Vintage Bridal Shoes Wow on Your Day

By Monica Galvan

Weddings are a special occasion.  They are an opportunity to look back into the past, remember those people that were married before you, and to look forward to a future life and adventures with that special person. What helps offer more of a historical nod than a special pair of vintage-inspired wedding shoes? Vintage-inspired wedding shoes offer a way of expressing the bride’s unique fashion sense, while paying respect to the fine craftsmanship and allure of the past.

Something borrowed, makes for an elegant choice for brides, whether you really did borrow them from a family member, or found them in your local vintage boutique. The vintage styles offer an antique look and historical sensibility.

For example, the Louis heel, originally invented in the 1660’s, showcases an hourglass heel that was both easy to walk in and elegant. This heel, along with steel and marquisate buckles, added an air of expense and luxury to practical shoes. Its comfort and glamour have made the Louis heel into one of the most popular shoe silhouettes ever designed.

As time passed, events in history have played a role in so many changes the occurred in the world. Do those changes affect the history of shoe design? In the 1930’s & 40’s, the popular t-straps and bar shoes of the 1920’s continued their stay on the fashion scene, as heels came more into the picture. 

During the 1940’s, as World War II raged, glamorous shoes were pushed aside for sensible war time shoes. The wedge heel grew out of wartime rations of steel, when Salvatore Ferragamo could not make his traditional shoe arches using steel. He invented a new version, using layers of cork as a heel. This cork was both comfortable and safe, as it supported more of the foot than a standard high heel. As women headed to work, while their men went off to war, these wedge heels became more popular, for both its high heel glamour and use as a practical and comfortable work shoe.

 All in all, vintage shoes for your wedding  offer a wonderful way of choosing a look that will show all your friends and family that you are fashionable and looking forward to creating a long history of your own, in your new life as a couple.