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| One of a Pair of Shoes Silk Brocade, Leather 1720-1730 Great Britain The Victoria & Albert Museum |
I can’t quite decide if these are men’s or women’s shoes and the supporting literature from the V&A doesn’t specify for which gender these were made. I think to quickly deem them women’s shoes would be to do them a disservice. First of all, men’s shoes (in the aristocracy) in Britain in the Eighteenth Century weren’t the boxy loafers of brown and black which have become the stuff of men’s footwear in the last century. Men’s fashions allowed for color, rich materials, gems and ribbons and I could see a gent wearing such shoes with his legs sheathed in hose. That’s not necessarily a pretty picture. It depends on the man you picture, I suppose. Monty Clift would look better in them than say, Burl Ives. But, that goes for just about anything. I digress.
I’m going to state that I think they’re men’s shoes. Any shoe historians out there, feel free to correct me.
They are quite nice looking. Here is one thing, however, that I’m glad has changed. While women suffer through terrible ordeals for foot fashion, men don’t have to. I don’t think I’d last long in shoes like this. I can barely keep my balance in Doc Martens. So, while I appreciate the look of them, I’ll say that boxy loafers are a practical improvement. That and hot running water. I like that, too.
2 comments:
Joseph, I think you may be right. This could very well be a shoe made for a man to wear. Here's a brief description of men's footwear that I found online from this time period:
Rococo 1715-1775: At the end of the 1720’s the domed toe died out and was replaced by a point. At first the toe was sharply pointed and turned up, but by about 1740, the majority again became blunter. Again in the 1770’s, the toes became sharper. Heels continued for men’s shoes but in contrast to the previous period the height dropped to a mere one-inch. Men’s shoes were still of practical dark colours with a high polish added from around 1725. Occasionally red heels were still worn for court, and red sole edges remained in vogue until around 1760. Velvet was used primarily for dress wear. For dancing, satin shoes were seen, though fabric was quite uncommon for men’s daily wear. Mules at the beginning of the period were made from brocade. Later they changed to light leathers of assorted colours.
Seems to fit quite nicely with the shoe you have pictured. I do have to say, as handsome as Monty was, I am not sure that even he could pull off wearing this shoe! :)
Thank you, Shawn. That's very useful information!
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