Fashion Flashback: Saddle Oxfords

Sweet Baby Graves recently became the proud owner of two sets of the most adorable little shoes.  The best part is that together they came in at under ten dollars. Buying them reminded me of the Fashion Flashback series I started.  You may remember way back, almost a year ago, I blogged about the history and cultural significance of Jon Jons.

Well, today, we're on to shoes.  Some people call these saddle shoes, but my mom always refereed to them as saddle "oxfords". So first, a brief history on Oxford shoes.  This type shoe is "...a style of laced shoe characterized by shoelace eyelet tabs that are stitched underneath the vamp, a construction method that is also sometimes referred to as 'closed lacing'".  In other words, in contrast to a Derby shoe, an Oxford has the little round eyelets on the inside of the shoe.

[Oxford style shoe]

[Derby style shoe]

Oxfords first appeared in Scotland and Ireland, where they are occasionally called Balmorals, after the Queen's castle in Scotland, Balmorals.  The Oxford is derived from a shoe called the Oxonian, a half boot style that became popular at Oxford University in the 1800s, thus the name.  Oxfords were traditionally formal shoes, but now they have many variations, some more casual than others.

The saddle oxford is an oxford style shoe characterized by a plain toe and a unique, saddle shaped panel placed mid foot to add interest.  They are typically white with a black saddle, but there are many other color combinations.  They first came to prominence in the 1950s, when teen girls, especially, would wear them with their poodle skirts.  They were considered "sporty" and worn in lieu of loafers, before sneakers became popular. By the 1960s, the shoes became fashionable for boys to wear with their letterman jackets.

Saddle shoes can be worn by both men and women and are also frequently seen as golf cleats and children's shoes. They have enjoyed a recent resurgence in the United States in males in their teens, twenties, and thirties, especially in big cities like Los Angeles and New York City and in the Southwest.  And in the Herrington house!

I think Graves will look just dashing in such a classic shoe!  



Sources: Wikipedia and Saddle-Shoes.net
Images: my personal collection, 2, 3, and 4

Fashion Flashback: Jon Jons

I decided that I am going to do a series of posts about items of clothing (for men, women, and children) that are currently in style, but are very classic and traditional. In these "Fashion Flashback" posts I will share a little history about these timeless pieces of apparel.

We are expecting our second child (we have a seventeen month old little girl) this Spring, and if that baby is a boy, I plan on dressing him very traditionally, much as I have done with Ann Peyton. I like it when babies look like babies, not little mini adults and I like classic things. One of my favorite things to dress a little boy in would be these:

JonJons!

Jon Jons are so so named for John F. Kennedy, Jr. The style gained appeal when his father was in the White House and his mother, Jackie created a fashion trend by dressing little "John John" in the one piece outfits. Incidentally, "John John" was not a name given to the president's son by any family member, but rather by the press. The outfit has held onto it's popularity for over half a century, due to many factors including the increased ease in diaper changes that they provide and the fact that they are ideal for busy toddlers, who would have a harder time keeping on a two piece set.

 

Prior to Camelot, toddler boys wore shorts or long pants and a shirt. It's funny because I think of that as a much more "modern" look!

I can't wait to dress our little one in some precious jon jons- seersucker for the Summer and flannel in the Winter and gingham all in between!

Sources: Marie, my sewing instructer at Continental Sewing and this Southern Living Message Board
Images: 1, 2, 3, 4,