Seeing saddle shoes was a blast from the past. Wow - I had forgotten that about the 1950s - they look cute - or - fab-u-lous!

Think about going to the Brentwood country Club in your saddle shoes getting out of a 58 T-Bird convertible.

Bill:

When I was a kid I wanted saddle shoes in the worst way. But we couldn't afford them. My mother told me that "only wealthy Gentiles can wear such shoes."

Grrr, anti-Semitic footwear!

Friday footwear has stepped up to new heights with this entry. Fashion writing that tops our NYT's snob Cintra Wilson. Nice.

Karen:

Can I buy you the cap toe flats as a thanks for the ego-boosting comment?

Robert - now that you mention it even to this Gentile (certainly not wealthy) saddle shoes had an "upper class" cachet - although I remember people in my public school in Sherman Oaks wearing them.

Perhaps along with "Penny Loafers" they had a "Prep School" reputation.

Thanks, too, for you reply on BH to my query on Thomas Ince

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/02/12/true-hollywood-confession-i-am-a-dope-fiend-but-not-a-jewess/#respond

Nice does not trump cute....unless said with a lot of expression

I seem to remember a lot of saddle shoes at my Catholic grade school but we were certainly not wealthy. The girls wore saddle shoes or penny loafers and the boys all wore keds or tennis shoes. It wasn't until I played basketball in high school that I wore a pair of shoes that cost more than ten dollars except for my "sunday" shoes.

Fox news just reported that Galid Shalit may be exchanged for palestinian criminals held by Israel. It will probably be another 1,300 for 1 exchange and will thankfully get him home. But why o' why did the government not make his return part of the cease fire? Or lacking that why did they not let the IDF keep going until they found where he was being held? And why did so many voters want someone leading their country that did not make his return a top priority when they had the chance?

Robert, as you may remember, my shoe style is somewhat different from that depicted in Friday Footwear (among other reasons because I have to wear orthodics if I want to get around any way other than hobbling). Still, I look forward every week to this feature - the pics, but even more the writing! As a matter of fact, like Karen I love your "fashion writing" altogether.

I wish both of you a Shavua Tov (a good week).

Hi there - I'm a frequent reader but have never commented. But I must protest the slander against saddle shoes. I loved mine (when I was 12)! I prided myself on polishing them, keeping the white parts from straying over into the black areas, and vice a versa. Furthermore, the old shoes were great for clamping on your roller skates (remember those?). Ah well, it's probably before your time. But when I wore a huge skirt complete with a dozen starched petticoats, a tucked in shirt with collar up and my freshly polished saddle shoes, I felt like a princess!

Ahh saddle shoes... I had some and wore them, too. They were pretty standard in the middle of the previous century.

But Nancy was the exception - most of the saddle shoes I saw "in my circle" were a dirty white ;-)

For what it's worth, although I am a mere child of the 90's, I can say with full honesty that I have coveted a pair of saddle shoes ever since I was first introduced to their wonderful existence. I have not yet gotten my hands (or rather, feet) on a pair.

I must have passed under the radar, for I too had several pairs of saddle shoes, and I remember the tricky dexterity required to polish them. I bet nowadays, kids don't know what shoe polish is! Getting the white tips really white was a challenge. Then you had the job of preventing the black polish from bleeding into the white. I never figured out if they were called "saddle shoes" because you wore them riding, or the piece of leather, "saddled" the shoe.

Karen: If my flaky memory is correct the "saddle" came in black, navy blue, or brown. And I specifically remember a Buster Brown shoe store on Ventura Blvd in Studio City.

I think Pat Boone was always wearing them, if that matters.

I would think that keeping the "saddle" polish from bleeding into the white would be a major challenge, particularly if it was liquid polish.That's probably a reason for their demise.

They are certainly 1950s fashion, along with "Poodle Skirts".

I have to see "Blast From The Past" again!

Speaking of which both poodle skirts and saddle shoes are still available here:

http://www.anniepoodleskirts.com/

Don't know why this subject has intrigued me but you never know!

Speaking of which Robert (a phrase that triggers yet another tangent) , I have a bit of a story to tell you tied with the movie industry.

My friend Larry R.'s late father was an accountant with some Hollywood ties - including John Frankenheimer.

He liked to ride a Honda motorcycle and he was late for an appointment.

Apparently a rude driver hit some water splashing said Honda rider all over - and drove off without stopping - apologizing...

When Larry's father went in dripping wet to his client, who should that client be but the bad driver.

"You never know", was all his father said...

Larry checks in here periodically and if any of my facts are wrong he can correct me...

I have been slobbering over the Channel version of those shoes since the late 80s. When they were $350.00 at Bloomingdales. Now, I don't even want to know. I do know that if I ever win the lottery I will have a pair in every color combo.

Oh, they ARE cute! Hard to match to skirts, though, I'll bet. The trouble frum ladies go through to match shoes to skirts when they were made to go with pants...

Yes they look very nice and cute!! Theese ballerina shoes look really sweet.

Congrats for the nice post.