Shoe Clips – Endless Possibilities for Historical Shoes

Shoe clips are the best things ever.

I’ll just come right out and say it.  Shoe clips allow you to drastically change the look of a single pair of shoes, just by clipping on a feather, a flower, a bow, a gem.

I went looking for various historical-looking shoe clippery to add to the American Duchess store, but in the end I realized that making your own would be easier, cheaper, and look loads better.  For instance … see those little pleaty bits on the vamps of all those Regency shoes? Or the rosettes or tassels or pom poms?  You can make those as shoe clips, then easily change them out to match your costume.

So instead of stocking annoyingly expensive and stylistically limited clips, we got the shoe clip hardware instead, those vital metal bits with the prongs that keep your clip fastened securely to your shoe.  For some bizarre reason nobody seems to sell these.

Well we do now.  See?

And check out some of things you can do with them, on Pemberley Regency Shoes…

Clip them to the toes, or the heels, or the side of the shoe.  Anywhere, really.

Here are some historical shoe clip ideas:

Lillian Williams 18th c. French Shoe Collection

My favorite pair of shoes ever, 1780s-90s

Thread poms, from the Met, 1805-10

1790s Regency, florettes and pleats

From Manchester City Galleries, 1790-1800

Tassels, from The Met, 1790-1810

Met, 1867, decorate buckles with velvet ribbons

Met, 1870s, pleats and bows

Met, 1885 – clip a bow on, change the whole look of the shoe

Met 1885-90, more bows.

Vintage Textile, 1880, golden bow

Met, 1890, round decorative buckle and tongue – yes, this look could be achieved with shoe clips.

I hope you are inspired to try out all the various looks one can achieve by simply clipping on a bow or a cockade or anything really.  For the hardware necessary to make shoe clips, go here, and have fun!