Our Josephine Pumps are special. Well, all of our shoes are special- but these darling 1790s pumps have a lot of unique features that endear them to us. With their festive stripes, cotton uppers, period-accurate side seams, and hand-dyed silk ribbon trim, Josephine is eye-catching and verifiably adorable.
Sometimes, it can feel intimidating to style a shoe that is boldly colored or patterned. When a shoe is more of a ‘statement’, one can wonder how to pair them with the items in their wardrobe or costume closet to create a cohesive look. We have found, though, that styling Josephine is actually quite a breeze!
One of the things that makes styling Josephine easy is the neutral, white grounding of the striped cotton fabric, and the ivory leather on the Italian heel. That means you can easily pair it with anything ivory or white. This creates so much opportunity to effortlessly pair Josephine with a late 18th century look. For example, in this photoshoot, Laurie Tavan paired her Josephines with white Swiss dot. Depending on the color of the Josephines she was wearing, Laurie picked accent pieces and accessories in a coordinating color.
The end result is so cohesive! The neutral ivory grounding means that one can keep the main garments the same (in this case, Laurie’s white Swiss dot gown), and change accessories based on the color in the stripes and trim.
The ensemble in this 1790s fashion plate from the collection at the Metropolitan Museum would work either with Josephine in taupe/white or Josephine in blue/white.
This fashion plate (also from the Met) from 1793 is interesting because it incorporates a few different colors, along with a gown with ivory grounding. Don’t be afraid to mix in more than one color with your costume! This ensemble could be paired with Josephine in basically every color they come in. Taupe/white would make a nice neutral option, blue/white would go with the ribbons on the cap, yolk yellow/white would match the cap itself, and red/white would play off the red and pink tones in the gown and trim.
Which Josephines would you pair with the outfits on these three ladies? We are imagining taupe/white on the leftmost figure, red/white on the central figure, and yolk yellow/white on the rightmost figure.
Josephine is also a great way to add a touch of festivity to a more modern or contemporary outfit. We think that they go splendidly with 1950s/1960s cocktail dresses, for example.
Imagine this 1961 Givenchy cocktail dress (from the collection at the Met Museum) with a pair of Josephines in charcoal/white.
How about Josephine in yolk yellow/white with either of these adorable 1960s dresses?
This shoe would also pair beautifully with 1980s vintage. Imagine showing up to a party in this vintage Laura Ashley floral number from Liinaloom on Etsy, paired with Josephine in either blue/white or red/white.
Or how about a pair of Josephines paired with a frilly, 1980s-Victoriana-inspired dress? We can imagine Josephine in yolk yellow/white pairing perfectly with this dress from Sindiso Khumalo’s spring 2022 collection!
A sundress with delicate floral prints, eyelet, or ruffles sets off the trim on Josephine perfectly. Picture this Betsey Johnson number on Thredup with Josephine in any color!
Do you have anything in your wardrobe that you’re thusly inspired to pair Josephine with?
Our Josephine Pumps are currently in stock and ready to ship- but pairs are numbered! If there’s a colorway that has captured your heart, why not capture them now?
