Saddle shoes are typically constructed of leather and are most frequently white with a black or dark blue saddle, although any color combination is possible. The shoes are worn by both men and women in a variety of styles ranging from golf cleats to school uniform shoes. They have a reputation as the typical shoes of school-girls, especially in the 1940s.
The history of the saddle shoe begins in 1906 with the A.G. Spalding Company. Initially designed for indoor sports, Spalding’s new shoe featured a leather waist piece for added support in the instep. This piece resembled a saddle, giving the shoes their signature name and look.
Spalding’s saddle shoes became well known for both their comfort and their visual appeal, and quickly gained tremendous levels of popularity. The shoes were particularly well-liked among golfers as a stylish option for the links that could also be worn in casual business settings. In the 1920s, women who liked the striking black and white contrast on the shoes began to use them for dancing. By the middle of the 20th century, every man, woman and teenager had a pair of saddle shoes.
The saddle shoe became known as a more than a sporting shoe as it became popularized among teenage dance crowds of the 1930s and 1940s. The shoe offered stability and comfort while also meeting the teenage fashion criteria of that time. Teenagers wouldn’t be caught doing dances like the jitterbug, the twist and the lindy hop without wearing a pair of clean saddle shoes.
Teenagers often wore their saddle shoes with white bobby socks, a look that paired well with poodle skirts, pencil skirts, slacks and blue jeans. In the 1940s and 1950s, saddle shoes were truly a shoe for any occasion, and it was crucial for any teenager in America to own them.
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