Vintage Dress Shoes from the 1920s
Popular forms of women’s dress shoes in the 1920s can be divided into three basic types: pumps (no straps), ankle straps (mary janes), and T-straps. Closed toes and heels were worn throughout the 1920s. Peep toes and sandle-style high heels (with either a sandal front or an open back) did not come into fashion until the later 1930s. The split upper, with the vamp covering the toes separated from the heel, came into high French fashion in the 1920s, and eventually worked its way into mainstream American fashion by the 1930s.
Women’s evening shoes in the first half of the decade usually had a fairly pointy toe and a Louis heel (curved) or Cuban heel (block) of 2” or 2 1/2”; in the second half, the pointed toe started rounding out and they usually sported a 2 1/2 – 3”Boulevard heel (straighter than the Louis, but with a slight curve). All these heel styles were thicker/sturdier than today’s thin high heels. Evening shoes were often made with fabric exteriors (e.g. silk satin, brocade, velvet, lace) over a leather base; sometimes they were decorated with beading, embroidery, or shoe clips. It was fashionable to have heels in a contrasting color or decorated with patterns or rhinestones. Popular colors were gold, silver, bronze, black, pastels, and bright silks.
Women’s daytime dress shoes were made from leather or more durable fabrics like silk faille, and usually had a heel from between 1” and 2 1/2”. For more casual wear, women wore low- heeled mary janes & oxfords, button up shoes, boots, etc.
Where to buy modern shoes that can pass as 1920s shoes: If you don’t have anything in your closet that looks 1920s, your best bet are character shoes from a variety of dance shoe suppliers: Capezio, So Danco, Danceshuz, etc. Capezio seems to be priced in the middle, with others cheaper and more expensive. Capezio also makes pricier versions in their “theatrical” line. A great place to try online would be: www.womensvintageshoes.com. Women’s Vintage Shoes has hundreds of choices from real vintage and retro shoes to modern look-a-likes.
If you want a color other than the standard black or tan, character shoes can be spray-painted. I have seen it done with women’s Capezios in metallic paints (gold, silver), and they look great. I have found one pair of character shoes from Danceshuz that comes in silver.
Another option for women is Retro-01’s “Flapper” shoe, which is closer to a 1920s shoe than any other costume shoe I have seen. Plus they come in several colors (black, white, red, silver, gold), and you can get them for under $30: You can most likely find them on either Amazon.com or Women’s Retro Shoes.
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