Victorian Footwear and Other Questions

[helwen]

Does anyone on my F-list know about the women's shoes offered at River Junction?

Ladies Shoes at River Junction

I'm inclined toward the hi-top boots, as they have a wider heel and seem to be the only ones that come in wide sizes, but are they period appropriate?

I'm thinking of putting something together for a spinning/fiber arts demo at the historical society in town, so work shoes are more appropriate than the really fancy shoes, but... decidedly not my area of expertise!

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I'm also debating just getting an outfit from then, even though I'd prefer it in linen -- seems like cotton was popular in the 19th century....


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Last, if I wanted to do an 18th century outfit -- ca. 1765-1790s, does anyone have recommendations for footwear, etc. resources?

Thank you!

Comments

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

Interesting. They sell button hooks, but none of their shoes require one.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Good to know -- not sure how that's used anyway. Does it help the lace to go around hooks rather than through holes? I do see that one of the boots has hooks near the top of the book, but doesn't seem like it would be that challenging.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ick! Just noticed that the Mexican dancing shoe (bottom of page) has a zipper -- surely they weren't doing that back then?

button hooks...

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

They are used from the outside, threaded through the button hole and over the button, then slide the button out and through the hole. Kind of like doing latch-hook stuff :-)

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

It's used when the shoes close with buttons instead of laces. You poke the hook through the buttonhole, around the button, and pull the button through the hole, as they're too tiny and awkward to do up by hand.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation.

sadly...

[bytchearse.livejournal.com]

Considering their men's boots are vinyl :-p I wouldn't put too much faith in their woman's shoes.

As to 18th century, I recomend Townsend (www.jas-tonsend.com) Much of their stuff is earlier but they do have clothing from that period.

Also, check out At The Sign of the White Rose...they mostly do much earlier but Kathryn takes commission work

Re: sadly...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

thx, I'd forgotten about Jas T!

Re: sadly...

[dreda.livejournal.com]

They're vinyl? But each description tells me the kind of leather - is that an untruth?

(Does Townsend sell women's shoes? I have hoped for that for years, but their "shoes" section of their catalog seems to be mostly socks.)

Re: sadly...

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

Yes they do, in sizes 6 through 12, with wide widths..but only the low heel Colonial sort at the moment. Fugawee has, or had, a wider selection of style.

Re: sadly...

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Ah, there they are. Very practical shoes. Not to my taste. ;)

Re: sadly...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Definitely check out the Fugawee web site, where they have more selection -- including, you can send them brocade fabric and have them make shoes that match your outfit :)

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

Jas Townsend is the leader in 18th century outfitting. I've dealt with them a great deal and they're reliable, fast, and reasonable.
FWIW

[helwen.livejournal.com]

thx, I'd forgotten about Jas T!

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

Jas Townsend now sells the ladies shoes in a pretty decent range of sizes. I got my Concords from Fugawee though. Which might be where Jas gets theirs.

In any case, luck. I find the Concords quite comfy myself.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

thx

[rtropeano.livejournal.com]

Nice. My problem with shoes of that type is the fit.
I have not been able to find one that is not painful at the arch.

I look forward to hearing what you decide on.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

If you're interested in cotton calico, many quilt shops sell high quality reproductions. It's not cheap ($8-10/yard) but it's on good quality greige goods and should last.

However...if you're looking at pre-Civil War, keep in mind that the Valley was an Abolitionist area, and Abolitionists preferred silk to cotton because it wasn't made with chattel slaves.

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

She's not looking at the valley, though.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I've been thinking about the fabric pattern part.

As to silk vs. cotton, I'm not in the Valley ;) Also, not planning on being an Abolitionist, just a spinner and maybe a weaver -- that's complex enough for me.

There's a display of some clothing in the historical society's windows at the moment, btw, with both a silk dress and a cotton one. Of course I adore the silk one, but I don't really have a reason to make one -- not yet anyway ;)

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Have found that there were Abolitionists in Ashfield, but that would be in the window between Rev War and Civil War.... I think I'm going to shoot for as close to 1776 as I can get -- I want to keep this as simple as possible.

I'm also thinking a fairly well-off farmer's or merchant's wife -- not one of the really rich people, but well enough.

btw, there also used to be Know-Nothing Party meetings here! (1800s).