The Styles of Great Gatsby Men’s Shoes

The 2013 Great Gatsby movie has renewed an interest in vintage mens shoes. And why not? 1920′s shoes set the tradition for mens footwear as we know it today. Your typical lace up office shoes? Every man started to wear them in the 1920′s. Your worn out yet oh so comfortable pair of converse tennis shoes? What 20s athlete could play a sport with out them? Or how about those shiny patent leather shoes you wore at your wedding? Your shoes were part of big changes that took place in mens fashion in the roaring twenties.

There are 5 main styles of shoes mentioned in the Great Gatsby novel, as well as worn in the movie, and are easy to find in stores near you (or for better choices online here). Now is a fantastic time to add a pair, or five, to your collection.

1.Cap Toe Oxfords 

Cap Toe Oxford Shoes

Your lace up work shoes first appeared in the early 1900′s but did not reach mass appeal until the early 1920′s when only the traditionalists were still wearing lace up boots. The style of the decade was to feature a “cap toe” that is a hardtop piece that protected your toes. The cap toe line could be plain but usually had small holes or perforations called brogue to decorate it. The brogue could extended to other lines on the shoes. By the end of the 1920′s brogue decorated the entire body of the shoe in all sorts of intricate patterns such as the Wingtip design. In Great Gatsby’s time the brogue was still minimal but the quality of his shoes was outstanding. Only the best soft, burnt orange-brown or matte black shoes could be worn and coordinated with his suits. Toes were pointed, heels were often a lighter color brown and made of new flexible rubber soles for comfort. I must emphasize the color. The typical brown had a hint of rust to it, not dark brown, or tan, but a nice medium maple syrup brown. mmm pancakes… 

If you have a pair brown cap toes in your closet congratulations you are already in Gatsby style!

2. White Nubucks 

White Cap Toe Leather Shoes

For hot summer days it is time to pull out your all white suits and shoes. White clothing needs frequent laundering so it was typically only worn by those who could afford to hire laundry servants. White was a sign of class. Only very important people who had access to the “club” could wear white. Senators, famous families, movie stars and the newly rich could buy their white’s status. White oxford shoes made of soft nubuck leather and rubber soles were the only shoe that could be worn with summer whites.

Those who owned, worked on, or visited friends on yachts were required to wear the uniform of a blue blazer, white canvas slacks, and white rubber sole shoes. The rubber soles helped with traction on slippery decks and swaying floors.

3. Patent Leather Shoes

Patent Leather Wingtip Shoes

Evenings on the yacht required you dress up in your best formal shoes. As was the tradition for several decades, the shinier your shoes the better. High shine patent leather shoes in the short lace up style was the only acceptable choice for men’s formal attire. While men’s formal tailcoats gave way to semi formal dinner jackets aka tuxedo jackets in the early 20′s, the patent shoes were the one item that remaining the same. Even when midnight blue tuxedos replaced black formal wear the shoes reaming steady with solid black.

4. Two Tone Oxfords

Two Tone Oxfords

Oxfords, oxfords, oxfords. There wasn’t much choice for shoes other than oxfords. Black or brown, white, or… well nothing else..until two tone combinations made their way onto the  scene. I wish I knew who to give credit to for this invention that set the trend in mens fashion for the next 40 years. Two tone oxfords in brown and white, grey and white, or black and white were trendy and sporty in Gatsby’s time. The light and dark patterns were designed in blocks of color such as the saddle pattern with the toe and heels in white and the center in dark. Fancier two tone shoes had swirls or zig zags of light on dark shoes. As the decade progress the intricacy of the designs increased.

In summer times the shoes could be made of leather and canvas or just canvas.  Sport shoes, such as those for golf, had rubber nubs on the soles for gripping grass- a new invention brought over from Europe  The idea of sportswear shoes worn outside of actually playing a sport was a new idea in the 1920′s.  Men’s fashion was becoming more casual. Two tone shoes helped tone down a business suit into something much more leisurely. Solid colors were still favored for business wear but two tone shoes were welcome at any other time.

5. Tennis shoes

Tennis Shoes

Real sport shoes of the 1920′s officially began in 1917 when the Converse high top rubber sneaker was invented. Designed for the athlete, in took several year of regular tennis shoe evangelism by Chuck Taylor before the converse All Stars tennis shoe was adopted by professional and collegiate sport teams.  All Stars Converse high top tennis shoes have changed little since the 1920′s. It was made of white leather, brown rubber soles, and a round seal over the ankle. It later came in brown leather with black trim and also in low top variations. They tennis shoes were adapted to field, track, and court sports. Keds brand soon followed (or did Converse follow them?) with their own shoes for men, women, and children. The sneaker was born and born into an era that was ready to embrace the enjoyment of sports.

1922 Tennis Shoes

All five of these shoes were worn by the Great Gatsby himself. Common men certainly would have had a pair of lace up oxfords, a second in two tone combination, and possibly tennis shoes if they played a sport. Weather you are wanting to recreate an authentic 1920′s costume or a vintage inspired look for your current wardrobe adding a pair of Great Gatsby style mens shoes makes a BIG difference in your overall look. Whenever my husband wears his two tone shoes he always gets stopped and asked about them or given that silent nod of approval only men can see.

At Vintagedancer.com we searched all the major online shoe retailers for the most authentic 1920′s style mens shoes. We handpicked the best and placed them here for you to browse. New shoes are added weekly. If you don’t find what you are looking for please feel free to contact me for help.

