WWII Homefront

The saddle shoe was introduced in 1906 by Spalding (yes, the same one that makes baskeballs!) Not precisely what you would imagine for athletic footwear, it was actually indeed created with tennis and squash players as its main market. The black ‘saddle’ middle of the shoe helped to stabilize the foot during activity.

This shoe was originally intended for sports, but because of its stylish lines and clean look, it soon became popular with young men and women all over, with all different sorts of clothing!

So to keep your feet comfy and stylish, a retro pair of black-and-white saddle shoes with the bubblegum pink rubber sole just might be the way to go at your next retro event!

Originally begun during WWII, when there was a leather shortage, Hoy Saltwater Sandals were made from scraps from boot factories!!

Hoy Sandals are now offered in not only children’s footwear, but ladies as well.  Super durable, and long-wearing because of it’s vulcanized rubber sole, these shoes are NOT an emerging trend- they’re a continuing one!

Here are some examples of Hoy Saltwater Sandals offered on Amazon.com:

I was looking for a uniform for a friend online this morning, on ebay, and I had to contact no fewer than NINE sellers who didn’t list ANYTHING about the size of the uniform!  But I hadn’t told you nice people how par for the course this really is.

When you are shopping for clothing on a site like ebay, you want to know the sizes you are shopping FOR.  This doesn’t mean you go looking for dresses in a size 12.  If you are a modern size 12, you are FAR from a vintage size 12.  So, lets get your measurements ready! The ones you will need, that make the most difference in how the clothing fits are:

shoulders (you’ll need help for this one, unless you measure a garment you know fits already)

chest (circumference, and in case you have really bad math days, write down what half of it is as well, so you will know if someone says the chest measures 20″ flat from pit to pit that it will fit your 38″ chest with room to spare)

waist (no cheating!  nobody cares what your waist size is besides you, seriously. measure it around your navel)

hips (again with the no cheating!  you want your clothing to fit; you don’t want to look like someone pour 10lbs of dough into a 5lb bag)

inseam (measure from your ankle on up on the inside of your leg… you may want assistance with this)

height (shoes don’t count)

waist-to-knee (or thereabouts, so you will know where a skirt will fall on you if they mention the skirt length)

hat size  (this is actually quite easy- and Everything2 has a great chart and instructions for measuring)

Sounds easy, right?  Actually it is.

The things you need to remember are that A) sellers will rarely list measurements for things they consider to be ‘collectible’  B)you MUST check to see if their measurements are FLAT or AROUND. If they don’t say, don’t be afraid to ask them.  C) sellers want to SELL!  If you have any question at all ask them!  If they don’t answer, or are rude, move on. You don’t need it that badly.

Try this conversion chart on Vintage Swank if you aren’t sure.

Another thing to know ahead of time is your age. Don’t laugh. Some people have got it in their head that every woman in the 1940′s was a pinup, and that nobody really wore anything modest.  SOOOOO WRONG.

If you are in your 30′s or 40′s, and are not built like a swimsuit model, don’t be afraid to wear something that is NOT pinup styling. You can be beautiful in whatever dress you put on!  I myself have decided that shirtwaist dresses, cotton stockings, and oxfords are amazingly comfortable compared to heels and cocktail dresses, so I am not afraid to wear them.

So, go get your measurements, and go look for something hot!