Since their launch a few years ago, I’ve been a supporter of Royal Vintage Shoes, an offshoot of American Duchess, creating reproduction vintage shoes from the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s. My one complaint was that these wonderfully crafted shoes with leather uppers did not have leather soles – until now! For Spring 2019, Royal Vintage has made the transition to leather soles and I’m so excited about the offerings, all of which can be added to your dance shoe wardrobe. The new leather soled collection will be available for pre-order on their website starting on April 25, 2019. I particularly love the wedges, the heeled oxfords, and I’m delighted they are re-issuing their two tone Lillian Mary Janes (although I’ve already purchased the rubber soled version from a previous collection, womp womp). Enjoy their “Foxtrot Summer” collection, aptly named to now cut a rug!
5-year-old Lindy Shopper is squeeing right now, because Re-mix Vintage shoes has added a number of purple shoes to its lineup – my favorite color as a child, second favorite to green now. I remember looking for purple shoes to wear with vintage for a long time and I did manage to pick up a couple of pairs, but nothing I could wear dancing, and Re-mix always had a couple of pairs (mostly multi-tone or eggplant), but nothing that really spoke to me until now, particularly seeing them all in a row. Let us take a moment and bask in the purple options in various heel heights and styles…
Saint Savoy just released a new shoe design, the Eden, and I was virtually stopped in my tracks on Facebook because I need a pair and need to know everything about it. Of course they have a green pair I’m dying to own, but it’s black with a deep, almost iridescent, green detail, as if to say “I’m Evil” in the best possible Una-Mae-Carlisle-kind-of-way. Also available with two tone matte/shiny combos of tan/bronze and white/silver and a double shiny pair with bronze/silver, here’s the post from this morning:
“A classic peep toe, eye-catching asymmetry, sturdy 4-cm heel, and fitted ankle strap.
With padding softer at the heel than the toe, this shoe allows the balls of your feet impeccable control of the floor while firmly supporting your ankles and heels .
A comparison between the heels of the RIVIERA and the EDEN will show the difference in cut. The sole is softer and the toe box wider than the RIVIERAs.
Enjoy this classy shoe on and off the dance floor! We deliver free of charge worldwide and include a shoe bag with every purchase.”
Best possible additional news? Saint Savoy will be at Lindy Focus!
I’m a few days late with this news, particularly if you are already on Re-mix Vintage Shoes‘ email list, but I’m very excited about the new Lectrice and curious about the response to the saddle oxfords. Lectrice is a no-brainer – built on the same last as the Anitas, which I already love, there is potential to love the Lectrice more because I don’t always feel stable dancing in my Anitas and I believe in the stability of oxfords. Combined with the comfort of the Anitas and this lovely looped stitching detail, I’m cheering for this shoe to be the awesome I want it to be.
The saddle oxfords I am excited about in a smaller, more hesitant way. There are not particularly good associations in the swing dance community at large for people who show up to dances wearing saddle shoes, and I wish that this could be different because saddle shoes are adorable and were popular decades before the 1950’s. In popular culture they are so much associated with the 1950’s, part of a caricature involving poodle skirts and pony tails. My hope is that people will be inspired by photographs of everyday people and dancers from the 1930’s and 40’s wearing saddle shoes and take their style cues from those outfits, or embrace 1950’s garb outside of the caricature. I am probably most interested in seeing if Re-mix decides makes other colors, I would DIE for a green and white pair!
The regal profile of a perfect pair of dance heels.
I swear I’m not saying this because they are the juiciest shade of green this side of a Granny Smith apple, I’m saying this because they are all of the things I am looking for in a dance shoe. The new Saint Savoy Riviera, a gorgeous t-strap dance shoe, is all of these things and more: something low enough that I can Lindy Hop all night, but high enough that I can benefit from a heel for Balboa; something that I can dance in all night without hurting the balls of my feet or causing blisters (on the first night of dancing, no less! No blisters!); soft, flexible leather, yet with enough support to withstand the stress of the dance; did I mention the perfect heel height (3.5 cm, which is about 1.4 inches)? And the soft sueded sole? And the pristine finishing on the shoe? And the divine two tone color? And the cutouts allowing for even more movement? And the sweet vintage styling? I haven’t been this excited about a pair of dance shoes since my first pair of Remixes 8 years ago, I’m in love…
The Riviera is so new that it’s not even on the Saint Savoy website yet, but will be in late November, just in time for the gifting season. They are taking orders, though, so contact them about placing your order. The green Rivieras are almost sold out already (I’m looking at you, Castle Camp)! Also available in light blue, brown, and a sassy tan/red color combo.
Here’s a collection of photos of my love affair with this dance shoe:
Top view – I can neither confirm nor deny that they are the same color as my ’64 Vespa 90. 😉Side view – can my entire life be this technicolor? It’s always good to have goals.Rear viewInside viewCasual view, aka recovering asthmatic view.
I must confess, for the past two days, since Saint Savoy posted a sneak preview of their new Riviera shoe, I have found myself going back to their Facebook page multiple times a day to go look at these shoes. THAT GREEN. That blue…and I’d definitely get some use out of that neutral pair, too. They had me at color, but I’m sold at the 3.5 cm (about 1.4 inches) heel.
In a triple whammy, I see that Re-mix Vintage Shoes has put a number of danceable shoes on sale AND has introduced two new colors for existing styles – Antique Brass Balboa and Gold Metallic Janet – AND has introduced a new style of shoe, the Playtime, a canvas 1940’s wedge in navy/white and red/white. Love love love!
