Pleaser USA Amour 3

Just compare them with these pictures of authentic 1960s marabou feather bedroom heels which I found on the internet:

Authentic 1960s blue marabou feather bedroom heels, Polly of California brand

Black maraboue feather bedroom heels from the 1960s; brand: Norman Kaplan Las Vegas

These reminded of a scene in the movie “Down With Love” where Barbara Novak (played by Renee Zellweger) is singing in her apartment in her nightgown and wearing these heels. I found a still – the movie was also set in the 60s by the way:

Renee Zellweger as Barbara Novak in the 2003 set-in-the-60s movie “Down With Love”

The Pleaser USA Amour 3 heels would be fun to wear to bed, but I don’t think I’d be able to wear them outside of the house. Would you?

If I really had to wear feathered shoes to go out, I’d go for these from Martinez Valero instead:

Martinez Valero Carla Heel in Green Satin, $174.99

Martinez Valero Carla Heel in Black Satin, $157.49

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Bernardo Miami sandals in Bronza Nappa, $89.00

They’re no stand outs at first glance really, but there was something about  the sandals’ construction and design.

So, wanting to know more about them, I clicked on the thumbnail and boy, did I know a lot more about them. Turns out, Bernardo has been in the shoe industry since 1947 and this particular sandal, the Miami sandal, was originally designed way back in the 1940s. The Bernardo Miami sandal is one of Bernardo’s most popular shoe styles and as you can see, they are still being sold and are still just as popular as they were 70 years ago.

I headed on over to the Bernardo website and found these vintage Bernardo print ads from the 1960s to the 1970s. I put them alongside new sandal styles from the Bernardo Spring 2010 collection to show just how classic and timeless Bernardo sandals are. Bernardo sandals are stylish and actually remain stylish over the years – no wonder iconic celebrity Jackie Onassis considered herself a big fan of Bernardo and owned the Bernardo Miami sandal in 16 colors.

Enjoy these vintage ads from 60s to 70s Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue!

Bernardo ad in the May 1960 issue of Vogue

Bernardo Miami Woven, $115.00

September 1964 Harper’s Bazaar Bernardo product placement

Bernardo Tina, $149.00

Bernardo ad in the November 1968 Harper’s Bazaar

Bernardo Mohawk, $159.00

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3. The 40s Military Trend in 5 Current Shoe Styles
   

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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.

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The war inspired a lot of fashion trends during that time (look up 40s military fashion and Christian Dior in the 40s) and it wasn’t long before the fashion industry picked up on lucite. Designers were soon churning out purses, jewelery, shoes, and other accessories made out of lucite and it became all the rage among women in the 1950s.

1950s actress and leading sex symbol Jayne Mansfield wearing lucite heels

The most expensive lucite purses in those days were made by Wilardy of New York and were even showcased in major department stores throughout the US (Henrietta Timmon’s “Lucite Purses – A Brief History and Buying Guide”):

1955 advertisement for a Wilardy Rhinestone Clutch, as used by English-American actress and director Ida Lupino in the 1954 film “Private Hell 36″

After the heyday of lucite in those years, it all kind of went downhill. There was a brief period in the 70s when the popularity of lucite spiked up again in the form of disco shoes, but it slowly became associated with strippers and became known as “hooker wear” from then on.

There is however a small group of people who know the true value of lucite and perpetuate the glamorous legacy that it started in the 50s. It looks like Miucca Prada is one of those people in the know, as she included elegant clear and smoky black-tinged lucite heels for her latest Spring 2010 Ready-To-Wear collection:

Lucite heels in the Prada Spring 2010 RTW fashion show

Lately, select shoe designers have also been coming out with really tasteful lucite shoes. See if any of these 3 lucite shoes are to your liking:

Stuart Weitzman Mam, $315.00

Onex Venus, $64.00

Two Lips Mel, $25.88

What do you think of the Prada lucite heels or lucite shoes in general? Will they catch on and restore their former glory or are they just a novelty to you?

Read more about Prada lucite heels in this blog post entitled “Lucite Heels from Prada: Chic or Cheap?” over at YourNextShoes.com.

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Alexander Wang Abbey High Heel Sandals in Tobacco

These shoes were first presented in Wang’s 2010 Resort Collection.

Alexander Wang Resort Wear 2010

It also comes in flat version, as seen on the 2^nd and 4^th models in the picture above.

At first glance, the Abbey High Heel Sandals may look masculine and perhaps a little ordinary, but these vintage looking shoes are actually sexy to wear.

The pointed toe offsets all the tough looking straps of the shoe, giving it a more feminine appeal. It also makes the legs appear longer.  The T-bar detail adds to the sexiness as well.

A close analysis will show us that this pair is actually a cross between fisherman sandals (in its glamorized form), mules, and T-straps.

To illustrate the comparison, here’s a pair of fisherman sandals from Bacco Bucci:

Bacco Bucci CJ Fisherman Sandals, US$159

VS.

Alexander Wang Abbey High Heel Sandals in Black

As for the ankle straps on these shoes, I am not entirely crazy about it, but I can live with it. Ankle straps always cut the length of the legs, so these shoes will have to go with short or mini outfits to look good.

Altogether, I would give the Alexander Wang Abbey High Heel Sandals a good 8 out of 10.

If you would like a pair of Alexander Wang Abbey High Heel Sandals for yourself,  you may purchase it at Shopbop.com for US$495.

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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 – and no matter how old it gets or how new it is - the amazing thing about lace is its designs still remain timeless.

See here a pair of vintage lace pumps with sparkly lucite heels, circa 1950:

1950s vintage lace pumps

Lucite heels reveal a sparkly rhinestone-inlaid flower in each heel

Compare them with these new Aven ivory lace pumps from rsvp:

rsvp Aven

Even though there are about 60 years between these two lace pumps, the lace design remains relevant and retains it sophisticated style in each shoe. Here’s proof that lace is everlasting and its fragile grace and luxury will last through time.

Another amazing thing about lace is that it can be lolita pretty or alluring and sexy, depending on the color and the lacework.

Here are 3 lace shoes that are delicately pretty:

Stuart Weitzman Dippy

Hale Bob Women’s Rio

Coloriffics Women’s Anne

And 3 that are sexy vampy:

Carlos by Carlos Santana Privilege

Romantic Soles Pamela

DSQUARED2 S10A001001 48

Which side of lace are you on – the pretty or the sexy?

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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

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