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March 13, 2009
Friday Footwear: Karen Buckles Down Edition
Fashionable English ladies, 1780. Notice the shoe buckles.
“I'm in Loehmann's.”
“Great, any cute shoes?”
“Didn't you get the pictures I sent?”
I check the inbox on my phone:
“Nope, nothing.”
“Well anyway, there are two pairs I really like and just I can't decide.”
“Describe the little beauties.”
“Oh, well, I dunno... Okay: the first are Calvin Klein's, sort of silver, no maybe pewter—”
“Like the color of a gun?”
Karen ignores this, recognizing that I'm kind of dopey when it comes to firearms and footwear.
“And they have a really beautiful silver buckle across the toe.”
"Buckles are excellent.”
“And the second pair are made by, uh, lemme take a look: Me Too—never heard of them—simple black ballet flats, but really cute patent leather with a nice bow.”
"Bows are also excellent.”
"But I'm really not doing them justice.You need to see them.”
Karen's Calvin Klein buckle flats. Definitely pewter.
The first shoe buckles, simple and functional, were worn by men during the 1660's. But Louis XIV, The Sun King, saw a golden opportunity to make a statement of wealth and privilege. In 1685 the King ordered a pair of diamond encrusted shoe buckles for 351,258 livres, which, I assume, was a great deal of money.
Naturally, women jealously evaluated the King's uber-fashionable footwear and wanted a piece of the sartorial action. Between 1760 and 1780 fashion conscious women in France, England, Germany and Italy, en masse, snipped off the silk ribbons on their shoes and replaced them with fancy-shmancy buckles. Soon, buckles turned into enormous and hugely expensive pieces of jewelry that signaled the wearer's pecking order in high society.
Drama ensued as some of the more, er, upright members of society viewed buckles as a sure sign of decadence.
From a 1693 British pamphlet:
Ribbons, however, are more proper and modest than these gaudy new closures, which, moreover, make them suffer as they irritate the bones of the vain ones, which should quickly make them repent their exhibitionism and their extravagant ideas. Let us sincerely hope that all sensible persons with strong notions of honour will abstain from the usage of these vulgar ornaments. It is up to all fathers to solemnly warn their young that such ostentation is forbidden by Holy Scripture.
Naturally, after such pious warnings, buckles became more popular than evuh!
These days, the buckle on woman's footwear rarely serves a utilitarian purpose. No, the modern buckle is a phantom limb, a remembrance of footwear past, a time when kings and queens paraded through immense palaces in shoes crowned with diamond encrusted gold buckles—while outside, the peasants went barefoot.
Not surprisingly, the glorious age of buckles came to an end with the French Revolution when all deputies gave up their gold buckles for the benefit of the national treasury.
But now, Karen proudly wear shoes with buckles, for the footwear of aristocrats has filtered down society's ladder, and all women feel like queens and princesses.
Oh yeah, Karen also purchased the patent leather ballet flats, because, well, they are labeled: Me Too.
Karen and I are now in Teaneck, N.J., to help celebrate the first year birthday of our granddaughter Ma'ayan Ariel. We wish all our friends and relatives a lovely and meaningful Shabbat.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at March 13, 2009 12:31 AM
Comments
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Mazel Tov - what a great simcha! Shabbat Shalom.
Posted by: mark at March 13, 2009 04:39 AM
Yom huledet sameach, Ma'ayan Ariel!!! May you enjoy a very long, healthy life, filled with sales on exceptionally lovely shoes, smachot, brachot, and the ability and desire to do many acts of chessed.
Posted by: rutimizrachi at March 13, 2009 06:43 AM
Robert - May your granddaughter have a long and happy life...
I really enjoy your blog - you have an encyclopedia like knowledge of everything from 1920's movie stars to 16th century shoe fashions - wonder if some enterprising French shoe maker had a "let them eat cake" line of exclusive shoes?
Well, probably not - at least during the Revolution.
I am finishing a fascinating book that a friend just got published - his first published book - said he went to 300 publishers before getting a "yes".
Entitled Bird's Nest, it is about a terrorist attack on the Beijing stadium just at the closing ceremonies. Indonesians smuggle a suitcase nuke bought from a Ukraine scientist with the Iranians providing financing.
Anyway the Chinese decide to "go Roman", nuke the main Iranian nuclear facility, Tehran, and send 20,000 special forces operatives to Wazeristan to seal it and kill every male between 8 and 80 - assuming they are al Queda or Taliban sympathizers
Quite a read and reminds me that in history the bigger the provocation the bigger the response.
Posted by: Bill Brandt at March 13, 2009 10:28 AM
Wishing a very happy birthday to Ma'ayan Ariel and many, many happy returns!
Posted by: Irina at March 13, 2009 11:25 AM
Ma'ayan Ariel thanks everybody for their good wishes. And when she's old enough she's going to read "Bird's Nest." Sounds like a great read. Shabbat Shalom to all.
Posted by: Karen Avrech at March 13, 2009 12:02 PM
A very happy birthday to your special little one, Ma'ayan Ariel!
First birthdays are wonderful. May you and your family have a joyful time together.
Posted by: INC at March 13, 2009 12:05 PM
Happy Birthday to Ma'ayan Ariel!
Glad she can celebrate with her grandparents there.
Posted by: DrCarol at March 13, 2009 04:28 PM
From where is that last picture of the funky shoe with the buckle?
btw, Teaneck is my home turf -- though it looks a lot different now than it did when I was growing up!
Mazal Tov!!
May you know only joy from your family!!
Posted by: Rivka with a capital A at March 15, 2009 01:15 AM
I own quite a number of pairs of shoes; early last week, I'd looked over my collection and realized that so many of them have buckles, or chains, or bows across the toes. For some reason I seem to be drawn to shoes like that. Do those accoutrements give the footwear a sign of completion perhaps?
Mazel tov to you all on Ma'ayan Ariel's first birthday. May she reflect all of her late uncle's wonderful qualities, and grow up to have a long & healthy life.
Posted by: Pearl at March 15, 2009 04:51 AM
Mazal tov to Ma'ayan Ariel on her first birthday! I bet she's going to have quite a shoe collection in just a little while....
Posted by: Rahel ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 15, 2009 09:38 AM
Rivka A:
I'm pretty sure the shoe, judging by the heel, is from England, the mid to late 1700's.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at March 17, 2009 09:20 AM
Pearl:
I think all women are drawn, almost magically, to shoes with buckles. Ma'ayan's birthday party was fun!
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at March 17, 2009 09:23 AM
Karen's Calvin Klein buckle flats is good shoes for to use in casual way.But in flats i specially prefer flip-flops.
Posted by: oneill sandals at June 3, 2010 03:36 AM