Regency Foxed Slippers - Inspo

The Met, c. 1805-10

As we near the end of 2016 and look towards 2017, it's time to think about new historic shoe styles.

Yaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!

Whenever I start musing on new styles, I take a look at what's missing in the costuming community, what you ladies have been asking for, and where the holes in our shop are. The category that is meeting these criteria most right now is Regency. My how our Regency section looks lonely...

So it's time for new Regency shoes, but with that exciting proposition comes challenges. We want to create something that is different enough from the cheap-and-cheerful-Payless-ballet-flat but not too "out there" (we save those for the Exclusives, and yes, there will be Exclusives next year).

Through much discussion and research and musing and Starbucks runs, Abby and I are orbiting around a type of Regency flat we are seeing in several museum collection: The Foxed Slipper.

Foxing is the charming term for pieces of leather reinforcement found on fabric shoes. You're all familiar with 1830s-50s side-lace boots with foxing, but this trend started even earlier. It's a pretty addition as well as practical - the leather protects the sides and toes and sometimes heels of the shoes from wear.

The Met, c. 1812

The Met, c. 1800-1810.

A less elegant design, but no less practical. These are from the Hopkins Collection. The photo is a snap from the book "Footwear" which is fab.

Many of the Regency era shoes with foxing exhibit it on the front vamp area, but some low booties also have the entire bottom half of the shoe foxed. Two-tones, especially in tan fabric and black or dark brown leather, appear very popular, but super-bright colors were also "a thing."

A Thing. Shoe-Icons, 1790s. Blue textile foxed with pink leather.

For the regular production line, we're thinking of trying these subtle two-tone low shoes in neutral and practical colors.

What do you think? Love them? Hate them?