Vintage Peter Fox Shoes

We came across this advertisement from the mid-1980's...love the colors!

1980's Flashback...Bridal styles of the 80's

We were looking through some of our older magazine editorials the other day and it struck us at how different wedding styles are now than they were in the 80's.
When Peter Fox started doing shoes in 1982 it was the Reagan Era, Dynasty was a top TV show and women were power dressing.  Excess was in and shoulders were large.  This also applied to wedding styles, dresses had so many "over the top" details.  Big shoulders, "Leg of mutton" sleeves, lots of lace and big wreath-like headpieces. Brides wore white stockings often in lace patterns and shoes were much heavier and heels were lower. The most famous bride of the decade, Princess Diana, epitomized this style with her huge ruffled dress and long train.

Here are a few pictures from our archives, the first three feature earlier Peter Fox Shoes, the rest are just fun to look at.

                                    

Princess Diana

                                   

The iconic Billy Idol White Wedding Album cover

   

Luke and Laura from General Hospital, One of the most
watched TV Weddings

Swimming Shoes

 Recently we were lucky enough to visit the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.  Their current
  exhibit is wonderfully titled "The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits"

It featured beautiful flapper dresses, bejeweled heels and interesting stories from that era.
One interesting style of shoe that really stood out was this "Swimming Shoe"

Swimming shoes, made by Philips
English, late 1920s 
The 1920s saw increasing numbers of women participating and excelling at sports. The sporting accomplishments of women, such as Suzanne Lenglen’s stunning tennis game and Gertrude Ederle’s record breaking swim across the English Channel were celebrated and inspired many women to take up a sport. Each sport required its own specialized footwear including swimming. This pair of red rubber, “silver wing” bathing shoes would have been worn by a swimmer in pursuit of both fashion and fun at the end of the 20s. 
Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum
Photo credit: 2011 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada.

Our own photo

What a stylish way to go swimming.... they even have wings!  This style would not look out of place in current times as a street shoe, wings and all.

The Roaring twenties exhibit is on until June 2012, I'll post more pictures soon.
http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/exhibitions/roaring20s/index.shtml

Vintage Peter Fox Shoes

These fanciful shoes are circa 1995 and were inspired by stained glass windows.  They are made of Italian silk and feature a 1940's style heel.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year!

What is a Mary-Jane Shoe?

We hear the term “Mary-Jane shoe” often…but what is it exactly and where did the name come from?

According to Wikipedia:

“Mary Jane is an American term (formerly trademarked) for a kind of strap shoe or sandal that typically has low heels, broad and rounded closed toes, and a single-buckle strap across the instep and/or around the ankle. They are traditionally made of black patent leather, although some current incarnations can be in a wide array of colors and leathers.

Mary Jane was a character created by Richard Outcault for his comic strip, Buster Brown, which was first published in 1902. She was the sister of the title character, Buster Brown.

In 1904, Outcault traveled to the St. Louis World's Fair and sold licenses to up to 200 companies to use the Buster Brown characters to advertise their products. Among them was the Brown Shoe Company, who later hired actors to tour the country, performing as the Buster Brown characters in theaters and stores. This strategy helped the Brown Shoe Company become the most prominently associated brand with the Buster Brown characters. The style of shoe both Buster Brown and Mary Jane wore came to be known by her name, Mary Jane.”

At Peter Fox Shoes we design many of our shoes with Mary-Jane straps. Besides providing comfort and security, this style is an attractive method of solving a lot of fit issues.  For example, if a woman has a wider foot with narrower heel, it will keep the foot from lifting out of the shoe. If a woman has a low arch, it will keep the shoes from gaping in the middle of the foot.

Mary-Jane’s are also wonderful for Brides.  They provide security for outdoor weddings where the ground can often be uneven.  They are also perfect for dancing since you don’t have to worry about your shoes coming off. (Especially if trying to navigate a dress with a big train or skirt).

The Mary-Jane style is a classic…we don’t think it will ever go out of style.

A New Way to Wear Dyed Silk Shoes

We really liked the outfit that Actress Kaley Cuoco (From the show "Big Bang Theory") wore to the 2011 Emmy awards.  It was a simple one-shouldered black dress with a "tea length" hem with very high red satin shoes and a matching evening bag.

She looked fresh and modern, yet with a "retro twist" and stood out among the many more traditional evening gowns.  A great way to add a pop of color to a black dress and show a bit of self-expression.  Silk-satin shoes don't have to be thought of only as old fashioned "dyed to match" anymore....have some fun with color and perk up any outfit.

All Peter Fox Silk-satin shoes are dyeable, see link below:

Peter Fox Silk Shoe Collection

Size 11 and 12 Women's Shoes

We have been offering size 11 and 11 1/2 shoes for many years and have now added size 12 to our size range.

A majority of companies only go to size 10, leaving many women with not much choice in their shoe shopping.  We have had numerous customer requests over the years and have worked with our factory in Italy to create size 11 1/2 and 12 “lasts” that will still look proportional. This means that the proportions of a size 7 shoe and a size 12 style will look the same. (Instead of the shoe just being made longer).

Please check our website for size 12’s….we will also be adding sizes in our new re-orders.  Sizes of existing style can also be special ordered. Please contact us on the link below for ordering info.
http://www.peterfox.com/contact-us.aspx