Caucasian mummies of more than 6 feet tall were found in China, near the Taklimakan desert. This woman has red hair and wears a red dress and deerskin boots
Turkish Shoes, 1850–55. Beige rep silk with black silk gros-de-naples foliate design in tapestry weave and black painted wood heel.
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The elegant black foliate patterned textile of these shoes was woven by hand, á la disposition, to conform to the pattern piece of the uppers. After the Crimean War, textiles with this tapestry weave were exported for reticules, slippers, and even upholstery. In this instance, it is possible that the textile with the woven pattern of uppers, rather than the completed slippers, was imported to this country to be cobbled together here. The ballet slipper–like flats, with their square toes, were a style that persisted in vogue throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. These shoes, like many women’s light slippers of the day, continued to be made on a straight last, or shoe form, with identical right and left sides.
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The shorter skirts of the 1920s focused attention on the exposed ankle and foot. During this prodigal period, the demand for luxury shoes was met by an explosion of surface decoration and color.
Rich metallic brocades with gold kid accents met that demand. Opulent design appealed to the appetite for expensive, extravagant accessories. The shoes are an elegant reminder of the high style glamour of the 1920s.
The shoes are covered with rich red satin damask (Chinese-style). The placement of a butterfly on each toe is a whimsical delight. The shoes have shapely Louis heels and straps that close with mother-of-pearl buttons. They are labeled "T.M. Seabury Co./214 Thames Street/Newport, R.I." They are lined with ivory kid and have leather soles.
vintagetextile
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And I am nothing of a builder, but here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade to keep you home, to keep you safe from the outside world
Maniatis Bottier (French, founded 1920). Boots, 1920s.
Left: Black leather, gold leather trim, and black twined cotton laces.
Right: Red leather with black leather trim.
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Maniatis, who was born in Greece, provided customized footwear for the likes of Cary Grant and Jean Gabin from his Paris shop in the ninth arrondissement. His location, near the Pigalle red-light district, perhaps helps to explain the design of these boots. They do not appear to be made for the stage, as their soles—original—are only lightly worn. They are also not of any fashionable style of the 1920s. In fact, they are most similar to late-nineteenth-century designs. While the exaggeratedly high and narrowed heel suggests a detail originating in the fetish community, the uppers appear to be cobbled from the conventional design of a Belle Epoque boot but with the addition of another panel to extend it over the thigh.
Although The Costume Institute collection comprises fashionable examples of dress and accessories from the last three centuries, an exception was made for these fetish boots, with their extremely high and tapered heels. The boots anticipate by at least a decade the stiletto heels of postwar fashion and illustrate the incorporation of designs originating from a world of highly specialized and esoteric tastes into the larger, ostensibly more normative, culture. The tendency of fashion to co-opt taboo and exotic elements from other periods, cultures, or, as in this instance, the demimonde, is one strategy employed for its constant reinvigoration.
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And I am nothing of a builder, but here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade to keep you home, to keep you safe from the outside world
A pair of tiny lotus-bud slippers for bound feet, Chinese late 19th century, of pink satin couched and embroidered in gold thread with stylised seed pods, blue satin heel and toe sections, lined in jade green damask
kerrytaylorauctions
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And I am nothing of a builder, but here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade to keep you home, to keep you safe from the outside world
The current obsession with footwear is hardly new. Proof? This Edward Steichen photograph, which appeared in the June 1, 1934, Vogue. A model extends her legs upward, showing off a timeless pair of strappy flat sandals—a popular style to this day.
condenaststore.com
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And I am nothing of a builder, but here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade to keep you home, to keep you safe from the outside world
This Edward Steichen photograph, which appeared in the April 1, 1925, Vogue, is a charming reminder of the pre–flip-flop era. Footwear is the focus. On the left, white T-strap pumps with contrasting dark trim; on the right, sturdy crocheted heels. A gentleman friend adjusts the radio's knobs as this leisurely crew prepares for some civilized beach time. The haphazard, off-center nature of this shot lends it a certain fascination, as one can't help but imagine the rest of this scene.
condenaststore.com
__________________
And I am nothing of a builder, but here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade to keep you home, to keep you safe from the outside world
the only reason why late 19th century chinese women had to bound their feet was only because an emperor saw a gorgeous woman and how she had tiny feet and admired it so much that he practically made small feet a must for women all over china to bound their feet and do the same. i would say he had a foot fetish...
of course, through out chinese history, women didnt have to bound their feet like that of late 19th century women.
a pair of Qing dynasty platform shoes
flickr
a common style of slippers from Tang dynasty with turned up or filled in toe to make it look full
baidu.com
another pair of Qing dynasty platforms worn by royalty, this picture was featured in the book 'shoes' by linda o'keefee
gznet.com
Leather upper and sole with pointed upturned toe
Shaped wooden block between sole and heel
leather latches with eyelets fastened with ribbon vam.ac.uk |
1851 - ankle boots in silk stockinette (knit) with leather toecaps & soles
possibly made England or Germany
The square toe was popular 1825 to 1870s.
Shoes were indistinguishable left to right until the 1900s, called 'straights', so these two are completely identical.
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Historical Associations
Many of the British shoemakers who exhibited at the Great Exhibition stressed the variety of styles they had to offer and the novelties of their construction. These boots, for example, are made of stockinette which derives its name from a stocking stitch originally used to make socks and stockings. One shoe manufacturer, J. Sparkes Hall, was listed in The Official and Descriptive Catalogue as exhibiting 'elastic stocking-net' boots.