History of Shoes

History of Shoes

History of Sho

Vintage shoes appeal to women who want a unique accessory, as well as to collectors searching for display pieces.

History of Shoes

From delicate Edwardian items to 1980s trainers, there’s plenty to choose from.

Shoe styles  have changed frequently since the 1900s, responding to the fashions of the day with startling rapidity.

History of Shoes

Whether for display or to wear, there are plenty available.

History of Shoes

History of Shoes  Fashionable French.

In the early 1900s womens footwear was robust lace up boots were the first choice for everyday wear and had sturdy, waisted Louis heels, a style that originated at Louis xivs  court in 17^th-century France.

History of Shoes

Shoes of the 1900s,  were reserved for formal occasions and evening wear, also inspired by Louis xiv styles and modelled on 17^th century heeled slippers.

They were often made from silk and decorated with embroidery, bows, and elaborate buckles.

They came in pale colours, such as lilac, green, and were worn with  patterned stockings.

History of Shoes

Prices start at around $100 and rarely exceed $300 unless the shoes are exquisitely decorated or made of fine materials, and can be found at auctions, costume dealers, and antique and collectors fairs.

Straps and pumps.

When hemlines rose in the 1920s, strappy shoes became fashionable.

They came in dazzling colours such as Scarlett, Emerald, and gold and are highly collectable.

History of Shoes

Louis heels were still in vogue, and some shoes featured cut away sides or peep toes.

In the 1930s strappy designs were still popular, but streamlined pumps were the dominant style.

Also known as court shoes, pumps were plain slip on shoes with flat or raised heels, based on 18^th century foot mens slippers.

History of Shoes

They had rounded toes with slightly tapered heels and enclosed most of the foot.

History of Shoes Platforms and wages.

Wartime rationing in the 1940s required leather to be reserved for the armed forces.

So designers came up with statuesque platform shoes, made from Cork, wood , fabric covered plastic, felt and straw.

Forces pin ups, such as Betty Grable, made platforms seem glamorous and hugely desirable.

History of Shoes

Examples can often be found in charity shops, car boot sales, and jumble sales for around $50.or less.

 Finer items, or those in better condition can also be found at vintage and second-hand clothes shops and dealers.

History of Shoes

The wedge heel introduced by legendary Italian shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo in 1936, was also popular.

Examples of his innovations can be found generally at vintage clothes dealers for around $50 and rarely exceed $200.

History of Shoes

The 1950s are associated with more cut pumps with pointed toes and dainty stiletto heels.

The heel on some stilettos were so sharp that women were banned from wearing them in certain buildings because of the damage the did to the flooring.

Roger Vivier, a parisian shoemaker, made some of the finest examples.

His gem -encrusted pumps are highly sought after and often exceed $2000 at auction .

You can also find simpler styles from around $30-$50 upwards.

The decade for boots.

The youthful styles of the 1960s were reflected in the Mary Jan look often worn with mini skirts. Pumps with squared toes and heels were also typical of the time.

Boots played a major role in 1960 style from futuristic white plastic go-go boots to new age hippie boots and with the current fashions for retro styling, they can be expensive.

history of   shoes

Boots by popular names such as Biba and Mary Quant may cost you $300 or more, and those by their imitators can cost almost as much, as they capture the sought after look of the decade.

Despite this good examples can be found for around hundred dollars.

Timeless soles.

history of   shoes

By the 1970s fashion had stepped back into platforms and wedge heels, and the new version of these 1940 styles were much more extreme than the originals.

history of   shoes

A pair of Terry De Havilland pale green, pink, purple, orange snake skin effect wedge sandals from the early 1970s may cost around $350 are more.

These and wooden platforms candies shoes are a good investment, as the profile of the 1970s fashions is rising.

history of   shoes

Disco mania swept Europe and the USA in the latter part of the flanking 70s and dressy dance shoes became fashionable once more.

The French designer Maud Frizon was claimed for the striking corn heels and colourful decorative designs of her disco shoes, which can now be found in many second-hand clothes shops for around $80.

history of   shoes

During the 1980s styles such as pump and strappy shoe with towering  or Louis heels were dusted off and given a flashy makeover by Ferragamo and Chanel, all other examples of these can be found at around hundred dollars or less.

history of   shoes

Manolo Blahnik, known for his dainty, open, strappy shoes with high heels, is still prominent and his shoes from the 1980s can fetch up to $200 are more.

history of   shoes

Collectors tips on what to buy.

Trainers are among the most desirable collectables at the moment, and prices are rising rapidly, look for retro trainers like Puma, Clyde, Adidas, superstar, and Nike cortez.

history of   shoes

I hope you have found these pages on the  history of shoes to be both informative and helpful.

History of Fashion

History of Fashion

1960s fashions marked a dramatic change in clothing styles for women.

Today’s designers are raiding the 60s for inspiration, and authentic items by well-known names are in great demand.

Clothes from the 1960s represented either Dawn of the age of antiquities are a hippy trip to Marrakesh.

The first look was minimal and futuristic.

The second was flamboyant with ethnic overtones.

Clothing in these styles and other key looks of decade, include the A line dress and the denim jacket have become very sought after collectable items in recent years.

Have a  rummage through the wardrobes of a willing 60s child for items of value.

A wet jacket by Courreges can fetch around $300 £250, while an Ossie Clark blouse might be worth up to $750 £600, it might be more economic or to choose clothing inspired by the top designers are to look for items from the original 1960s boutiques.

America’s mission to send a man to the moon propelled fashion into the space age.

In the mid-1960s the Parisian couturier Andre Courreges created a look for Sci-fi heroines trousers suits, tunic dresses, miniskirts, and white go-go boots.

