These are the Zsa peep toe mary janes from Donald J Pliner. Don’t they remind you of 50 shoes? They have the high stiletto heel that was a main fixture on women’s feet in the 50s, plus they have the piping trim in a contrasting color which were common on women’s shoes in that era.

Here’s a collection of pictures I found on the internet of 5 genuine vintage 50s shoes featuring the contrast trim, to show just how common it was back then:

Black on mustard on these Andrew Geller for Joseph La Rose pointy toe pumps

Navy accented with gold on these vintage 5os John Marino New York mules

The clear foot strap is set off by the beige tone of the rest of these Nicholas Ungar slingbacks

Black and white mesh pumps from the “I Love Lucy” era

Another pair of authentic vintage 50s pumps, this time in black and brown

I like the clean line that the contrast trim makes and I think they somehow make the feet look narrower and slimmer. I’ll most definitely be on the lookout for more shoes with contrast trim next time I go shoe hunting. I’ll share what I’ll be able to find in a next post here on Retro Vintage Shoes!

If you’re liking the Donald J Pliner Zsa peep toe mary janes, they’re available for purchase for $214.12 at Zappos.com.

Related Posts

1. Top 8 Choices for 50s-Inspired Contrast Trim Shoes
   

   As promised, I went looking for modern shoes that have the contrast trim detail that were so popular in the 50s. There are actually quite a lot of shoes that have contrast piping that are being sold now. There are sneakers, wedges, pumps, and high heels, but I carefully chose those that have a retro or [...]

2. Woven Raffia Platform Mary Janes from Zinc
   

   I’m not much of a fan of mary jane shoes but even a non-fan like me had to stop in awe at these woven raffia platform mary janes from Zinc:

   Zinc Maria Pump
   Named the “Maria Pump”, this modern take on the mary jane features a woven raffia upper. It is balanced on a 5-inch high curved [...]

3. The Evolution of Mary Janes from Little Girls’ Footwear to Women’s Shoes
   

   When mary janes were first introduced in the early 1900s and came into popularity in the 1920s, they were solely the property of infants, toddlers, and young girls.
   Little girl’s mary jane shoes
   The flat sole and the rounded toe were perfect for little children’s feet and the single buckled strap helped keep the shoe in place. [...]

Mules are worn by women, kids, and even men today, and it comes in varied styles that go from casual to dressy:

Rockport Garden casual mules for women

Dressy mules from Stuart Weitzman

Casual mules for men from Naot Footwear

Dressy flat mules for kids from RAGG Kids

You’d be surprised to know that mules go all the way back to the 1700’s.  It’s definitely more vintage than most footwear (though not as old as Roman sandals).

Back then, only men and women of class wore mules. Wearing it conveyed a status symbol by implying luxury. Laborers could not wear mules because it was hard to work in such a pair of shoes that would slip off easily. The rich displayed the privilege of not needing to work by showing off their backless shoes.

If you’re curious how 18th century mules looked like, refer to the photo below:

18th century mules for women

Today, people still wear mules more because it is easy to wear rather than for status symbol. Mules were quite hot back in the late 1990’s, but its popularity has simmered down.

This coming spring however, mules are making a comeback. Check out these spring shoes from YSL and Alexander Wang:

YSL Closed Toe Stilleto (Spring 2010)

Alexander Wang Trish Loafer Wedge (Spring 2010)

To stay in trend for spring, check out these ladies’ mules from Zappos.com:

CARLOS by Carlos Santana Funky

Corso Como Simple

Donald J. Pliner Filvi

You can also purchase these options for the special man in your life:

Born Will

Finn Comfort Weimar

Related Posts

1. Old-Fashioned Vintage Lace Shoes
   

   Lace, sheer fabrics, and lingerie may be the newest, latest, and hottest trend for 2010, but lace still elicits old-fashioned delicateness and age-old elegance.

   Intricate lacework
   Lace-making originally involved fine materials such as silver and gold threads. Nowadays, anything from cotton to copper threads are used in the lacing process. But no matter what material is used [...]

2. Old Gringo Ladies ‘Mules’ : Edgy Look that Demands Attention
   

   Old Gringo has long established itself as one of the leaders in western retro boots for both men and women, and with the Ladies ‘Mules’, the company easily brings back the unmatched quality classic style of the years that have passed. Though not seen in the vast world of publications, this pair definitely has that [...]

3. Donald J Pliner Contrast Trim Peep Toe Mary Janes and Other Authentic Vintage 50s Two Tone Shoes
   

   I came across these shoes on Zappos.com and instantly fell in love:

   These are the Zsa peep toe mary janes from Donald J Pliner. Don’t they remind you of 50 shoes? They have the high stiletto heel that was a main fixture on women’s feet in the 50s, plus they have the piping trim in a [...]

