Saturday, October 16, 2010
Thoughts on saddle shoes
Oh, black and white saddle shoes. How classic you are. A bit of sweet, fun, preppy, and rockabilly cool all wrapped up in one. After recently reviewing a pair of brown saddle oxfords, I thought it might be fun to style up a traditional pair. You see, what ultimately helped aide my decision in choosing the brown pair was the fact that I can't fully separate the charms of the saddle shoe from bygone eras. Most often all I see in my head are images of poodle skirts, bobby socks, and vintage frocks. Emily of Ruby Slipper Journeys made a good point in saying that black and white saddle shoes look a little weird with most modern outfits. They certainly can and often do. From what I've observed it's chiefly either a) because we're so dead-set in associating them with the past or b) that they're worn exclusively with vintage clothing. Neither of these have to be so! That isn't to say that if I bought a pair of black and whites I wouldn't wear them with some vintage duds - I probably would! However, I've set out with these Polyvore sets to create some modern looks that, I feel, embrace the traditional saddle oxford as well as if they were a pair of classic black flats or heels.
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7 comments:
Oooo I like the styling, Emily. Very Ivy League. The saddle shoe trend is *huge* here in NZ. Heaps of girls are rocking them with floral dresses, skater skirts, and lots of tights. I've got my eye on a really sweet pair of pink canvas ones.
I can certainly imagine them with that black dress, beige cardigan and the oatmealy socks of the last polyvore. And with the other options too. Perhaps I was going about it the wrong way thinking they'd look best with black when I tried some on. They just looked flourescent!
As for Sherlock Holmes, first off, I think the Great Mouse Detective is a great movie! And secondly, hmmm, it's hard to say what I'd recommend first. I love the Jeremy Brett adaptations as they are faithful, really well acted, and quite humourous. I think they might seem a little slow these days, but they're only an hour each and if you like watching period pieces you might not mind.
Otherwise, the books really are instantly enjoyable. I'd get a collection of short stories, such as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," to start off with. They're quick and very readable. The first of the novels, A Study in Scarlet is also pretty short and good for setting the scene/introducing the characters.
I get enough grief about dressing too "young" .. there's no way I'd attempt to pull off black and white saddle shoes. They are pretty cute though!
I love that black dress you picked out!
Fantastic polyvores! I knew a couple girls in high school that wore saddle shoes. That is before they were popular again. They would usually pair them with denim skirts or something casual. I was still stuck in my chucks at the time. I think both types of shoes give me clown feet, however. So while I think they are adorable on you and other girls, they are not for me.
I was actually on the hunt for the black and white oxfords till a while ago, but now my mind has changed into wanting brown ones! well I already have a pair of black oxfords and another grey, so it's more logical now wanting a brown/tan pair. though I still really like the black and white version!
my favourite set is the second one, because I love mixing masculine with feminine with outfits! :)
have a nice week dear!
Pretty! These are cool and hipster-y with a subtle nod to the past, not bonking us over the head with vintage. :) I especially like the styling in the second set... looks like what I would want to wear saddle shoes with. Good eye!
Thank you so much for this (again!!)
I have the same dilemma, I love the idea of them, but realistically, my tattoos, vintage glasses, straight across bangs will not help with a modern outfit. I always thought they'd look a bit more costume-ish, but this is so great! Thanks, Emily!
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