1930s/1940s SHOES! for the ladies

[fernande]

So I've been reading various threads in other areas of Fedora Lounge with things like "vintage-y" shoes " in search of comfortable shoes" -ect
I wanted to say something, but I know that people selling things are barred from posting in those forums- so I wanted to introduce myself here.

I posted once in a different thread (under "what do you do for a living?")
that I'm current designing my own line of vintage reproduction shoes (though I *HATE* to say hat because they are so artful and beautiful- and I put 3 years of my life into the development- they are much more than "repros"- ) my line is still currently in development. so I'm not exactly a "merchant" at the moment-

Anyways- As I've been designing- I have a *bunch* of samples- actually tons- sizes 7-8 and some in 9 and 10- and I'm selling them for a fraction of what they will cost in stores this fall (or at places like the Viva Las Vegas convention)

My shoes are made of Italian Leather in the finest materials. They are produced by a small artisan factory and I drove them nuts with my strict requirements to really envoke the look of vintage shoes- Even the tones of suede, kidskin, ect were custom dyed to match vintage garments I had- to perfectly match a shade-
I'm sure you ladies know how hard it is to match "1940s grass green" perhaps I was a little too anal- ha.

The big splashy debut and web page, photo shoot, ect, will come in the fall/spring, and you'll probably see my shoes in several Vintage Retailers -but I'd just give you a little teaser-and since I love Fedora Lounge and have read it for ages- wanted to personally introduce myself.

Here is a shot of my late 1930's bootie-
and a 1940s inspired fishnet mesh round top ankle strap heel.


The 1940s "Betty Grable" platforms have taken me the longest, and they are quite spectacular. I'm also doing great wedgies and some flats ala' Lucille Ball style.
I'd love to hear from the ladies of Fedora Lounge on what kinds of shoes, they fantasize about, but have not be able to find- vintage or vintage inspired-

Anyways, if any gals are interested in a sample. just let me know.
Bartenders, feel free to move this- I wasn't sure where it should go.

I am also in process of listing several great 30s/40s/50s shoes on Ebay, that I collected while working on this project- some for fractions of what I paid for them- some really hard to find- I'm just trying to lighten my load, as my office, design studio and storage area are exploding.

http://stores.ebay.com/Miss-Fernande

 

[fernande]

OH! by all means, please private message me if interested or want to see more photos, prices- ect
thanks

 

[Vintage Betty]

Vintage Shoe Wants

I've collected vintage for 25 years and have almost no shoes. For the pairs I've found, I've enventually ended up getting rid of most of them.

I suffered some ankle injuries a few years ago, and am now forced to only wear shoes which can fully encase my foot. Under no circumstances can I wear strappy shoes or thong-type shoes. I also have a high arch, so I am looking for shoes which are open in the center - no elastic over the arch of the foot. In addition, I like the thick heels so my ankles have support. I wear medium to low heels.

In general, it seems difficult, but I am actually describing the standard 1930's-1940's shoes for fall/winter with no straps.

Due to the increasing width of American feet, I would also like to see material which breathes or is somewhat stretchy - leather or some type of elastic material encasing the foot.

I hope this helps.

Vintage Betty

 

[Classydame]

I have a wide foot at the toes but a very narrow heel. It is very hard for me to find a shoe that doesn't slip off my heel and not squeeze my toes to death. So lately I have been trying to find shoes that have an ankle strap to hold my foot in without my toes getting squished. And I do like the shape of the heels from the 20's through the 40's. They are elegant yet help keep you stable. And also I think today's peeptoe shoes have a too large of opening, they should be smaller, so you can only see a "peep" of a toe.

Anyway just my preferences. Take what you can from it, if not, that's ok too.

Shellie

PS. Good luck on your endeavor. It is a great and very much needed project!:eusa_clap

By the way, I love your red suede peeptoes with bow. They are very lovely.

 

[fernande]

Thanks for the input gals. I think one of the main things with mainstream shoes- even higher end ones are very poorly made. This is just a sign of the times, unfortunately- Back in the day. People couldn't afford to buy new shoes every couple months so footwear was finely made to intice a "splurge" and of course, as they say "they don't make em like they used to"


I guess from a young age I had expensive taste, but I was always crafty and finding things on sale- at thrift stores, ect. If you find yourself a well made italian shoe, you can see that they fit differently. 90 percent of moden footwear is cut strangely and not that well- to try to fit the most people as possible (to increase profit margins of course)
I buy the finest leather I can, and often this leather- like kidskin- (very hard to find these days, but it was pretty standard in 30s/40s shoes) and sometimes I buy it slightly narrow or small- and let it stretch and mold to my feet, might be kind of uncomfortable for a few days- but they mold and stretch-
I believe its better to have a pair 3 pairs of really really nice shoes, than ten pairs of ill fitting ones.

Classy Dame, I have a shoe I'm currently working on that has a slight opening in the arch area, yet supports the ankle- it is a wedgie style from the early 40s. I also have a shoe coming out that I wear almost every day, that is rock solid 1930s dance shoe. I shattered my ankle in 2000 and have had 3 surgeries, and I wear this all the time, everywhere. very comfortable.

Vintage Betty-
The peep toes I did were replicated from the peep toe openings in the 30s/40s. they were replicated exactly- and trimmed in grosgrain ribbon like they did "back in the day"

I tend to like really towering high platforms or "baby doll" Bettie Page style shoes- I have to say that the 40s styles are not that terrible to walk in-because they usually have Cuban heels are much more comfortable than any stiletto spike.
but I realize not everyone is into the way those shoes feel after a couple hours!!!
my famous response when people gasp at my array of wild footwear choice- in NYC where everyone walks- "get a driver, or have your husband carry you- or just sit there and look pretty"
ha ha.

