GrayLion Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 Hi folks, quite a while ago I posted about my intent to sell 50's style high heels online and we are currently working on lasts. the model would be this one: heel height would be around 18cm for size 39 (EU, not China!) and price would be around 200 EUR (very tentative, can still vary a lot). who would be interested in shoes made from this last? be they court shoes, oxfords, boots, sandals? What do you think the market chances are? Platforms will be available, as will be diferent heel shapes (eventually). cheers Bernhard
Trolldeg Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 I would be more interested in a more classic vintage fetish shoe, with a 5-5½ inch heel, very high arches and short toes. Something more wearable. Those seem more like playtime only-shoes.
GrayLion Posted March 10, 2004 Author Posted March 10, 2004 like your avatar, the boatshoe? hmm, we can still change that, mind you, they will be as steep, just with a more pronounced arch.
hoverfly Posted March 10, 2004 Posted March 10, 2004 How about large sizes? Hello,  my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee!  👠1998 to 2022!
GrayLion Posted March 10, 2004 Author Posted March 10, 2004 absolutely - details are still being argued - but we will do them - and the heel height will consistently be 69% og foot length - do your own math
Robert Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 blank Boots, fascinating footwear http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i103/Boots_1956/
Trolldeg Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 like your avatar, the boatshoe? hmm, we can still change that, mind you, they will be as steep, just with a more pronounced arch. I was thinking more on the line of these: especially these:
Trolldeg Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 that shoe looks too much like these for my taste: I know the toe is much longer, but there is that same curve by the ball of the foot. That area should be a much more defined and sharp angle, kind of like the superarch shoes..
xaphod Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 .... especially these: Yes, I agree, I'm looking for a pair of shoes I can show off the 'reverse instep curvature' that I now have. I also quite like Oxfords with a thicker heel. Xa
Rob Posted March 11, 2004 Posted March 11, 2004 that shoe looks too much like these for my taste: I know the toe is much longer, but there is that same curve by the ball of the foot. That area should be a much more defined and sharp angle, kind of like the superarch shoes.. Bernhard, I agree with Trolldeg. These kind of shoes look like they raise the ball of the foot off the ground, and are quite ugly. I think that many of the pics that Trolldeg shows are more along the right lines. (Are they from the John Willies old Bizzare mag Trolldeg?) The 16cm Special Arch Pumps at the bottom of http://www.orientvisual.com/6inchforever/gallery.htm are more the shape that would be attractive. Shoes with this kind of arch, but a more wearable height of say 5½ inches, would be very interesting. And low cut to just about show a little "toe cleveage". As I mentioned in the other thread, it would be good if you were able to get your shoes in to some non-fetish shops. Like designer boutiques for example. Good luck in your venture Bernhard. Rob
LukeVibertUK Posted March 16, 2004 Posted March 16, 2004 Hi Graylion I do like your thinking! You can bet that my name will be on your oderbooks once you have a product to sell...surely though you are not just going to do oxford styles? I'd quite like to see traditional pump style with very short rounded toes such as those shown in the picture (ref 347)...cant wait to see what you have to offer. Good luck
mk4625 Posted March 17, 2004 Posted March 17, 2004 I thought my two-volume set of Bizarre reprints (published by Taschen) had everything. However the only photo I remember seeing is the one with the model in thigh boots, a white skirt, and a jacket made of a glossy material. What makes the other photos interesting to me is that the models have very high quality footwear but are otherwise ordinary looking (dressed nondescriptly and being somewhat older). I suppose they must be at least 70-90 years old now. I would really like to find out where to get vintage boot photos such as those. Here's one I found awhile back. Michael
Waisted_Giraffe Posted March 17, 2004 Posted March 17, 2004 Graylion Ah, yes those look rather good, steep foot angle and very short toe box, especially as Oxfords, though boots and courts would also be delightful. I personally was rather thinking more along the lines of Trolldeg's prefered style when I replied to your initial message but in all honesty the difference in "long term wearability" appears to be down to the heel height. Good work. Keep us all posted. Richard
GrayLion Posted March 18, 2004 Author Posted March 18, 2004 well, I hope to have a prototype ready early april - we'll take it from there. and folks - with that heel height the ball of the foot always gets elevated - the only question is how far you bend the toe back. those sharp angled oxfords actuially ahve the same curve inside and just fake the sharp angle on the outside. and yes we will beoffering court shoes, ankle straps, locking , boots, etc. I am just a fan of Oxfords, that's why I used them for an example :-) Price is still wide open, expect maybe 200 EUR for an Oxford. we are also debating using the same piece of leather that makes the shoe to cover the heel - looks very elegant! cheers Bernhard
Rob Posted March 18, 2004 Posted March 18, 2004 Any chance of leather soles too? Makes a shoe look far more classy, and worth the money.
GrayLion Posted March 18, 2004 Author Posted March 18, 2004 absolutely - no plastic will be used - price difference is irrelevant anyway. BTW what is people's opinion: dye leather sole black or leave in natural colour? I am all for the latter. Bernhard
LukeVibertUK Posted March 18, 2004 Posted March 18, 2004 Has to be natural colour. How/when will we be able to make our first purchases GrayLion?
