Saddle shoes

[zendy]

ahh, okay, vegan, I apologize, I just never ponder that when it comes to shoes, ignorant of me, sorry!

i don't know how lucky one might get to find a vintage vegan pair - or if such a thing existed, but payless does sell saddle shoes and they are of man-made materials - available in black and white.

No sorries at all! You are fantastic for letting us know about payless. And how cheap! Thanks!.

 

[Lillemor]

www.muffys.com I like it when they give a bit of history. I knew saddle shoes had been around before the 1950s but I didn't know they'd been around that long. If I had to order today I'd be hard pressed to pick just one pair. I love the mary jane shoes and "English" sandals too!

Oddly enough I wear most pumps (quality, fx. ECCO) very comfortably but have very few occassions to wear them and the surfaces I walk on are hardly suitable for pumps.

Right now I only own modern classic active wear ECCO and Tamaris where comfort, durability and quality are in the high seat at a very fair price; DKKr. 550-800 at original price. Two of mine were on sale so nothing's cost more than DKK.550,-

None of them are saddle shoes though, the mary janes aren't really classic enough for my taste (but when someone else is paying...), the sandals are classic but have no vintage appeal, and the ECCO basic shoe is just passable as classic, so I'm still obsessed with finding classic, comfortable, durable, quality saddle shoes - and mary janes!

But at 32, I feel a bit silly in the modern Tamaris Active mary janes my mother recently insisted on buying me. Isn't that in combination with my ankle/bobby socks matched in color to other parts of my outfit or even my lipstick and nailpolish a bit OTT without adding classic saddle shoes to the equation?! On the other hand, a few days ago someone asked for my parents, sooo.....

I can't completely avoid gravel, dirt, mud, sand, and other hard wearing elements of nature. So, I'm probably stuck in modern active wear. All of my footwear is black leather. I can't imagine wearing anything else. I'd love to add some red to my shoe "collection". I've never owned shoes of synthetic materials that were durable so I'm weary of buying cheap, synthetic saddle shoes or Keds, leave ballerinas out of it! My feet absolutely hate ballerinas. Well, nice dreaming...

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

I posted this pic in the 'what are you wearing' thread, but thought I'd share it here as well, to show how a pair of saddles can add a fun touch to any basic, thrown-together look.

 

[Inky]

Glad I could help you out Cici and Zendy on the payless saddles!

and LOL to you Miss Blondie and Lizzie - we'll be buried in our saddles no doubt.

Funny that I hated them eventually due to the catholic school thing - but of course, now i love saddle shoes and plaid skirts all the more.

ThesFlishThngs - you look adorable! I wore mine the other day with modern jeans and a t-shirt - people love them!

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

Thanks, Inky. These are the cheap Payless ones, but fine for me. You're right about how they give a distinctive look to anything they're paired with.

 

[Blondie]

I don't clean mine, am on my third pair ( first Muffy's pair) & the more battered and scuffed the more i love them !!!

 

[Inky]

I don't clean mine, am on my third pair ( first Muffy's pair) & the more battered and scuffed the more i love them !!!

I can't decide what to do about the cleaning thing. I am a bit OCD about shoes and i polish my leather shoes and clean them and take good care of them (which is why I don't mind spending good money on good shoes - they can last forever - as we well know when we melt over a pair of vintage shoes!).

I want them scuffed and beaten up and worn looking, but my OCD self reverts to school days when they had to be perfect and that white liquid kiwi polish was a staple in the shoe box. So now I've replaced kiwi with Meltonian shoe polish, lol, but I am TRYING not to clean them. I know they look better scuffed and worn than screaming white.

I need therapy.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

Maybe you just need two pairs, Inky - one to scuff and wear, and another to obsess over with cleaning and polishing.....

 

[Inky]

Maybe you just need two pairs, Inky - one to scuff and wear, and another to obsess over with cleaning and polishing.....

hmmm.......well, that green and white pair are awfully sweet.....

 

[retrogirl1941]

Do any of you ladies have problems with mold and the insert rotting in your Muffys saddle shoes? I had to start putting foot powder in them to absorb foot sweat(eeewww!!!) but all the moisture seems to make make the inards disenegrate. Help!

Samantha

 

[Inky]

Do any of you ladies have problems with mold and the insert rotting in your Muffys saddle shoes? I had to start putting foot powder in them to absorb foot sweat(eeewww!!!) but all the moisture seems to make make the inards disenegrate. Help!

Samantha

eek - no I haven't but I've only had mine a short while, though I do wear them at least 2-3 days a week lately. Have you contacted Muffy's about this? Maybe it's a issue with the particular style you have?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Maybe a dumb question, but what kind of socks are you wearing? I find that thin nylony socks don't do a very good job of absorption in heavy leather shoes -- you need something like good heavy cotton bobby socks between your feet and the inside of the shoe. And going sockless isn't a good idea.