Read the Great Gatsby while learning 1920s fashion history

The post 5 Types of Great Gatsby Mens Shoes appeared first on Vintage Dancer.

Lanvin Logo

It takes a talented designer to create a look that both mothers and daughter not only want to wear but can wear. Such is the case with Jeanne Lanvin. If there is any doubt about who she created her brand for, at least in the beginning, look no further than the Lanvin company logo: a mother and child holding hands.

Lanvin’s journey from teen dress shop worker, to hatmaker, to one of the most influential designers of the 1920s is rather unconventional. She was born in the fashion mecca of Paris in 1867 and was the oldest of 11 children. In a family that large, it was not unusual for the elder siblings to work, so by the time she was 13 years old, Lanvin was making and delivering hats for one of the queens of hat design, Suzanne Talbot. When she was 23, Lanvin opened her own hat boutique. In 1897, her daughter, Marie-Blanche was born, indirectly setting Lanvin on the next leg of her career path.

Lanvin adored her daughter and made many of Marie-Blanche’s clothes. Her customers could not help but notice how stylishly her daughter was dressed. With encouragement from her customers, Lanvin started a children’s clothing line in 1908, but it was not long before she was making dresses for adult women, too. Her simple, empire-waist gowns, velvet hats, and muffs trimmed with skunk got her name into Vogue for the first – but definitely not the last – time in 1909.  According to Louise de Vilmorin Jeanne Lanvin “dazzled everyone with her work, but she did it for the sake of dazzling her daughter.”

Lanvin inspired art of Mother and Daughter

When Lanvin debuted the updated robes de style dress in 1919, she tapped into a market that wanted to look and feel pretty but also wanted clothing that was wearable. As the Jazz Age dawned, Lanvin resisted the trend toward boxy silhouettes that camouflaged the female figure and made clothing that enhanced it. Certainly it is easy for a clothing designer to jump on whatever the fashion bandwagon of the moment might hold. It takes a visionary to follow her own instincts and have those instincts be correct.

1927 Peach Robe de Style Dress

In addition to having the signature robes de style design, Lanvin also created a signature color. On a trip to Florence, Italy she was awed by a Fra Angelico fresco. She was particularly struck by the use of “quattrocento blue.” Lanvin incorporated it into her own work and over time the shade has come to be known as “Lanvin blue.”

From there Lanvin branched out to perfume, lingerie, sportswear, menswear, and even home décor. Her nephew said she was lucky that she was successful in whatever she tried. However, it was the craftsmanship, the attention to detail, and the appeal of her clothing to women of any age that made her fixture in the fashion world. On one hand it may seem that Lanvin swam against the tide of the Jazz Age but the truth is she was right on time. A woman of independent vision with the ability to successfully go her own way is the epitome of the new woman of the era.

Lanvin Blue Robe de Style Gown made of Silk, Metal and Glass

1920′s Lanvin Blue Slip Dress

See more pictures of Lanvin’s designs 

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1922 Lanvin Robe de Style Dress

What was a woman to do in the 1920s if she did not want the boxy chemise silhouette of a flapper? Chances are she went for the softer, more classic robes de style look that was ushered in by French designer Jeanne Lanvin. A robes de style dress featured a close fit on top and a longer, fuller skirt on the bottom. In fact, some of the skirts were so full that they required side petticoats, panniers, or hoops.  The overall fullness of the dress worked well for just about any age or figure. This made it a good option both for the younger ladies of the Jazz Age who were too young for the flapper craze, as well as, ironically, their mothers who may have preferred a style that was more forgiving.

1921 Purple Robe de Style Evening Dress

Lanvin is credited with perfecting this style but she certainly did not invent it. She borrowed it from the 17^th and 18^th century and brought it up to date. The fact that Lanvin only began making dresses when people asked her to make for them what she was making for her own daughter gives a hint to her flair for understanding what women would find appealing. Yet, she was not afraid to veer away from popular trends.

Silk taffeta, velvet, satin, and a sheer lightweight fabric called organdy were common for robes de style. There was flexibility in the shape of the bodice which could be cut straight or fitted. The waist typically dropped to the middle of the hip. Often, the gowns were sleeveless. A tulle band may have been added to soften a scooped neckline. More glamorous styles featured a single, one-shoulder strap or a plunging “backward bodice.”

1921 Hip flounces inspired by the Robe de Style

Even with the elegance of the design, the robes de style was also fun. It did not just permit moving freely, they encouraged it as women twirled their skirts on the dance floor. The dresses could be flirty without being too sexy and wearable without being too casual.

Around 1921-1923 house, day,  and afternoon versions of the robe de style were seen on trend along side the straight fit chemise dresses. These were less full at the hip without the need for padded undergarments. Fullness was added to the hips with ruffles, pleats, apron treatments and layers of net or tulle. The waistband was very wide and did not always sit at the low waist but at the natural or even empire line.

House dresses with fuller hips

Lanvin’s line of clothes would grow to include something for the entire family, including the men, but she always kept an eye toward youthfulness, although not necessarily just for the young. Perhaps this is a lesson for the modern clothing designer that believes that trends are only for teenagers and everyone else is relegated to muted grays and shapeless sacks of fabric that pass for dresses. Lanvin told Vogue in 1934, “I act on impulse and believe in instinct.” For women of the 1920s looking beyond flapperdom, her instincts were right on the mark.

1921 Black Robe de Style Gown

In the next 1920′s style guide post we will learn more about Lanvin, her story, and her design from the 1920′s.

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