For Day Seven of The Twelve Days of Shoes we have a sexy black pump just right for New Year’s Eve parties.
I bought these in Dallas, Texas in the 1980s with my brother, who encouraged me not to walk away from these lovelies. They were made by Allure, which was a popular footwear company at the time. My brother was right, these shoes instantly became my go-to for dressy and celebratory occasions. A timeless style, I even wore them as a character I played in a mystery dinner theater troupe I belonged to in the 1990s. These shoes have seen a lot of fun!
The Allure logo on the outside of the box lid.
I’m going to take them on another New Year’s Eve ride this evening, paired with satin 1930s style pajamas for a celebratory evening at home.
This might be my favorite pair of vintage shoes in my collection. I love the buckle and the detailing in textured leather; the soft suede and buff color go well with a summer linen suit and they’re the perfect choice for Gatsby Summer Afternoon, an annual period event produced by the Art Deco Society of California.
I bought them at Bizarre Bazaar in Oakland and the label inside says Tweedies Alluring Footwear, which was a family owned shoe company based in Jefferson City, Missouri since the late 1800s. In 1917 the company changed their name to Tweedies Footwear Company and so that puts in question the date of my shoes. I thought they were 1930s, but perhaps they are older. In any case I got them in excellent condition and I’ve tried to be gentle with them, which means looking and not wearing.
We’re half way through! Come back tomorrow for another shoe story.
It was with Christmas money that I received one year when I was in college that I bought these brown suede1930s shoes. I found them at a little store called Brown Avenue Antiques where my mother and I were antiquing. The inside of the shoes says Livingston Bros. San Francisco. I sort of remember the large department store in downtown SF, which was around for decades until it closed in 1987.
I have worn these shoes on assignment to exhibit openings, store openings, media events and I’ve paired them with ensembles I put together for events with the Art Deco Society of California. They are often a go-to for their vintage cachet, but also because of the lowish heel they’re doable for a reporter who is dashing around getting quotes. They work with dresses, skirts, trousers; I can mix with any vintage outfit and they liven up a modern outfit, too.
We’ll see you tomorrow for Day Six of The Twelve Days of Christmas.
These are my mother’s black suede pumps from the 1950s. Don’t they scream Kim Novak in Vertigo? They are from Joseph Magnin in San Francisco and Mom wore them with her many black cocktail dresses. I too have worn them with those same cocktail dresses! (In my closet hang quite a few of my mother’s dresses from that era.)
Come back tomorrow and see what we have for Day Five.
Welcome back to The Twelve Days of Shoes. It’s Day Three and we are looking at a pair of shoes that my mother bought in Paris in 1964.
Some of the things in life that my mother enjoyed included jewelry, fashion, shoes, expensive perfume, good restaurants, and Paris. On that visit to Paris my mother was traveling alone, which was an adventure for her. She walked the cobblestone streets and popped into museums. She ate in restaurants and shopped for shoes. Mom came home with this pair of kitten heels. Aren’t the little buckles charming? I wish I knew what she wore these with. When she gave them to me I paired them with a 1950s rayon dress with a full skirt that swished as I walked. Now, I keep them as a memento of Mom’s Paris adventure on her own.
See you tomorrow for another peek into my shoe closet.
Welcome back to Day Two of the Twelve Days of Shoes.
Today we have a pair of Edwardian style boots by Stuart Weitzman. I bought these in the 1990s, which is considered vintage now. Crazy! I have worn them as part of costumes and with long black skirts as well as with shorter skirts and tights. They certainly are a particular look and something with which to have a little fun.
Welcome to The Twelve Days of Christmas, 2023. What’s this year’s theme?
Surprise!
It’s vintage (or vintage style) shoes!
I have a collection of vintage shoes from the 1920s up to the 1970s. This pair dates to the 1920s and is black velvet with a cut steel buckle and a gold heel. They are so narrow that they’re pretty uncomfortable, but I have worn them to many an Art Deco dance and just suffered. I don’t recall where I got them, but I have had them a long time and I suspect they were a gift from my mother. Much of what I have is from her.
Come back tomorrow for Day Two and another pair of shoes.
The Twelve Days of Christmas has become a holiday tradition here at OverDressedforLife. Starting on Christmas Day and every day through January 5, ODFL features something that fits a particular theme. The first year in 2018 it was holiday greeting cards and in 2020 it was vintage handbags. Last year it was brooches. What will it be this year?
Pop in on December 25th and find out what holiday surprise ODFL has for you!
Winter is my second favorite season, next to autumn, because the more clothing to wear the better. I love gloves and scarves, hats and socks, coats and boots. I like walking in the cold and coming into a warm house to a cup of tea and something sweet. I enjoy walking in the rain too, protected by a stylin’ raincoat and umbrella. I don’t mind the shorter days and spooky dark nights. It’s all good this time of year.
So … bring out the warm layers and let the dark, cold, wet season begin.
Heels were first worn by Persian calvary in the 10th century to keep their feet stable as they stood up in stirrups to shoot their arrows. When the Shah of Persia sent some of his soldiers to Europe, the local men, who by then dressed in a version of breeches and hose, went crazy for heels and it became a masculine look. Until the early 1600s when women started to emulate male fashion, including heels. Eventually men gave up the heel and women adopted it more and more and reaching higher and higher heights.
Heels for women in varying styles and heights were here to stay.
Silk brocade women’s shoes by Manolo Blahnik, 1996
And then circa 1950s in walks the stiletto. The first really high heel. Vogue India says: “Named after an Italian knife with a slender blade and needle-sharp point, the heel was engineered in the 1950s when new materials and techniques invented for aircraft carriers were applied to shoe construction. The use of aluminum and injection moulding to fuse metal and plastic made it possible to elongate and raise heels to new heights. The key was in finding a way to support the arch of the foot, taking the pressure off the toes and the heel, and allowing the shoe to move with the body rather than against it.”
I started wearing high heels in high school and I still have a pair from those days. Super high they are and in my closet they stay. But I still enjoy a good heel for the height, which I need, and the sex appeal. Because nothing does it better than a high heel.
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