Hearts in Fashion

Have you fallen head-over-heels for our Hearts Afire collection? Our new Ginger Vintage Pumps and Gretel Vintage Oxfords have been creating quite the stir, and it’s easy to understand why! Both of these new styles are sleek, unique, and- bedecked with adorable heart-themed decorations.

Hearts have been on the up in contemporary fashion, and it is far from the first time this has happened. This iconic symbol has been incorporated into material culture around the world for centuries. From 16th century wearable reliquaries to Fran Fine’s famous Moschino heart purse in The Nanny (yes, we like 90s fashion too!), hearts are one of the most enduring symbols in fashion, and really, in pop culture in general. Of course, hearts symbolize love and devotion, but through time, they have been represented in fashion as indicators of novelty, kitsch, surrealism, consumerism, grief & memory, camp, and more. It is a symbol that has been incorporated into all sorts of subversive design discourses and fashion subcultures. In fact, we challenge you to find a fashion subculture where hearts haven’t been incorporated in some capacity!

When we decided to create a collection incorporating hearts as a theme, we did a lot of thinking about and looking at how hearts have shown up in material culture (and specifically in fashion) through the ages. In our last blog post about designing Ginger and Gretel, we discussed how vintage Valentine’s Day cards and hearts in European folk art helped inspire the heart motifs incorporated into our new designs. Today, we thought we would show some of our favorite examples of how hearts have made their mark on fashion history.

This piece of fabric was the band on a linen cloth, tapestry-woven with colored wool and undyed linen thread. The repeating pattern includes hearts and fruits. This piece of fabric dates back to 5th or 6th century Mesopotamia! When we said ‘through the eras’, we weren’t kidding around. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

This English heart-shaped locket, commemorating the birth of John Monson, dates to 1597 (but you probably guessed that already). From the collection at the V&A Museum.

Hearts were long a popular motif for decorating busks; it is a sensual place to put a heart indeed! This French busk from the 17th century also contains text which translates to “Until I see you again”, “Love joins them”, and, “My love is pure”. Aww! From the collection at the Met Museum.

18th century heart shoes- yes please! These are right up our alley. This ornately embroidered velvet and metal thread mules date to c. 1750-1775 France. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

This German pocket is super interesting. As you historical costumers likely know, pockets were often made with leftover fabric bits and old clothes. This pocket contains fabric pieces from across different centuries. The metal embroidery piece at the center with the heart motif is from the late 18th century. You can see that it was trimmed at the edges of the heart, as it was slightly too big for the pocket. The cotton fabric, however, is from the 1840s. Some smart and crafty individual had a vision here for sure! From the collection at the V&A Museum.

Some absolutely fabulous kid gloves from either France or Spain, c. early 19th century. From the V&A Museum.

These embroidered cotton garters are bedecked with hearts and sprigs. They date to 19th century Hungary. Adorable. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

These late Georgian/early Victorian mourning lockets from Erica Weiner’s archive collection, both contain intricate scenes made from human hair. These physical tokens of love from those who had passed were especially popular in the 19th century.

Now, these are really a fascinating object. Boot heel plates like these date to the mid-19th century, and many have been found at different sites in the United States where Civil War camps once stood. The heel plate on the left is typical of Union civil war boots, while the plates on the right would have been worn by women. Some historians speculate that they were worn by lady visitors of a particular persuasion. These particular plates were found in Chippenhook, Vermont, so they could also have been purely a fashion statement. From the Clarendon Historical Society collection.

These are some late Victorian shoes that we really adore (and, they’re for sale, if you’re looking!). They have straps with buttons, intricate steel-cut bead work, and heart-shaped punch work cutouts. We haven’t seen any other shoes quite like these! If you have- please share.

Now, into the 20th century. Look closely at the sleeves and collar of this Callot Soeurs coat from the 1920s- hearts are incorporated into the embroidered braid. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

Also from the 1920s, this length of silk trim features appliqué hearts in red velvet. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

Of course there’s a Schiaparelli piece in this post! This belt from her summer 1940 collection was inspired by Finnish belts used in folk dress. While Schiaparelli purposefully steered away from war references (in contrast to her spring collection the previous season), she (along with many other designers) included pieces inspired by Finnish design in support of Finland in the wake of their invasion by the Soviet Union in 1939. This whole collection is really worth examining. From the collection at the Met Museum.

More heart shoes! This leather-and-suede pair from 1940 were made by Freeman, Hardy & Willis in the UK, and conformed to rationing requirements. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

One last pair of heart shoes for now- these early 1960s shoes from Paris are made from blue velvet, with sleek heart-shaped cutouts over the toe. From the collection at the V&A Museum.

This is just a sampling of heart-themed items from fashion history. It’s a topic someone should really write a book about! Or maybe even a series of books…

Our Hearts Afire collection is 15% off each pair when you pre-order by August 24. Won’t you join the club with your very own pair of Gretels or Gingers?

Pre-Order is Open
August 15-24
15% Discount Per Pair
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