As for prices- The shoes will be a little bit more than Remix shoes- I do not think many will object, as I am using very high end materials.
I'm very very anxious to launch! I'm meeting with a vintage pinup model to discuss a "shoe centric" photo shoot, so I can at least get them going online, I'm a one woman show- so I appreciate that support.
it means a lot.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I'm coming into this thread late but WOW, what amazing shoes Miss Fernande! I am absolutely stunned. Having larger feet (US10, but occasionally 11 depending on the make, always a UK8 though) I own precisely 0 pairs of actual vintage shoes. Yours are exactly the kind I have always dreamed of owning. I also have a holy grail of vintage footwear that I am constantly searching for, much like others here have - the 1940s style winter boot. I'll send you a PM with the details, but if you think it is something you could make, I'd be an absolutely guaranteed customer.

 

[KittyT]

I too have wide feet with narrow heels. I have to use heel grips in almost all of my shoes! The width of my feet is the primary limiting factor when it comes to buying vintage shoes, since everything is so narrow. The other problem for me is that I have a high instep and shoes often cut into the top of my foot, especially the ones that are cut high like the first ones you've pictured.

The other is cost. I love cute repro/retro shoes but am just not interested in spending $150 on a pair of shoes when I can settle for ones at Payless or Target for much less. Sure, they don't look as awesome, but the cost is just that much of a deciding factor for me. For that price, I can buy 3 or 4 dresses and as long as I have simple repro shoes that look OK with them, it's enough for me. Am I interested in buying an expensive pair of a special color of shoe that I can maybe wear with one dress, or 2 if I'm lucky? Not really. My pockets just aren't that deep and I think most people DO object to spending so much on a pair of shoes!

 

[BeBopBaby]

Personally, a shoe has to be practical and comfortable for me to pay a lot of money for it. I refuse to pay $100+ on a pair of shoes that I'll only wear occassionaly.

My personal peeve is that I also have a wide foot, but a narrow heel. By the time I get a shoe big enough for the ball of my foot, the heel always flops up and down when I walk.

I also have very high arches and none of the repro shoes seem to have any sort of arch support in them (except for a few pairs of the remix shoes that have raised arch cookies). Wearing shoes with flat insoles in them makes my feet hurt so badly that I won't purchase shoes like this anymore.

Also, it seems the majority of retro-inspired/repro shoes that I see have fairly high heels. I can't wear modern high heels anymore - but the lower to mid heel height of vintage shoes are very comfortable. It's very hard to find retro/repro shoes in lower heel height.

Finally, I wish someone would make a wedge-heeled shoe with a closed heel that wasn't a sandal so that you could wear it year round. Once again, if I'm going to pay big bucks for a pair of shoes, I want to be able to get the most wear that I can from them. I once saw a pair of 40s vintage shoes very similar to the shoe w/bows picture that you posted, except they had a wedge sole. These seemed to be the perfect wear anywhere or wear with anything shoes. I've been searching for a similar pair ever since.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I wish someone would make a wedge-heeled shoe with a closed heel that wasn't a sandal so that you could wear it year round. Once again, if I'm going to pay big bucks for a pair of shoes, I want to be able to get the most wear that I can from them.

ME TOO! I am reckless enough to wear peeptoes in mid-winter, but not in the rain, which here is all-too common. In fact not even just wedges, generally closed toe vintage shoes. Remix have that one high heeled pump, but I find that one a touch too high for me to wear on an everyday basis.

 

[Miss Sis]

Excellent shoes, Fernande! Good for you on this one.

My thing would be good repro silver and gold evening shoes in a really nice 30s style.

I have bought I don't know how many pairs and still the silver ones I have are a bit narrow and my gold ones are so well loved I'm worried they will fall apart before long!

Also I agree that arch supports are a really good thing. You don't get them in modern shoes but I find them very comfortable in vintage shoes that fit me well. I don't have wide/narrow feet - just average width but I do have quite high arches.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I'd love a PM on any size 9-10 samples as well. I've been able to find next to nothing in a price I'm willing to pay as far as vintage shoes go so it's repro all the way for me. I love shoes in colors (I can't tell you how many pairs of black shoes I've got), and matching to that 1940s green or navy would be great.

Good luck in this endeavor, the shoes look fabulous in the photos!

 

[Brooksie]

These shoes are really beautiful. I would love to find beautiful well made and comfortable golden era shoes. Payless shoe source unfortunatly is not an option for me...I can not wear shoes made of manmade materials because they cause foot pain and foot and leg fatigue. Most all shoes cause me to have pain but those ones are the worst! My feet are thrashed from working the past year and a half in a restarant, running around on cement working anywhere between a 8 to 12 hour shift. I now have extreme foot pain across the foot (right where the knuckle of the big toes are)... it feels like the skin and the bone is burning. I have a very high arch and I used to wear very narrow shoes like A's and tripple A's sometimes even, but I can no longer wear them because they cause way to much pain and the Medium widths cause pleanty of pain as it is. I think my arch must have broken down some from being on my feet all day. I can't wear a wide shoe (my foot just slides around and slips out) at all because otherwise I have a very narrow boney foot... it is still very boney at the toe knuckle point, I guess it just sticks out more now than before. Argggg I hate feet! So if you are able to make a comfortable and glamourous shoe that does not cost an arm and a leg I would love to own a pair of them.

LB