Designing historical reproduction footwear is a unique process. In addition to all the regular aspects of shoe design, there is a major research component- much like historical costuming! Over our time researching and designing historical shoes, we’ve come across hundreds of interesting extant shoes that have something special about them. There are some styles that stand out from the crowd because of their influence on fashion history, their innovative design, or how they’re situated in historical context. Today, we’re going to review some of these historical shoes that changed the game for fashion history.
The Chopine
The visually dramatic and emblematic chopine first emerged in c. the early 15th century, and through the Renaissance era (particularly the Italian Renaissance), they were firmly established as an icon of footwear history that continues to fascinate us hundreds of years later. Originating in Venice, the chopine spread to other fashionable areas nearby in what is now Italy. It was also popular in Spain. The high platforms that chopines are famous for were typically constructed from wood or cork, covered with fine leathers, textiles, and trimmings. These highly decorative and aesthetically striking shoes served dual purposes: one practical, one socio-economical. Functionally, chopines elevated skirt hems away from the dirt and muck of the streets (imagine dragging your brocade gown through a street with canal runoff…).
In fashion history discourse, the height of a chopine is often related to the ‘height’ of the wearer in society; a higher platform made the shoe more expensive to make, and required longer hems on garments made from equally luxurious materials. Chopines could be so high that the wearer required the assistance of a ladies’ maid (or two) to walk around. A 15th century Venetian law even sought to limit the height of chopines to three inches or under- but how many people actually followed this rule is up for debate.
Since the Italian Renaissance, high platforms of various iterations have cycled in and out of style across time and distance. From Qing dynasty Manchurian platforms in China to Doc Marten Creepers to 1930s wedges (more on those later) the chopine has certainly had a lasting influence on our shoes.
The French Heel
If you’ve been following American Duchess for awhile, you have likely heard us wax poetic about the legendary French heel. For centuries, the curvy and swoopy French heel was the choice for ladies’ footwear (and for a long time, men’s as well). Popular from the 17th century all the way to the 1920s, French heels are distinguished by a curved ‘waist’ and flared bottom. The origins of the French heel started around the reign of the Sun King himself, Louis XIV, in France. His court was all about style and flash, and that included shoes. In paintings of Louis, one can observe the transitional heel shape away from the heels of the 15th and early 16th century and into a curved French heel. Louis himself donned shoes with heels painted red, and he dictated who in his court was and was not allowed to join him in wearing red heels.
Early iterations of the French heel can be noted by their chunkier, blockier shape. As time progressed French heels would shift in shape and height. While French heels fell out of favor in the 1920s, we have since seen a series of revivals in modern and more contemporary fashion- for example, in the 1980s and again in the 1990s. In fact, we are in the midst of one as we speak, as curved, French-inspired heel shapes are becoming a more popular sight on runways and in contemporary footwear. If there’s one thing that can be said of the French heel, its that it has made its mark on fashion history for good.
The Pinet Boots
F. Pinet- if you like Victorian footwear, you probably know this name. Pinet was the designer behind a number of truly iconic 19th century shoes, distinguished by fine floral and botanical motifs, detailed embroidery, and fine materials. These boots are some of the most famous examples of his designs (and of course, we recreated them in the form of our Flora Boots).
Originals on the left, our Flora Boots on the right.
By the 1870s, Pinet had more than 800 people working for his shoe business. At least 700 of these employees were women, who worked tirelessly from their homes embroidering the panels for Pinet’s famously intricate floral designs.
Another example of Pinet’s detailed floral boots.
A master shoemaker, Pinet wasn’t only pushing the boundaries when it came to creative innovation, but practical innovation as well. He had a special interest in how industrialization could impact shoemaking, and how the process could help to improve footwear manufacturing. For example, in the pursuit of prioritizing comfort alongside aesthetics, Pinet was an early adopter of right-and-left lasts for his designs. Pinet designed a special, custom French heel that was more slender than earlier French heels, with a more contained shape at the base of the heel. This especially balanced and lightweight heel made Pinet shoes more comfortable (and safer). In 1867, he patented a specialized machine that could make French heels in one piece, which made a big difference in manufacturing efficiency.
