Silly fashion rules – no alligators in the evening?

Alligator shoes - texture

It’s fun to look at old books about fashion and etiquette. One rule that’s always puzzled me is why alligator and other exotic skins are only supposed to be worn during the day, not after dark. Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, French author of the book Elegance (1964) wrote that “Alligator is strictly for sports or travel, shoes as well as bags, and this respected reptile should be permitted to retire every evening at 5 PM.”

Alligator shoes -shape and color

With all due respect to Madame Dariaux, I disagree - my alligator pumps are pretty and elegant, and wouldn’t be much fun to play badminton in. I’d certainly wear them to work during the day, but I’d be just as likely to wear them to an event in the evening if they matched what I was wearing. Not a formal event, but if I were going to a board meeting or out to  a nice dinner, why not?

I found these amazing shoes at Living Threads Vintage, a small little vintage store across the street from the Multnomah County Central Library. Older shoes often come in narrow sizes, which have become much harder to find in physical stores. The skins are in great shape and the shoes fit really well. They are likely from the 40s, looking at the toe box and heel. I think they’ll go very well with one of my tweed skirts! Oh, can one wear tweed in April?!

More Art Deco Lines

This pretty ring looks like silver with a spinel but it’s actually some kind of pot metal with a glass stone. It has no markings on the inside, and has that rough pot metal look. I really like the strong lines of the ring, and the long, rectangular stone. My guess is it’s from the 1920′s or early 1930s. The sides of the ring remind me of the Chrysler building in New York City.

Musée international de la Chaussure (Europeana)

I was looking for interesting public domain photographs and came across Europeana, a wonderful website with “paintings, music, films and books from Europe’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums.” Their website says that about 1500 European institutions have contributed to the site. My search for shoes in the 1920s led to this amazing pair of pumps made by Hellstern and Sons, a Parisian company founded in 1925. They are white kid leather embellished with black. I can’t quite figure out the translation – it could little black seed pearls or steel beads. BabelFish was no help.

This photo shows is a section of a woolen afghan knitted by my mother’s great aunt in the twenties. The yarns are red, black, and a really interesting beige and cream mixed yarn. I really like the color combination and the geometric shapes.