1944 Platform Shoes & Purse

Check out these beauties at the Bata Shoe Museum. The website reads:

“These shoes and their matching handbag were purchased at Owens and Elmes in Toronto in 1944 and complimented the appearance of a fortunate woman from Hamilton, Ontario. The shoes would most truthfully be described as peep-toe, platform sling-backs, but they are part of the larger genre known as “platforms”. The open toes and straps of these shoes are a refined response to the sandal trend of the 1930s, the first time that women in the 20th century could show glimpses of their bare feet. Evening sandals were introduced in the late ‘30s once daytime sandals became fashionable as families across the continent flocked to beaches for affordable holidays.

The platform under the ball of the foot and the heel are made from wood, the shoes are covered in a green fabric that is meant to look like suede and they’re trimmed with snakeskin. None of these materials were on the European or North American war-time ration lists, which included among other materials, petroleum, leather, rubber and silk. This list of rationed materials strained the resources of the shoemaking industry because it left very few materials for production. This difficulty was embraced as a challenge by innovative shoemakers and these shoes are a good example of the quirky fashion of the ‘40s which focussed more on the creation of the image of women “making do” and “taking care” of the home front, rather than the sexy glamour of the preceding 1930s.”