Remember when I wrote about American Duchess taking a poll on gorgeous historical shoes to make into real shoes? While my shoe submission didn’t win, this gorgeous, strappy 1920’s brocade shoe that they are calling “Cicero” did! Available in the most practical of evening colors – black, gold, and silver – and with leather soles these are prime for dancing. They are only taking orders through March 2 and that’s your last chance to get these shoes, because these “exlusives” are a one-shot deal! Make your decision soon…and wisely…
Aren’t they gorgeous? Sadly, the Harlow has come and gone…
If you aren’t following American Duchess on Facebook, I would recommend jumping on this train immediately – they are posting photos of fabulous shoes from the past and allowing people to vote on them to determine which pair(s) go(es) into production! Once the votes are tallied, you can pre-order these shoes. How cool is that!?
They are calling these vote-and-order shoes “exclusives” and are running votes in “cycles.” Cycle 1’s winner – the Harlow pump – has already come and gone in terms of pre-orders (oh, but LOOK at them!). Cycle 2’s winner is a reproduction of a gorgeous Edwardian triple strap shoe called the Belleclaire that could definitely lend itself to dancing. Imagine all those bows in a solo jazz routine, drawing attention to your lovely feet! You can pre-order the Belleclaire on the American Duchess website through December 15.
DAT HEEL – go vote for this shoe!
Cycle 3 is up for vote right now and I’m excited to say that a shoe idea I submitted is up for vote! I submitted the 1930’s/40’s two tone pumps in white and brown with the swoop on the front (go vote for them, please, this shoe is gorgeous with an amazing sculpted Art Deco heel!), which is up for vote alongside a pair of Marie Antoinette’s shoes, some sweet 1870’s two straps, and several other delicious jazz age/swing era shoes. Whatever wins will be made in 3 different colors. This is so exciting – cast your vote for fabulous footwear today!
I love a sale and I love it when I find new products tailored for swing dancers – here, we have Saint Savoy Dancewear, a swing dance company founded by Rani-Patricia Dirnhofer, a Vienna-based dancer who grew up in Spain and uses her connections there to collaborate with Alicante shoe manufacturers to create this line of men’s and women’s dance shoes – from oxfords to t-straps, flats to heels, brogueing to cutouts…there’s a lot of variety here! Additionally, Saint Savoy is running a sale until November 30, 10 Euros off any pair of dance shoes…
…but what about these shoes, you say? Let’s take a closer look:
It seems all dancers struggle with finding that perfect pair of shoes – Rani-Patricia shared this struggle: “While hunting for stylish dance shoes, we searched through countless websites from all over the world. The meagre array, several bad buys, and a lot of research brought us to the idea of starting our very own company.” What is remarkable is that people are actually doing this, starting companies and making these shoes – clearly there is a demand!
So if you could come up with a dance shoe company, what specs would you include? Saint Savoy touts the following:
– Sustainable production: “We hold the manufacturing methods of our products to high ethical standards, and select the materials used according to durability and sustainability. We proudly ensure that our shoeboxes are made from recycled paper, plastic packaging is minimized, leatherwork follows German PCP Regulations, and working conditions for our shoemakers are fair – more ways in which we join traditional and contemporary.”
Here are some favorites from the Saint Savoy line of shoes for men and women (ladies, note that there are flats and low heel options) – don’t forget to place your orders before November 30 to get the discount!
Rugcutter burgundy cap toe oxfordSuzy Q t-strap flatsLurve these light gray wingtipsJitterdoll low-heeled oxford
These shoes got an “oh, hell yeah!” when they were posted in the Women’s Swing Dance Shoes Hunt Facebook group – custom hand painted bejeweled Aris Allen dance heels that look like a Balboa shoe turned hot rod, thanks to Etsy seller BlueApplePie. I love seeing people take plain items like Keds and Vans and take them to the next level, or see shoes that may have been past their prime get a new life with a coat of paint, thinking of Valerie Salstrom spray painting her Aris Allen mesh oxfords silver. Let’s do more of this! 😀 Best part – you can own this custom pair of heels, the work is already done for you, just click to place in your shopping cart…
Short and sweet – one of my favorite pairs of Remix Shoes, the Anita in green, has popped up on eBay in excellent used condition, size 7.5, priced to move at $74. If they were a 1/2 size smaller I’d pick them up as a backup pair!
I came across the Ros Hommerson Harper shoe in my Zulily email this morning and did a double take because the shape of the shoe is almost exactly like a pair of late 1930’s shoes I own, down to the mix of fabric and leather in the shoe and that quintessential shape where it comes to a V on the vamp. The heel could be thicker and there are some other obvious modern updates, but then this isn’t necessarily a vintage shoe reproduction company. Buy it on the Drew shoes website for $129.00 or get it on Zulily for a limited time for $64.99.
Those of you in the market for some Balboa shoes and with a size 9 foot might be interested in this pair of unworn Tara Tango shoes on eBay – bidding is at $20 and ends today! These shoes retail for $185, definitely the steal of the week.
A deal! Not a super steal, but if Re-Mix’s Deco heel has been on your wishlist and you wear a size 9, you are in luck – there’s a pair in black/brown combo, new in box, on eBay for $100 starting bid. These shoes retail for $194, so this is a great price, almost 50% off! Happy bidding…
Lindy Shopper 
