STAY ON YOUR TOES

Vintage shoes will be sized for width AAAA - DDD. i.e.: 1940s platforms will be marked for size with A - D - 1970s will be med, narrow wide.

Women's European shoes between 1810-1830 rarely have heels.

Women's American made shoes between 1810-30 often have heels.

Women's shoes from both origins between 1830-55 never have heels.

Shoes made between 1800-1860 never have right or left soles unless they were made to order to fit a client's foot.

Shoe sizing systems:

Paris Point system (i.e. 42) is used on European and Asian shoes. England and Germany use the traditional method of sizing ( i.e. size 5). American system is similar to England, but modified (e.g. size 7). However, some countries that manufacture shoes for export sensibly mark then with the size system of the country they are shipping to.

Exotic leathers (crocodile, lizard. alligator) are commonly used for shoes were during WWll because they weren’t rationed or used for the war effort.

Remember - 'Croc has a dot, alligator not' when identifying skins. The dot is in the middle of the scale.

Sandals entered the shoe wardrobe in mid-1930 - first in Europe, then USA.

From the sandal came the open toe and the sling back in the late 1930s - never before.

Mules or open back clogs are likely to be European if they predate 1990. Though some were seen in the 1970s in the USA, they really weren't popular until the 1990s.

Stiletto heels began in Italy in 1955 and pointed toes in 1957.

Generally speaking, shoes with round toes and Spanish heels (high, but thicker than stilettos) are pre-1957.