Shoes

Saks Fifth Avenue

ca. 1934 · leather · Costume Institute

Practical, mannish shoes were particularly strong in the early and mid 1930s, when the somber tone of the Depression years called for serious shoes. In order to feminize the classic designs, designers would often use high heels, cutouts, or - as in this example - color. This periwinkle color is quite unusual, and not surprisingly, the shoes were sold by an expensive store whose patrons could afford to purchase a complete wardrobe of shoes.

Artist

Saks Fifth Avenue

Date

ca. 1934

Medium

leather

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Hollis K. Thayer, 1958