If the mystery shoes weren't obvious from the last hint, they certainly will be now!
I'm aiming for a 1720-40 style of English origin, constructed as a randed shoe. Randed shoes were the typical way to construct women's footwear during that time. Some "sturdy" shoes were made in other ways, but we'll talk about that when I get to making those. I'll talk a lot about randed construction as I make them (pictures help), but it basically comes down to the small strip of white leather between the upper and outsole.
They should end up looking a lot like these:
I'm aiming for a 1720-40 style of English origin, constructed as a randed shoe. Randed shoes were the typical way to construct women's footwear during that time. Some "sturdy" shoes were made in other ways, but we'll talk about that when I get to making those. I'll talk a lot about randed construction as I make them (pictures help), but it basically comes down to the small strip of white leather between the upper and outsole.
They should end up looking a lot like these:
One of the things that will make them English is the toe shape. Above is certainly pointed, but it's a very straight point. Compare to this pair of shoes from the Shoe Icons site:
They have a toe shape more like a mole's snout (feel free to shout out more appropriate animals, we spend an hour coming up with ideas).
Here's my first assembled upper:
I splurged a bit on Scalamandre silk (just a sample size). But it's so worth it! What I wouldn't give to have a gown made from this (other than $800). This pair is lined with linen instead of whittaw.
