1950s sneakers

In the late 1910s, Converse brand Hi-Top shoes were one of the official makers of athletic shoes. Their brown leather and suede shoes with the round classic Converse label made for a striking contrast to the everyday lace up boots and Oxford shoes. Initial lines were called "Big Nine" and "Non-Skid," later becoming All Stars.

"It's the 'hardy perennial' of shoe fashions... ever smart...ever now!," claimed a 1930s description for brown and white saddle shoes. If there ever was a 2oth century shoe that was always in style, it was the saddle shoe. Developed in the 1900s, it took 50 years to reach movie star status in the 1950s, but

When I travel, I tend to pack each day full of activities, hours and hours of museum visits and lots of walking! Well, seeing as I am not a particularly active person (ahem, at all) in my average daily life, such heightened levels of standing and walking come as quite a shock to my system when traveling. My feet always ache by midday and I end up having to push through a lot of pain the last few days of a trip. So before I leave for my second ever trip to Europe, I knew I needed to search…

Keds have been around since 1916 (50 years before Vans were introduced) and were THE adult sneakers of choice for decades (while the kids wore P.F. Flyers and Converse). This ad is circa 1949

Amazing vintage cantilever mules from Fab Gabs Vintage

Booster, Champion, Cager, Champion Strap, genuine keds, United States Rubber Company, U.S. Keds.

A sell-out exhibition and new book chart the inexorable rise of the sneaker. Here we show some classics from a new book

The perfect plimsoll sneaker; this timeless classic comes with simple canvas uppers, contrast laces and a vulcanized rubber-sole. **** **CONTENT + CARE** \- Canvas, rubber \- Spot clean \- Imported