1943 Mystery Loafers

[resortes805]

I was going through some old jpegs and ran across this image I scanned years ago.

Check out the two tone loafers on the guy on the far right.

While I have encountered all sorts of footwear from the 1940s and 1930s, I have only seen 1 other pair of shoes like these. Yet those were in a costume shop, and at the time they looked very 1970s to me, so I dismissed them. What was crazy about these shoes was they had the 'arrow' detail pointing down the vamp towards the toes. If it isn't a trick of photography, it looks like the shoes in this scan have that same arrow detail.

Does anyone have any info on this style of shoe? They look like cheap slip-ons marketed to teens, but I've never seen them in vintage catalogs.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

A slow dance on the crowded floor at NYC's Roseland Ballroom in 1938:

A detail from the above photo. Note the shoes sported by the man in the center right. Look familiar, Resortes?

 

[resortes805]

Marc, sharp eyes!

So we have bi-coastal representation with urban hepsters. I wonder if the designs were woven in; like huaraches? or like these 1950s repros:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Are we really the only two people around here who've seen this?

 

[resortes805]

Are we really the only two people around here who've seen this?

I guess so; 136 views as of November 1st and only 2 responses!

 

[Tomasso]

I've seen photos of them before but I couldn't supply your request for info so I didn't respond.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I guess so; 136 views as of November 1st and only 2 responses!

Sad.