I’ll be the first to say it; I love saddle shoes! I think they’re just so cute and easy to style, they deserve so much more love! As I’ve been in the online vintage community I’ve noticed many people don’t consider them to be an authentic look. What?! While it is true that they were more so a teen style and not necessarily adult, as main stream fashion was, even adolescents of the community seem to shun them! To me it feels like an awfully big shame but maybe I’m just not a high heel fanatic. Either way I’m here today to spread my love of the shoe with you and give a little insight on their history.
Saddle shoes have been around since 1906 and were first created for indoor sports. They were excepted as a gender-less fashion and picked up in popularity quickly after their launch as people began to wear them for fashion as well as sports. With all kinds of new hip dances being introduced to the United States they became even more popular as they were one of the top choices for dancing!
In honor of the war, teens in the 1940’s would often dirty up their new saddle shoes in a way to pay respects to those who were fighting and went without.
After the 40’s was the 50’s which happened to be the complete opposite! Shoes were always, always spotless and keeping your shoes as white as can be was priority #1! Girls would spend countless hours making sure their shoes were in tip top shape. It was also very important to add a feminine touch, therefor lacy bobby socks were a must.
Saddle shoes still remained prevalent with the youth in the 60’s yet with adults they fell off completely. Adults shunned the shoes as they were a thing of the past in a new world of rebellion against tradition. Teens, however, continued to wear the shoes until the 90’s when they were no longer part of school uniform. As of today saddle shoes can still be seen among alternative fashions and old men, namely golfers.
Grandmas Inspiration 