearing high heels:

high-heeled dangers

a) most of the women suffer from foot pain after walking with high heels. because of high heels the entire pressure of body is concentrated on the feet. the entire weight of the body will be directed onto the ball of your foot, this can be especially dangerous for those who are over weight causing the ball of the foot to experience additional pressure.

b) high heels can significantly affect your natural posture and your spine. it has also been found that wearing high heels can put the spine out of its natural alignment and also the spinal nerves can become pinched and pain, tingling and numbness can occur.

c) one can easily get ankle injuries, hammertoe or bunions if not wearing a comfortable shoe, even end up with a twisted ankle if the straps don't fit properly, holding our ankle in the right place.

sigh, the things that one goes through in the name of beauty.

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happy feet

nope, i'm not talking about dancing penguins this afternoon. instead, since the focus of the earlier post was on shoes for animals, more specifically dogs, this post will continue looking at shoes but for the humans. this time round, we will be looking at animal shoes! this is going to be one of those image-intensive posts. you have been warned!

for the ladies...

shoes by Iris Schieferstein

heels from Dior

dog shoe by Kobi Levi

now onto the gentlemen...

Volta Men's animal print boot

image from followpics

add style and height!

last but not least for the courageous!

taken from designswan

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five styles of stampede

a shoe is a shoe which is a shoe that is a shoe. one of my guilty pleasures, you can check out a portion of my collection here. if the salesperson tells me that a pair of shoes was a new arrival and was a designer's work, there is a pretty high chance of making that sale. the only thing i can be thankful for is that i am not born a girl, but if i was, my shoe storage will need to be massive. 

there is an extensive list of shoes and i have to hold myself back from sharing each one with you. hence, here are the five types of shoes that one ought to know... (yes, they are arranged in terms of comfort level...)

1) slip-ons

Kayne West and his custom loafers

slip-ons are typically low, laces-less. the style most commonly seen will be a loafer. loafers are comfortable shoes and can be worn 'fashionably' by both men and women, with jeans, short, pants and dresses. very comfortable and do not harm the feet.

2) ballet flats

Kate Moss sporting black ballet flats

ballet flats or dolly shoes are derived from a woman's soft ballet slipper, with a very thin heel or the appearance of no heel at all. the essence of the ballet flat has existed since at least the 16th century, in which men wore a similar shoe, then known as pompes.

3) court shoes

regular black ladies court shoes

pumps in america, court shoes in british english. both refer to shoes with a low-cut front and usually without a fastening. they are usually worn by women but are still traditional menswear in some formal situations when they are call opera slippers or patent pumps.

4) oxford shoe

Sienna Miller, Rihanna, Taylor Swift in Oxford shoes

it is a style of laced shoe characterised by shoelace eyelet tabs that are stitched underneath the vamp, a construction method that is also sometimes referred to as closed lacing. oxfords are traditionally constructed of leather and were historically plain, formal shoes but are now available in a range of styles and materials that complement both casual and formal forms of dress.

5) high-heeled footwear

Stuart Weitzman's Rita Hayworth heels

high-heeled footwear, high heels or simply heels are footwear that raises the heel of the wearer's significantly higher than the toes. when the heel and toes are raised in equal amount, as in a platform shoe, it is technically not considered to be a high heel.heels can come is different shapes including stiletto, block, tapered, blade and wedge. finally a low heel is considered less than 2.5 inches, while heels between 2.5 and 3.5 inches are considered mid heels. anything above that will be a high heel.

now you know! the next time you want to walk all over someone, do remember to stampede in style. 

fash'on... BAM!