 

[retrogirl1941]

Maybe a dumb question, but what kind of socks are you wearing? I find that thin nylony socks don't do a very good job of absorption in heavy leather shoes -- you need something like good heavy cotton bobby socks between your feet and the inside of the shoe. And going sockless isn't a good idea.

They are a thinner cotton/ something mix in the bobby socks style. hhmmm I will have to try a different thickness.

Samantha

 

[texasgirl]

I found some saddle shoes on ebay for 30 bucks in my size. They are Bass, so hopefully they will fit and be comfy. I figured I'd try these and see if I wear them a lot, and then if I do, maybe invest in the Muffy's in white and red.

 

[Babydoll]

I had a pair of Bass shoes, and they were very uncomfortable. They always felt big, clunky, and sticky to the floor. (I wore them as dance shoes.) I wore them maybe a handful of times before they went to a clothing swap.

I hope they work better for you!

 

[sixsexsix]

I got these shoes at an estate auction over the weekend, the rubber seems very thick, and I have not been able to date them. All the other shoes I got in the same lot were 1940s-70s. Any ideas?

 

[Miss_Amanda]

Muffy's Sizes

Hi Ladies!
Okay, so I must have really odd feet or something. [huh] I bought a pair of Muffy's in 6W and I had a ton of heel slipping and they were too long, so I sent them back. I returned them for a 5.5D. I can't remember if the D is wide, but I think it is. I called Muffy's to ask but they haven't gotten back with me yet. The shoes are snug width wise, but they fit otherwise. I am worried if I buy the 6 regular, they will be too narrow. It can be difficult, I have found, to exchange them. If it makes a difference as far as sizing, I bought the biege and navy. Please help! I so love the shoes and am dying to have a pair that fits... Any advice?

 

[Inky]

Hi Amanda!

When I ordered my saddles I measured my foot length standing on a ruler on a hard floor and also the width of my foot. Typically I can wear anything from a 10 to an 11, but sometimes need a wide if it is a fully closed shoe (like my Bass Weejun penny loafers are 11W and fit perfect), but i recently bought an 11 in a remix style (where I also have some 10's) and it was too big and I needed the 10.5 - it's sort of a huge pain to buy shoes!!)

anyway, I called Muffy's and talked to a really nice gentleman and after some discussion and going back and forth regarding fit and my particular needs, I ended up with a 9.5EE in the red and white leather soled saddles. I think that style fits differently than the rubber sole ones as well. My saddles were snug when I first got them and very stiff, but being an all leather shoe, with some breaking in (thicker socks than I'd normally wear and wearing them around the house) they are now among my most comfortable shoes and I wear them at least once a week.

So I would measure your foot carefully at home or at a shoe store on a Brannock Device then talk to the folks at Muffy's to determine what best will fit you. It'll be worth it - I love mine so much I am saving up for the green and white ones!

 

[Lauren]

Funny, I linked a friend to this image today, not even knowing it was in this thread! lol
I'm now the proud owner of a pair of payless saddle shoes- well, whenever they get shipped to the store by me, that is. Funny, I forgot all about them having saddle shoes, but I wore almost nothing but these (from payless) and converse my senior year of high school. Glad they still have them!

 

[Miss_Amanda]

Thanks!!

Hi Amanda!

When I ordered my saddles I measured my foot length standing on a ruler on a hard floor and also the width of my foot. Typically I can wear anything from a 10 to an 11, but sometimes need a wide if it is a fully closed shoe (like my Bass Weejun penny loafers are 11W and fit perfect), but i recently bought an 11 in a remix style (where I also have some 10's) and it was too big and I needed the 10.5 - it's sort of a huge pain to buy shoes!!)

anyway, I called Muffy's and talked to a really nice gentleman and after some discussion and going back and forth regarding fit and my particular needs, I ended up with a 9.5EE in the red and white leather soled saddles. I think that style fits differently than the rubber sole ones as well. My saddles were snug when I first got them and very stiff, but being an all leather shoe, with some breaking in (thicker socks than I'd normally wear and wearing them around the house) they are now among my most comfortable shoes and I wear them at least once a week.

So I would measure your foot carefully at home or at a shoe store on a Brannock Device then talk to the folks at Muffy's to determine what best will fit you. It'll be worth it - I love mine so much I am saving up for the green and white ones!

Thanks Inky! I would have never thought of going to payless and having them take a measure of my feet. I plan on stopping today, as I'll be grocery shopping and there's one in the same plaza. I can't wait to stock up on saddles! Oh, my poor checking account!
Also, has anyone seen the browns of the different brown shoes? I can handle the bright white because I'll scuff it quickly but I was just curious as to how the different browns looked in person.
Once again, Inky, thanks a bunch!