It's been about 5 years since I've traveled back to the 18th century, so what better chance to do it than with ‪@AbbyCox‬ and ‪@safiya‬? Abby and I used to work together at Colonial Williamsburg in the fashion trades, so when Safiya reached out looking for some assistance on an upcoming official trip to the city, we did our best not to overwhelm her with excitement at sharing all of our weird experiences! I originally learned shoemaking about 10 years ago while working in the historic area and hadn't had the opportunity to delve back into 18th c shoemaking for the last few years. One of the important factors to me in historical reproduction is the experience of actually wearing the shoes. After years of walking around in handmade pairs (and clothing), it's always particularly intriguing to see someone get the opportunity to test it out for a time. Fortunately, I had just enough time to stitch a pair together before our trip last October.
Unlike most modern shoes which are cemented together and contain stiffened toe boxes, heel cups, and metal shanks under the foot, 18th c womens shoes were particularly unstructured. That's not to say that they weren't supportive or comfortable, they just operated in a very different way. The heel curves under the arch of the foot to support it, the uppers are lightweight but snug and often strap over the top of the foot for extra security. It can feel dramatically different to wear, but the shoes aren't painful or flimsy. Years of walking on modern pavement meant that I managed a few hundred miles out of every pair before repairs were needed!
Shoe Icons Museum: eng.shoe-icons.com/collection...
Recommended Reading
Treasures Afoot by Kimberly S. Alexander
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00:00 Colonial Williamsburg
03:52 Shoe History
08:57 Pattern & Uppers
12:48 Soles
15:10 Lasting
20:07 Heel
27:24 Reveal