Professional Shoe Hunting Adventures in Vegas

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Last week I went to Magic in Vegas. That sounds glamorous, but Magic is the name of the USA’s largest fashion trade show, and when I say “largest” I mean huge and overwhelming and madness and whoa.

I went to this show in a “buyer” capacity for Royal Vintage Shoes. As you all know, business owners must wear many hats (I try to make mine fabulous hats), and one of my roles is to source and procure vintage style shoes.

Being a “buyer” sounds prestigious, and it is fun, but it’s also a lot of work and responsibility

This is no easy task. What we all want – low-heeled, beautifully designed, classic and classy, and affordable – is nigh impossible to find. 99% of what I saw in the unbelievably huge footwear section at Magic were sky-high, made of weird materials, and downright ugly heel shapes.

Yes, ugly. SO ugly. I’m condemning the footwear fashion industry right here, right now! UGLY! It seems like designers go for “different” at the expense of “beauty.” Poor balance, awkward details, inconsistency throughout the design….there’s a reason these shapes haven’t been done before in the several millennia of footwear history we have on record!!!

So it was depressing.

But not a complete loss.

There are, thank the goddess, a handful of companies that make normal, nice shoes, shoes with a vintage inspiration to them, shoes you can actually walk in and wear for more than five minutes. Thank heaven for b.a.i.t., Chelsea Crew, Restricted, Miss L Fire, and Aerosoles!

A selection of b.a.i.t. shoe coming to Royal Vintage in the next few weeks. The two on the end will arrive for Fall.

Of course, part of this is that my standards are very high. There are some brands that make shoes that clearly have a retro style, but four-inch stiletto heels. Nope. We won’t accept that. Sorry not sorry.

So while it was hard and exhausting, I did get you gals a great selection of 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s style shoes. I’m madly in love with everything we picked out, and I hope you will be too.

New Chelsea Crew styles arriving for Fall. I love them all, but especially the burgundy and navy blue 1930s wrap-straps. Wait until you see these in the round!

Half of the new goodies are coming in the next few weeks, and half are coming for Fall, and will stand proudly alongside our own brand new collection of 1940s reproductions, the new Royal Vintage line opening for pre-order in August.

So while attending Magic was a bit “ugh,” it did result in finding some great stuff, and we were able to stick to our standards of quality and design, finding the best in modern-does-vintage shoes for you. <3