Beaded satin wedding shoes circa 1890

Edwardian rhinestone beaded silk dress shoes

Bronze satin evening shoes with beaded buckles circa 1927

The intricate patterns, the bead color matching, the fine craftsmanship – details like these make vintage beaded shoes evoke a feeling of richness, luxury, and glamour. But the knowledge of how much work went into each beaded shoe also evokes a sense of gratitude, honor for being able to wear such a beautiful pair of shoes someone painstakingly labored over.

Beaded shoes we have now are mostly made by automated systems, high-tech equipment and heavy machinery. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a shoe brand that still employs traditional hand beading methods; they have to resort to automated beading in order to remain competitive.

Although the sense of gratitude is lost somewhat, the good thing about that is they have duplicated the sense of luxury in modern beaded shoes at a fraction of the vintage shoe’s cost. Here are some modern beaded shoes in various styles:

Toe Loop Sandals

Donald J Pliner Garnet, $295.00

D’Orsay Pumps

Nine West Janika, $71.06

Gladiator Sandals

BCBGeneration Uma, $78.95

Wedges

Charles by Charles David Mosaic, $89.95

Booties

Fratelli Rossetti 62602, $580.00

Which do you prefer? Vintage beaded shoes or modern beaded shoes?

All of these beaded shoe styles are available for purchase at Zappos.com.

Related Posts

1. 7 Modern Takes on the Vintage 60s Daisy Print
   

   Here’s how to literally add spring to your step: wear shoes in floral prints. Here at RetroVintageShoes, we think that the vintage 60s daisy pattern is one of the most cheerful floral prints to wear for the spring season.

   Check out these 7 different types of shoes with 7 different takes on
   the 60s daisy print:

   1. [...]

2. Modern Made Vintage: 3 Trendy Shoes Turned Old-Fashioned
   

   Sometimes, a shoe can be as modern as a peeptoe platform yet still look retro or vintage. In the case of these shoes, all it took was adding a flower to give them an old world feel.
   Here are 3 pairs of shoes with very now silhouettes made old-fashioned simply by attaching flower details:

   Bordello Camille 01 – [...]

3. Donald J Pliner Contrast Trim Peep Toe Mary Janes and Other Authentic Vintage 50s Two Tone Shoes
   

   I came across these shoes on Zappos.com and instantly fell in love:

   These are the Zsa peep toe mary janes from Donald J Pliner. Don’t they remind you of 50 shoes? They have the high stiletto heel that was a main fixture on women’s feet in the 50s, plus they have the piping trim in a [...]

Alexis Mabille Spring 2010 Couture Collection

Although some of the looks still had a few ribbons, sashes, and lace details, these looks with straight and clean lines were the real scene stealers. The combination of the color-blocked hairstyles, the dresses, and shoes make a strong statement and it really does look like Mabille conducted surgery on the fabric to come up with this collection.

Now the question here is: would you wear color-blocked hair, a dress, and shoes all together at the same time? Can you pull it off? Perhaps the dress and the shoes together some people can still get away with, but the hair…

Color blocking isn’t new. It’s been done numerous times in past decades. However, no other image quite captures the boldness of this design better than the famous Yves Saint Laurent “Mondrian” day dress:

As designer Yves Saint Laurent created this day dress in 1965, he made history as well. The 60s simple shift dress together with Dutch painter Piet Mondrian’s 1930 Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow painting produced such an iconic dress that it became much admired and very much imitated even to this day.

Check out these fresh new footwear takes on color blocking, all new styles inspired by the 60s trend:

Dereon Skilled Pump

Donald J Pliner Caly

Marc by Marc Jacobs 674912

Related Posts

1. 50s and 60s Square Toe Pumps at the Prada Fall 2010 RTW Fashion Show
   

   The latest Prada fashion show has landed on fashion’s front pages again not because of the clothes but because of the use of (gasp!) models with boobs and butts:

   Relatively “bigger” models: Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes and Lara Stone
   In real life, Dutch model Lara Stone is a teeny size 4 (US). As for the other two? [...]

2. Welcome the Spring with Vibrant Vintage Prints
   

   Spring’s the time to bring out the open toes, the slingbacks, and the sandals! Match this season’s blossoms with these 5 vibrant prints that are retro and vintage-inspired.
   #1 Emilio Pucci 794975

   If there’s talk of print, then there’s talk of Pucci. Looks like pointed toes are coming back this season. $247.86 marked down from $424.00.
   #2 Matisse [...]

3. Flower Power: Reminisce Hippie Fashion This Spring With Floral Printed Shoes
   

   The 60’s was an era marked by a lot of things, but none as huge as the emergence of hippie fashion.
   Hippie fashion came out right after the Beatles movement, which was in the 50’s. Its development was driven by rebelliousness and the need to be free from society’s repressive rules.
   If the Beatles era was characterized [...]