Fashion, French Society Shoes, Talon from Maison Huygen-St-Ouen, Re554, c1920

Date: 1920s

Paper Size: 315 x 235mm

Condition: good

Technique: Chromolithograph,  Printed in colour

Price: $130

Description: Catalogue copy of 1920s French Fashion Shoes

Provenance:

This print would have been part of a Sales Catalogue used by a Company Shoe Salesman 

The most interesting thing about the shoe history of the 1920s was that the shoes were visible.

Though the decades before, long garments covered up ladies shoes putting the style and decoration in the category of lingerie, a secret that only the wearer would know about.

That all changed once the hemlines began to rise firstly above the ankles and then kept on rising to above the knee.

Now shoes were to be admired because they could be seen. Not only could they be matched to the style of the garment but also the season.

This caused clothing designers to make clothes with shoes in mind. They often became shoe designers was well as dressmakers

The most popular shoe of the roaring 20s was the pump with a modest 2inch (5cms) heel. Basic slip-on pumps, 18^th century inspired colonial shoes, walking oxfords, and boots made up the other shoe styles.

For summer days and sporting activities, there were canvas flats, two-tone saddle shoes and the first canvas sneaker.

Young flappers made goloshes the fashionable boot to wear in winter

The demand for new shoes in new styles every season made custom fit shoe ordering a thing of the past. Now shoes were made in standard sizes, ready to buy from your local clothing store or mail order catalogue

This made shoe catalogues a necessity which is the source of these beautiful original 1920s French Shoe prints

The shoe industry exploded in the 1920s

Click below to read more on The History Of Shoes In The 1920’s:

https://antiquarianprintshop.com/blogs/news/the-history-of-shoes-in-the-1920-s