American Duchess/Royal Vintage Pre-Orders

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

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Literally dying right now

I have been counting down the days until February 1 since Royal Vintage Shoes made its announcement that they were taking pre-orders for their spring line on said date and showed previews of some of the most delicious new reproduction 1930’s shoes I have seen in a while – a golf shoe in kelly green and white (BE STILL MY HEART, also in brown) and a two tone 1930’s sandal (in blue/white and red/white).  However, neither of these shoes have leather soles, so my intent was to go about my merry way, purchase these as street shoes, and not blog about things I felt it might not be OK to dance in, since our focus is on function AND aesthetics.  But you should go look at their entire spring line because it is all beautiful!

Then I went to visit Royal Vintage’s parent company, American Duchess, which produces shoes from time periods prior to the jazz age, because I love historic costumes and I like to see what is out there.  To my surprise, as part of their spring line of Victorian shoes, there was a lovely little flat two tone oxford with a leather sole called the Eliza.  The uppers are houndstooth wool and leather and come in shades of black and brown.  These shoes look so soft and comfortable, which is not something you can always say just by looking at a shoe.  So if you’re in the market for flats, you can use these for modern swing dancing or your 1830’s-1860’s ensembles.

Pre-orders last through the end of February with shoes expected in April!

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Urban Outfitters Early Spring 2011

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

The catalogs keep coming in the mail and, while the title says early spring, the Urban Outfitters pictorial actually wants to whisk you away to a tropical locale, not unlike the newest Shabby Apple collection. Urban Outfitters gives vintage a twist, of course, pairing new with old and doing some great reproduction basic accessories to enhance your dance, vintage, or vintage-inspired wardrobe.

For the ladies, I am loving the shoe selection, which features an array of awesome oxfords just begging for some heel slides, as well as some more practical Keds style sneaks for sueding. A pair of high waisted sailor shorts (pictured at right) might have to make a home in my closet, as well as a pair of their chunky wedges and a wonderful floppy, wide brim straw hat (to keep the sun off my face at the DCLX Dupont Circle dance!)

Note: The pair of oxfords I really love are not available online yet, but keep your eyes peeled for tone on tone brown leather and straw oxfords, as well as some strawberry print Vans (SO CUTE). C’mon Urban, get this stuff up and available!

Here are the goods:

Add a ribbon or flower to gussy it up a bit, or wear plain - available in four colors
Laser cutout oxfords, in three colors - cutouts mean sweaty feed can breathe!
I like this skirt's subtle nod to Art Deco
A sturdy arrival wedge to pair with a lovely sundress - available in three colors
Strike a pinup pose in these round sunglasses that are a nod to 1930's sunglasses

Remix “Dara” shoe

This is my main shoe. If I could wear this shoe every day with a sundress, I would, and it would go with all of them. This shoe kept up with a pair of Chacos on a two week tour of Italy, all terrains and weather, and was just as comfortable as a pair of athletic sandals. You think your Remix heels are comfortable? Let me invite you to enjoy the bedroom slipper of the Remix line…

This pair of Dara shoes in pewter is on eBay for $140 or you can get them at the Remix site for $168. Unlike other Remix shoes, I’ve only seen this pair available on eBay twice, and I bought the first pair. 😉 Yes, this is spendy. No, I didn’t pay that much, I got my pair for an even lower price on eBay. But think about it – a shoe that goes with everything, can be worn under almost any conditions (except maybe hot lava), that is so comfortable, AND is adorable. I challenge you to find a more versatile pair of sandals!

I also found this pair in red in a size 6 for $118 on Amazon.com.

This shoe does not have a leather sole, but don’t discount it for dance purposes yet! For me, it serves as the ever critical arrival and departure shoes – you can’t mess up your suede soles, but you should still show up to the dance in a great pair of shoes! They are extra critical for the departure, as nothing feels better than a pair of cool, comfortable, ventilated flats on your hot, tired feet after a long night of dancing.