LukeVibertUK Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 Hi Gray Lion Just curious to ask how the new construction is comming on, still very interested in making a purchase
RubberVicki Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 I would like classic black leather courts with a 5.5in heel, very pointed toes and natural coloured soles, maybe with a removable ankle strap. They could become my new work shoes
GrayLion Posted May 31, 2004 Author Posted May 31, 2004 we're currently working on the 2nd set of lasts and hope to come up with some prototypes soon after that. Initial heels heights will be 7 in though - we'll move down from there.
Dr. Shoe Posted May 31, 2004 Posted May 31, 2004 Sounds good to me except from a commercial point of view I would have started at 5" and gone up rather than the other way around. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
Anne_Louise Posted June 1, 2004 Posted June 1, 2004 Graylion, I've just looked at this thread for the first time and I haven't had time to read it all in detail so I apologise if I'm going over old ground. Firstly, 5" heels aren't too easy to come by, certainly not in really elegant styles, but even for those of us used to much higher heels, they are a good height for when a lot of walking or standing is involved - long shopping trips, for example, or even when one has to stand for quite a while to give a talk. So a very slender 5" might well meet some demand not only from the more dedicated amongst us but also from those who simply don't want to, or can't, go any higher. The sole piece should definitely be natural coloured, it is far more elegant and shows the heel-shape more effectively. Like Vicky, I want pointed toes, but more like the 'winkle-picker' shape. I have a few pairs of Leatherworks long points, but they are rather too long unless 'softened' by the addition of a buckle or other ornament. For me the Leatherworks heel shape is ideal, and 51/2"-6" is a perfect height for everyday, though I wouldn't complain if you wanted to do one even thinner! I think those black-patent shoes are quite hideous and I could never bring myself to wear them - I would rather wear 'flatties' so you can tell how much I dislike them! Some of the shoes in those old photos are a lovely shape, though I personally wouldn't have a use for the Oxford style. Also the heels seem thicker than I remember from the'fifties (yes, I'm afraid I do remember them!), and I don't have any recollection of anything of that height then. I did grow up in a remote area though. Did the pictures come from fashion magazines or fetish publications. The models look too mature for the latter, though it is surprising to see a woman who could be in her thirties wearing a hemline that wouldn't be out of place today! From my other postings you will know that my highest so far are 61/2", but on the basis of your formula (which nevertheless doesn't take into account toe-length) my size 8's should be able to go up to nearly 7". Is it possible at that height for the heel to curve under a little rather than going more or less straight down from the back of the shoe? I'm very much looking forward to seeing your designs. At first, provided I can afford them, I should like some with 7" heels, pointed toes and perhaps with the shoe and heel in contrasting colours, or with a gold coloured metal heel. Goodness, I've written such a lot and I don't know anything about shoe design except what I enjoy wearing!
GrayLion Posted June 2, 2004 Author Posted June 2, 2004 Hello Anne_Louise thank you very much for you long post, it was very enlightening! So far we have been looking at making shoes with a bit more of a baby-doll toe but that doesn't ssem to be the common interest. We have one unfinished prototype with a moderately pointy toe - dorset pump with crisscross strap. Soles will be natural colour - I feel quite strongly about that myself! can you please explain what so repulses you about the patent oxfords I posted - I rather like them! I hope we will be able to make lasts with interchangeable toes so that we can offer different degrees of pointiness. Same with the heels - we are still working on those. The pictures are mostly from "Bizarre". I do admit that I actually quite like the slightly thicker heels - I really love a very slender "louis heel". Again, your input got us thinking here. We are looking at doing 4 basic shoes so far. - Dorset pump - court shoe - oxford - ankle boot all of these with different accessories (as fits the style of course): - thin detachable ankle straps - wide non-detachable ankle straps (nothing is more hideous than a 2" strap that's running through a loop -- with 1 buckle -- with 2 buckles -- locking - Mary Jane strap (narrow and wide) - platforms - eventually different heel shapes (once we find an artist to make us the different shapes). cheers Bernhard
Anne_Louise Posted June 2, 2004 Posted June 2, 2004 Graylion, I'm sorry, the shoes I meant were the ones posted by Trolldeg. They have a particularly ugly heel, though for some reason it's a shape which seems to be currently fashionable - but then, who can explain the vagaries of fashion?! The Oxfords are attractive, though not a style that I would wear, except perhaps with trousers. Presumably Bizarre is a fetish publication from former times, but I guess not earlier then the 'fifties, judging from the clothes and the inclusion of some stilettos - which I think I read somewhere date from about 1954. Some of the pictures look very much like fashion plates from the same period though. I'm intrigued by the short skirt, long before Courreges and Quant, and a slit skirt not dissimilar to those that can be found in wardrobes today! My apologies for appearing to insult those rather elegant shoes! Anne Louise
GrayLion Posted June 2, 2004 Author Posted June 2, 2004 so if we made a last that suits those oxfords and made pumps and stuff on it you might be interested? One other idea is also to cover the heels with the same piece of leather the shoe is made off seamlessly! ie pullt it down. what do people think? BTW since trolldeg posted a fait amount and there are some other ones as well - maybe you could point out the ones you like? or post the URLs? thanks Arpad
Trolldeg Posted June 2, 2004 Posted June 2, 2004 I would personally prefer to keep the leather of the shoe and the heel separate.
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