His designs were stark and angular, often in white accented with Day-Glo colours.

He embraced new synthetic materials, such as wet look vinyl.

Pierre Cardin another Parisian designer, made helmet hats, jump suits and tunic dresses.

He experimented with stiff, synthetic knits and used bold, contrasting colours, substituting, black for courage’s  white ,cardin also introduced geometric cut -outs and circular sip fasteners.

British fashion designer Mary Quant opened her first boutique, Bazaar on the Kings Road, London, in 1955, she is credited with popularising the miniskirt, and her inexpensive range, cutting edge fashions was bright, simple, and well-coordinated.

In the early 1960s she designed the first range of British coordinates, with sleeves and pinafore dresses in unique colour combinations.       

History of Fashion  

Emilio Puccis widely copied clothing, combing  futuristic and hippy styles.

This Italian designer was known for his psychedelic prints, inspired by stained glass and Aztec art.

Puccis tunics, caftans, and harem pants regularly featured in classic 1960s Vogue photo shoots.

 He made his originals with silk in natural colours, but also used new fabrics and dyes.

Ossie Clark, in his heyday created floral gypsy dresses and peasant blouses with a sophisticated twist.

He rejuvenated the elegant bias-cut of the 1930s and was a master of draping difficult fabrics such as crepe and chiffon.

 His signature touch was a secret pocket for a key.

Look out for printed fabric designs created by his wife Celia Birtwell a textile designer.

In London in the swinging 60s boutiques showcasing marvellously individualistic clothes were fashionable.

Barbara Hulanickis Biba store was influential, selling her floaty fashions, feather boas and handbags.

Today, anything linked to Biba is very collectible.

Quorum was another popular boutique, and Ossie Clark designed for them.

Today’s vintage boutiques are seeing a great demand for 60s fashion and as such original items are now fetching premium prices from both collectors and fashion gurus.

Collectors top tips.

Buy clothing that sums up the age , consider the quality of the garment, the fabric cut and stitching and buy the best you can if investment is the aim, if a piece is by a designer who led style, rather than followed it, the garment is sure to raise in value.

I hope you have found this article on History of Fashion helpful. 

History of Hats

History of  Hats

Hat’s appeal to our sense of drama and there’s nothing like a vintage hat for turning heads.

History of Hats

No longer an essential accessory, hats are still desirable and are becoming an increasingly popular new form of collecting.

History of Hats , At the beginning of the 20^th century the hat was integral to women’s fashions.

History of Hats

Going out bareheaded was unthinkable and Edwardian ladies donned large hats decorated with finery ranging from ribbon to stuffed birds.

Even in the 1920s the emancipated flapper would not consider leaving home without her cloth hat.

In the early 1930s, wide brimmed hats were in vogue, but by the end of the decade they had become much smaller and were accented with feathers and veils.

History of Hats

During world War II, female factory workers wore scarves tied up in a turban style for safety reasons, which soon became a fashion statement.

Although there were not rationed hats were difficult to obtain during this period, some women contented themselves with eye catching trims, while others felt justified in going  bareheaded like their favourite screen actresses, such as Veronica Lake and Lana Turner.

History of Hats

Except for formal occasions such as weddings or the races, most 1960s women abandoned the hat in favour of exotic hairstyles and even wigs.

But the hat was back a decade later designers of the 1970s emulated retro glamour especially the famed New York Milliner, Adolfo.

Collectors top tips.

Look for 1920s cloth hats, these are now highly collectable.

Store hats in hat boxes, stuffing the  crowns with acid free tissue paper to retain the shape.

Use a handheld steamer to reshape straw and felt hats, if badly crushed, seek professional help.

History of Hats

I hope you have found this page on   History of Hats to be both informative and helpful.

Happy hunting from the collectables coach

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Salt and pepper shakers come in a wide range of shapes and materials, as well as price.

They can determine the mood of a table setting, from elegant to whimsical.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

They are also fun to display and quality adds to the appeal.

The salt shaker was a Victorian device invented after free-flowing granular salt was developed in the mid-19^th-century.

The first glass salt shakers were made in the 1850s with Pepper Potts coming soon afterwards.

Rather like salt mills, early Salt Shakers had an agitator mechanism that brought down the lumps, a feature that reappeared in the 1960s and 70s.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

From the 1930s onwards, new methods of producing cheaper tableware led to the creation of colourful and imaginative shakers.

Many were made inexpensively in Japan and the Far East, they are easy to find and often marked foreign, you can buy them from around $20-$50.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Most collectors follow a theme, such as figures, cartoon characters, or advertising, others collectors choose a specific maker, such as, Carlton ware, Royal Winton, midwinter, or Beswick, to name just a few, look for 1950s shakers as they are quite popular at the moment, particularly Disney characters.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Collectors tips.

Look for animals or  birds  shapes, their wide appeal should increase the value.

Choose complete sets because trying to find a match may take many years.

I have made a small list of a few salt & pepper shakers you may like to 

Salt & Pepper Shakers

consider for your collection.

1930s to 50s Guinness salt and pepper $50-$70.

1950s  Venus shakers  $60 -$80.

 1930s Bonzo  the dog set $50-$60.

1960s wooden set $20-$40.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

1970s home prides Fred salt-and-pepper set $15-$30.

1970s Cornish where blue and white $20-$40.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

1950s Colton where vegetable set $40-$60

.

1930s Beswick Laurel & Hardy $60 $90.

The above prices are just for guidance and it may be possible to pick them up cheaper.

I hope you found this page on  Salt & Pepper Shakers to be informative and helpful.

Happy hunting from the collectibles coach