Taking the Stand: Saddle Shoes

Let’s Review the Case: We could hardly believe our pretty little eyes when we saw these babies on the glossy pages of one of our favorite British fashion magazines. Lula magazine did a tribute to the classic black and whites back in 2006. We weren’t sure if the style would cross the pond, so we’ve been holding off on putting them on trial, until now. (Refer to Exhibit A)

Marie Claire predicted they’d be big by spring, but that didn’t quite materialize. However, we have noticed them popping up a lot more frequently. Just recently, L.A. label Wren featured saddle shoes in a number of their fall looks. They appeared alongside faux reading glasses to create that oh so sexy yet innocent school girl look. (Exhibit B)

Saddle shoes have also been spotted on a number of fashion-forward individuals recently, including Emma Watson and Agyness Deyn. It appears a couple of online retailers like Urban Outfitters and Oak NYC are also expecting a comeback and are offering numerous styles on their sites.  (Refer to Exhibit C)

But not everyone is thrilled about the comeback of this old school classic. There’s been a couple of very vocal private school alums lashing out against them.

This comment appeared on Bluefly’s blog:

And these two are from the site Ivy Style.

Evidence:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Members of The Pretty Committee, please tell us: Are saddle shoes ‘Pretty Preppy’ or ‘Played out Prudish’?

Left-Tie: They’re too “Facts of Life” for me. I think Natalie had a pair.  Nothing is cute about these shoes.  They are not sexy, they go with nothing. Oh wait, I forgot– poodle skirts. They look like shoes worn by men in bowling alleys. No! No! No!

Trendspotter: I’ve always thought saddle shoes are cute, never understood the hate in elementary school. I thought they were a great touch to my uniform and way cooler than the loafer option. They’re very Blair Waldorf. Pair them with some bright tights and a fall gray and you’re good to go. They also look good with short plaid skirts and no socks for a preppy casual look. Saddle up!

Lady Lex: I like them.  I used to wear them with my plaid jumper for school. They’d go great with my new mood glasses and some knee socks. “I totally look the part!”-Elle Woods

Lady Lex: I’d actually like to change my comment… I was thinking about it and I actually don’t like saddle shoes, at all. When I first saw them, I thought I liked them, but after thinking about it… I don’t! I associate them my private school uniform days of a plaid jumper and knee sock. They were horrible, so I’m going to have to say no by association.

Jess: Not my cup of tea.  These shoes could be cute, pending the right outfit, but I choose to stay away from the Catholic school girl look because like the case states above, I was bound to the Catholic uniform for many years , too many.  You will not find me rocking the saddle shoes, but I wouldn’t scowl if I saw them on the streets, just not my style!

Ashley: Unlike all the super posh boarding schoolers out there who were scorned by their saddle shoes, I yearned to be cool enough to wear them. Woe is me the public school graduate. Still, I got them and wore them like crazy and still love them — for little kids that is. My forays into plaid skirts and saddle shoes that were the epitome of cool to me circa 1989 have lost their luster as I look at saddle shoes all I can think of is PeeWee Herman and we all know how that turned out. The grown up saddle shoe is a no-go for me.

Posh Hippie: As a child of hippies, I rebelled in high school by eschewing all things hippie: reggae,  Weed, relaxation in general… Many of the children of the wealthiest families in town tacked tapestries to their ceilings, decided to sleep in hammocks and got themselves some Birkenstocks. I can relate to the people whose preppy dress was imposed from an outside force, but because for me it was a choice, I have no traumatic relationship with saddle shoes. If I saw the right pair, I might bite at this trend, but I certainly wouldn’t wear a full prepped out ensemble. Maybe I’d wear ‘em with one of those too-short bandage skirts and an argyle sweater. But overall, I think they are classic and cute and if they remind you of being smacked around by nuns, you should just step away from the shoes and let everyone else prance free and demand a pony for their birthdays.

Verdict: To each their own on this one.

XOXO,

The Gals and Guys of INPT