Pinet is considered one of the first celebrity shoe designers in the way we think of designers today- a design house where the designer’s name is a crucial and representative part of the brand. “Pinet” was synonymous with expensive, luxurious, and artistic footwear. His enthusiasm for and early adoption of technology for shoe manufacturing helped propel shoemaking into the future. The artistic expression of his designs paved the way for couture-level shoe design into the 20th century, with future designers like Vivier and Louboutin who embraced boldness and creativity in footwear. Pinet’s design house left its mark on fashion history forever, both in the artistic area of fashion and the technical one.
The First Keds
At the turn of the 20th century (late Victorian/early Edwardian eras), sport, health, and outdoors pursuits were becoming more popular, especially among the leisure classes. Ergo, fashion followed suit, with more casual influences and sporting inspired features factored into what folks were wearing. Throw in technological advancements in the footwear industry, and the popularity of rubber, and soon, the first tennis shoes were born.
You may have seen this pair before- it was the shoe we based our own Kedwardian Sporting Oxfords on. Released by Keds in 1905, this canvas-uppered, rubber-soled tennis shoe was among the first of its kind. This shoe was suited to casual games of lawn tennis and croquet, and would have been the perfect finishing touch on a daywear ensemble worn for lawn games, where a fashionable-yet-functional shoe was required.
Serious athletes required shoes that prioritized the sport itself. This pair, from the collection at the Bata Shoe Museum, is from Keds Champion line, introduced in 1916. These women’s sneakers were designed specifically for sport. This was, to say the least, a big deal. These shoes symbolize the growth and momentum of women’s athletics.
Today, casual footwear is ubiquitous in contemporary fashion. Sneakers of all shapes and forms are the everyday choice of many, and it all started with a simple tennis shoe.
The Ferragamo Rainbow Platform Sandal
Salvatore Ferragamo- the man, the myth, the legend. If you are a vintage shoe lover, you have certainly seen this one before. Designed by Ferragamo himself in 1938 for actress Judy Garland, this rainbow platform sandal is a seminal example of 1930s surrealist fashion.
In mid-1930s Europe, Ferragamo had to design creatively around the impact of global politics on fashion and everyday life at large. With Italy facing serious materials embargoes after invading Ethopia, Ferragamo was no longer able to source the German steel he needed to manufacture he heel shanks used to support the arches of his shoe designs. In response, Ferragamo innovated a wedge heel made from cork (remember how cork was used in Italy before, for chopines?). Thus, the modern wedge was born.
As we’ve discussed before on the blog, periods of political strife are often marked by especially notable periods in fashion. This was the case with surrealism in art and fashion in the 1930s. Ferragamo experimented with shape, form, and color to incorporate the avant-garde into his designs. This influence can be epitomized by this very shoe, the rainbow platform wedge.
To us today, this iconic rainbow shoe symbolizes resilience of creatives during periods of global crisis and instability. Plus, it is visually fabulous. Ferragamo has since re-released this shoe a few times in both its original gold and rainbow colorway, in addition to a few solid color versions. The shapes, colors, and textures utilized in this shoe can also be spotted throughout vintage and contemporary fashion, which is a testament to its enduring inspiration. We hope to someday get our hands on some! We can only hope…
The Spring-O-Lator
Have you heard of Beth and Herbert Levine? This husband-and-wife design duo were mainstays of American fashion in the mid-century. Designer Beth is often referred to as the “First Lady of Shoe Design”, so you know she knew her stuff! In addition to her many other achievements in American footwear, Beth invented the spring-o-lator, a type of mule that epitomizes mid-century innovation in fashion.
1950s fashion is marked by glamour, domesticity, and subtle sensuality. Mules (backless slippers), long worn as boudoir slippers across different eras of fashion history, are emblematic of this sort of sensual design, and in the 1950s, they became a very popular option for everyday wear.
The spring-o-lator was born when Ms. Levine decided to engineer a mule that was more actively secured on the foot, where the heel could spring up with the foot rather than slapping down on the floor with a big ‘clack’ with every step. The solution she came up with was a hidden elastic band beneath the arch of the shoe. It worked beautifully, and was a revolution in mule security. Moreover, the spring-o-lator encapsulates 1950s fashion, mid-century consumer convenience, materials innovation, and modern design. Worn by celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Herbert Levine brand shoes and the spring-o-lator are firmly established in footwear history.
Shoe history is full of icons, but these are some of our favorites. Do you have a favorite historical shoe that you think deserves a spot in the Historical Shoe Hall of Fame?
