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What to Wear with Saddle Oxfords?

Kathleen'sMeg43

New in Town
Messages
33
Location
East Tennessee
So I just ordered This Pair of saddle oxfords, and they came in the mail today!

But upon entering my closet I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to pair with them...

My question is, how far back do they date to? And do you have any photos of fashionable women wearing them? What were they wearing?

Thanks!!
Meg
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
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32,962
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
Saddles date back to the turn of the century -- they were originally an athletic/gym shoe. They became popular with college kids in the mid-thirties -- they peaked in popularity from 1936 to 1939, but remained popular well into the forties both among college and high school kids and with housewives looking for a comfortable low shoe to wear around the house.

They were a casual shoe, so they would usually be worn with a casual sweater-and-skirt combination or a simple cotton shirtwaist dress. They'd usually be worn with ankle socks, although it wasn't uncommon to see them worn with cotton full-length stockings.
 

katiemakeup

Practically Family
Messages
822
Location
NYC/L.A.
I love saddles-- I'm desperate for a navy blue pair. I would think you could wear them with a lot of different looks. Lizzie I didn't realize they went t hat far back, that is cool to know.
 

Mrs.Williams

New in Town
Messages
35
Location
East USA
So far I've only paired mine with a simple navy dress, a knotted scarf, and white socks. I have the Payless ones, too, and I can't wait to break them out again in Spring!
 

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Here's my mom in 1946 with the saddle shoes she wore through college:
REH1946rock.jpg


and a few years later, 1953, with the same beat up shoes:
1952REHDLHMTHreading2.jpg


Somewhere I have her in them in 1936, at age 16. They were worn with almost anything.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
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32,962
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
That's about what mine look like -- and ever since Sani-White went out of business, there doesn't seem to be any decent product left out there to clean up/cover the scuffs. Ah well, the grimier they are, the more obvious it is you aren't wearing them ironically.
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
32,962
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
There were plenty of variations on the standard brown-and-white by the late thirties. I don't know as I've actually seen that particular version, but it's not unprecedented. There were even heeled saddles, which most today associate more with the 70s than the 30s.
 

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