It is the year of the 100th Titanic memorial and with it comes an endless amount of Titanic themed parties, theatrical shows, movies, and balls. For an Edwardian costume fan it is going to be a heavenly year.
One of the most difficult parts about creating a historical costume is choosing shoes. Finding information about historical footwear online is hard enough but buying reproduction shoes can be next to impossible. Shoes are expensive to make and usually need to be sold at very high prices to break even.
"Astoria" Titanic Shoes
Luckily American- Duchess is changing all of that. She has just launched a new Titanic shoe “Astoria” which is not only very reasonably priced but more importantly accurate in style to the time period. The three cross over straps with buttons, low heel, and rounded pointed toe just scream back to the Titanic era. The design is based on a pair of antique 1910 Edwardian shoes similar to pairs found in the Titanic wreckage:
1910 Edwardian Shoes
Some Advantages of the Astoria Shoes:
- Two color choices are only the beginning. The Ivory shoes can be painted or dyed to any color you like. Match your dress or keep it neutral for all future costumes the choice is yours. Coloring is not hard and can be done at home (instructions on American-Duchess blog) or professionally dyed by a local cobbler.
- They are designed with dancers in mind. The smooth leather soles make these shoes ideal for dancing. Most other shoes will have rubber soles which are not good for dancing. If you are going to attend a Titanic tea dance or formal ball these are your best options for shoes. For non-dancers they are still ideal. The leather soles are every durable for any kind of flooring.
- They are built on a B width last which means they will fit like typical dress shoes. International sizes can be easily found by searching for a International shoe chart and picking your corresponding american shoes size. While these shoes fit true to size if you like a little extra room in your toes you may want to order one half size up. These shoes were built for modern feet so needing to make major adjustments to your shoe size is not necessary (thank God!)
- The leather body makes these easy to apply (glue) beads, rhinestone, lace applique and other decorations for a one of a kind Titanic shoe.
Possible Disadvantages of the Astoria shoe
- They are NOT available in wide or narrow widths or sizes smaller than 6 or larger than 12. Because of the unique nature of manufacturing small batches of shoes the standard B width is the only option. In the future more options may be available but probably not in time for April 2012 events.
- Price. While I find $110/$135 very reasonable for the quality of these shoes it is still out of budget for many shoppers. If this is you consider buying modern shoes with an Edwardian look or make your own. For example:
These Harmony by Beacon modern shoes feature similar Titanic era style straps across the vamp and come in many sizes, colors, and widths for only $30. An excellent choice for budget shoppers or those with hard to fit feet. Click on the picture to learn more and buy.
Buy Astoria Titanic Shoes Now!
If you are even remotely interested in authentic Titanic era shoes for your upcoming themed events you need to pre-order these shoes now. Pre-orders placed now will be mailed in time for most Titanic events in April. (If you read this post after pre-orders close- don’t worry. Extra shoes are ordered in most sizes so you may still be able to have a pair in time for your event.) Order your size carefully. Although returns are fast and easy if your event is in early April you may or may not have enough time to swap for a different size (assuming your size is even in stock.) Plus by pre-ordering you are getting the lower $110 price guaranteed. After pre-order closed on February 3rd the price will go up and stay at $135.
I hope you enjoy your New TITANIC shoes. Please help spread the word using your favorite social network:
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