Many service men and women and defense workers had enjoyed the “California lifestyle” during the war, and the Westernwear of Hollywood actors must have also played a part. In my research, I noted that by the beginning of 1946, American consumers were once again able to buy colorful shoes.Īfter the war ended there was an increasing interest in style from the American West. I have read there were six colors allowed, but a Smithsonianarticle says there were only four: black, white, brown, and russet.Īt any rate, these shoes could not have been made during the war years with the beautiful red and blue, and the trim of even more colors. That feature pretty much ended with the 1940s.ĭuring WWII, shoe colors were strictly limited because the dyes used for leather contained ingredients needed for the war effort. I love the way there is a woven label inserted under the insole. They made average price range shoes, so it is interesting to see how very well-made my shoes are. At one time it was recognized to be the largest maker of shoes in the world. Vitality was part of the International Shoe Company of Saint Louis. The last ad I found on-line for Open Road was 1946. My thinking is that this line replaced the Open Road line. Note also that Vitality calls these walking shoes the Wanderlust line. I noticed this happening around 1947, and by 1954 the old thick clunky-look wedge was gone. Note that the pair on the bottom left has a slimmer and higher wedge. This ad is from 1949 and it features three styles of wedge heels. From 1945 through 1954, I found only one ad from Vitality. In trying to date my shoes I looked for two things: ads from the Vitality Shoe Company, and wedges that have a curved, rather than a flat sole. They continued after the war ended, into the early 1950s. Wedge heels first appeared in 1936 in Italy with designer Salvatore Ferragamo, though they didn’t really catch on until WWII made practical heels more necessary. To me it’s really interesting to follow a trend from its first appearances in advertisements, to the days, often years later, when the trend becomes a has-been. I have spent considerable time engaged in research involving 1940s and early 1950s fashion magazines. How did I arrive at that date? First, I could be off a year or so in either direction. This pair looks like they just came out of the shoe box, circa 1947. It’s fairly easy to find superb examples of evening shoes that date back to the early days of the twentieth century, but comfortable day shoes were often worn until they were done for. These more than met my strict criteria.Ĭondition is a big problem with vintage sporty shoes. I don’t buy a lot of shoes for my collection for various reasons, and I’m quite cautious when I find a pair I might want to add to my collection. Here, shop the fresh, minimalist take on wedge boots for fall.I recently found this pair of wedge heeled shoes on eBay, and was really delighted when they arrived in my mailbox. With countless brands jumping on board, it’s clear that the wedge boot is indeed destined for a stylish future. After houses like Céline have had one-off wedges on their runways in recent years, now the style has officially taken hold. This fall, brands like Off-White, Amina Muaddi, and even Zara are dreaming up sculptural, clean-lined wedge boots that feel modern and minimalist, not dated or clunky.

Now, the same is happening with wedge boots. Thanks to brands like The Row and Stella McCartney, flip-flops suddenly felt fresh, cool, and sleek, catapulting them into stardom. Not unlike the resurgence of the fashion flip-flop-the stylish set’s aversion to the shoe silhouette has, in turn, made room for a minimalist, elevated, and fashion-forward overhaul. The stylish resurrection of the wedge boot has a lot to do with the style’s transition from clunky and clompy to stylish, minimalist, and sleek. The unabashedly comfort-first silhouette may have pushed the fashion-forward away from the boot in recent years, but it’s also what’s luring people to it once more. Enter: wedge boots, a wintery shoe that owes some of its unfashionable demise to its utility. There’s a polarizing boot silhouette that’s getting a modern, stylish makeover.

Photographed by Theo Wenner, Vogue, July 2017

2018 new fall wedge shoes