"Winklepinker" pointed toe stillettos. . . .

[jay_nyca1]

Does any one out there like and have a 'thing' for the "Winklepinker" pointed toe stillettos that were popular back in the early and mid 1960's during that "mod" era?. . . . .

[agatka]

Winklepickers ? like the pixie shoes with the pointed toes & buckes ? reminds me of Toyah Wilcox aka monkey in Quadrophenia ! they go so well with a cute elfin type haircut, they are really sweet.

[stilettodude]

the winklepickers are my favourite shoes, long sharp pointed toes.. you would pay a lot of money for a pair like that, i know, ive just paid 50 quid for a second hand pair !!!!

[BalletLover]

Hi

Look at this site for pointed stiletto's

http://www.rosashoes.com/

also the pictures of owner are featured here

http://www.retroxotique.com/photos/Celebrities/Sarah%20of%20Rosa/intro.htm

[stilettodude]

the top names in "winklepickers " are PANDA, MERRYWELL,TRUSTY, & a few more, i remember my mom havin loads of these shoes in all colours then she gave them away !!! i wish i'd got them now, soon have them on ebay, but thinking about it i'd keep them...

[roniheels]

I did enjoy the high heels from the 60's with buckles, bows, flowers, etc. If they were available now, I doubt if I would wear them. Maybe a little too feminine for me.

[Dawn HH]

Roniheels:-) They may be too femme for us guys to wear today, but I sure did enjoy wearing them when they were new. I still today like seeing pumps with bows, buckles, and flowers on them and if they were available today, I would be tempted to buy them. I can remember in the 70's and 80's buying extra accessory bow and flower clips for Mickey that could be transfered from pump to pump to adorn them differently from day to day. She had quite a varied collection of them. And she wore them to work and always had many, many compliments on them and her shoes. Having small feet, her co-workers always said she looked like a baby doll and was always nicely dressed. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Puffer]

Winklepicker toes were the norm on women's shoes as soon as stilettos became really popular in the late 50s - and they outlasted stilettos because flat pointed shoes remained popular with some teenagers until the late 60s.

And men wore them too; they were an Italian innovation in the late 50s and popular until the mid-60s (especially when taken up by the Beatles and other pop stars, with or without cuban heels). A notable make in the UK was 'Denson', which offered several trendy styles.

The true winklepicker (for either sex) was a longish sharply pointed toe, perhaps slightly rounded at the tip. I do not recall anything quite as extreme as the current RoSa shoes, although I expect they did exist. The winklepicker became somewhat truncated and squared-off (especially on men's shoes) when the 'chisel' toe came in around 1962; there was less chance of tripping over the shorter toes!

Like most teenagers, I very much liked the pointed styles and had a couple of pairs of chisel toes (although they were not approved as part of school uniform - but since when did that matter?). I am pleased to see their recent revival for men and currently wear them as much as possible. The Faith Xinkle is a good example - and currently in the sales at £40: http://www.faith.co.uk/productdetails.aspx?pid=860700&language=en-GB&cid=mens_shoes

[Dawn HH]

Puffer:-) For a man's boot, that doesn't look too bad. I can envision that sticking out from unden a bit longer pants on a man. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Puffer]

Puffer:-)

For a man's boot, that doesn't look too bad. I can envision that sticking out from unden a bit longer pants on a man.

Cheers---

Dawn HH

Yes, indeed. I have the Vandini Veer 4 boot which my direct comparison has shown to be almost identical: http://www.vandinishoes.com/index.php?module=shop&action=photoManager&productId=8 It is very comfortable but I don't think the quality is any better than the Faith product, although the full price is almost £100!

I don't think trousers need to be any longer than normal with these or similar boots unless one is actively trying to hide the inconspicuous 1.75" heel. I don't go intentionally longer with the Vandinis or with the boots in my avatar (2.5" heel).

[Dawn HH]

Puffer:-) Thanks on your preference on pant leg length with your shoes. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[patent]

this is one of the most frustrating sites i have ever been foolish enough to join.

[patent]

i would love to see some pictures of them

[Puffer]

i would love to see some pictures of them

Then I suggest you Google 'winklepickers' and you will find some! For example (in men's shoes), go to http://rapiers.typepad.com/rapiers_are_go/2007/04/index.html and scroll down to entry for 25 April 2007. These are true vintage shoes; I am not aware of anything made today that is exactly the same, although some come close.

For some reason, data and pics relating to women's winklepickers seem more difficult to find, probably because this style of shoe was (and still is) more common for women and more remarkable when worn by men.

[Dawn HH]

I like a pointy-toed stiletto shoe, but I found when the winklepickers for women came out the first time, that they were too extreme and are still. I prefered to call them curb pickers rather than winklepickers because whenever you tried to step up on the curbs you would invaribly catch the toes and scuff the leather finish on the shoe. When you took a step, the last part of the shoe to leave the pavement was the toe box which meant extreme and premature wear on the sole part of the box. Consequently I didn't purchase many pairs to wear back then no matter how comfortable they were or how fashionable they looked and felt. Cheers--- Dawn HH