Have you taken a look at our Hearts Afire collection yet? Our newest collection of vintage reproduction shoes is currently on sale (15% per pair) as part of our pre-order launch, and we have to say, these are some especially fun styles. Ginger and Gretel are both classic vintage silhouettes, with a little additional spice in the form of heart motifs. We know these shoes are destined to be beloved!
So, today we want to give you a little inside scoop about our design process for this romantically-themed shoe duo.
The Hearts Afire collection started as a concept: a thematic collection centered around love and heart motifs, with details that played off the curves and swoops of a heart shape. Hearts as a motif are a recurring theme in fashion, and in several folk art cultures as well (more on hearts in fashion in a later post).
Vintage advertisements from the 1950s showing some of the evolution in pumps.
As the 1940s progressed into the 1950s, open-top pumps with curvy lines continued to be popular, but they evolved in shape. The curves became swoopier, sexier, and more dramatic. Heels became more shapely as well. If you’re familiar with our line, you’ve probably seen our popular Marilyn Pump. Marilyn is an example of a curvy pump from the 1940s. Pump up the volume on all of these lines and you get the evolved 1950s shape.
To us, this sort of shoe was the perfect starting point for a romantic 1950s pump! We had a shoe just like this in our collection with particularly dramatic lines, and this was our starting point for Ginger. A new last and heel were developed, with the intention of getting those 1950s swoops and curves just right. Of course, we had to make sure that the heel was both comfortable and attractive. Finally, we ended up with the perfect balance of all the things. For a cute and cheeky touch, we added a little debossed (that’s the opposite of embossed, in case you were wondering) heart to the breast of Ginger’s heel. It’s just enough to catch the eye and add some visual interest.
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we love shoe clips. We sell several styles that come with shoe clips, and we even sell blank clips in our accessories section so that you can make your own. They are a great way to customize your American Duchess shoes, and since they’re removable, you kind of get two shoes in one. For Ginger, we developed an adorable heart-shaped shoe clip. These clips are a little bit puffy in the center, and are rimmed with pinked edges. They really are reminiscent of vintage Valentine’s Day cards and decorations!
Ginger with her clips….
…and Ginger without her clips! Two looks in one.
Some of the classic “Valentine’s Day” hearts we had in mind when designing Ginger’s shoe clips.
Now, about Gretel. Gretel was conceived of as we looked at oxford styles from the 1930s-1950s, particularly styles with lots of fine details. Think decorative stitching, broguing, cutouts, scalloping, etc. These sorts of design features are a perfect way to work in a specific theme or motif. Additionally, our Claire Oxfords have been one of our most popular shoes for many years now. Folks love the comfortable fit, classic lines, and aesthetic of a vintage round-toed oxford. We often get requests to make more styles with a fit like Claire. Since we already had a vintage oxford in mind for this style, it was a natural fit to build this style on the Claire last and heel.
Some examples of the variety in oxfords in the 1940s and 1950s in period catalogues.
We wanted to take this general style (a round-toed, low oxford) and pair it with some bold and on-theme details without creating something too saccharine. During our development phase, we were particularly inspired by heart themes in European folk art. Think sweetheart waffle irons, Tyrolean ribbons, Austrian furniture, and the like.
Some inspiration above in the form of an Austrian chair, some ribbon, and an antique valentine.
To emphasize the curves and swoops of the heart topstitching, we added scalloping to the facing and the broguing of the shoe. We also incorporated hearts into the broguing on the toe for Gretel. We took a traditional oxford broguing pattern and added a little heart-shaped cutout to tie everything together. It turned out so cute, and we think all of the design elements work really perfectly together!
We’re so pleased with how our delightful little heart-inspired shoes came out. They’re the most endearing combination of sweet and sexy, sleek and unique. We can’t wait to see how you style them. Ginger and Gretel will be shipping in Dec. 2025/Jan. 2026, just in time for you to wear them for Valentine’s Day!
The Hearts Afire Collection is 15% off each pair through August 24 in the US and UK/EU.
Pre-Order is Open
August 15-24
15% Discount Per Pair
AmericanDuchess.com
