What's In Store... Shoes

Gold shoes

These glorious golden shoes patterned with little purple violets would have been worn in the 1920s, probably with an evening dress that was just short enough to show them off. They were made in Leicester by the Liberty Shoe Company; the factory with its iconic sculpture of the Statue of Liberty used to stand on Eastern Boulevard.

Red shoe

This is one of the older shoes from the collection and its fashionable pointed toe and higher heel dates it to around 1730. It is made from leather and fine red woollen cloth. It would have been handmade and if you look carefully, you can see the tiny stitches that attach the gold edging and others that go through the leather around the heel.

A large decorative buckle would have secured the two front pieces, but this is not in the collection. Both shoes would have been made identically as at this time there was no distinction between the left and right foot, which could not have been very comfortable!

Lace up two-tone boots

In the late Victorian era, the popular every day choice for both men and women was boots. Tall lace up boots were often worn, as they covered Ladies' ankles, but also provided them with support.
This pair were made locally by Stead and Simpson in about 1890. The two contrasting shades of leather give these lace-up women’s boots a real sense of style.