SADDLE SHOES

I was reading a book review in the TLS (No. 6067) in July. The book is The Sports Shoe, A History from Field to Fashion by Thomas Turner and published by Bloomsbury. This image was placed next to the article.

It's a photo of saddle shoes on the LIFE magazine cover June 7, 1937. Apparently it is a photo of college girls but the point of interest for the cover is the shoes. And that is what caught my eye.

Meanwhile this is the cover of the current book.  

The book blurb says that it is about

"The story of the sneaker's rise from the first Victorian tennis shoes to the Nike Air Max and beyond 

Moving from the athletic field to the shopping mall, Thomas Turner tells a fresh story of the evolution of the sports shoe against the changing landscape of society, sport, fashion, industry, and technology. The Sports Shoe takes us on a journey from the first Victorian tennis shoes to the adidas Superstar and the innovative technologies of Nike Air Max. ... [It features] common perceptions of this hugely desirable product, this book is a must-have for any sneaker collector, historian of popular culture, or anyone interested in the place of athletic footwear in our lives today."

A review states:

"This book places sports shoes within their wider social context so we can all truly appreciate their significance.” –  Rebecca Shawcross, author of 'Shoes: An Illustrated History', and Senior Shoe Curator, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, UK"

Ironically, the image they have used is actually not a sports shoe but what I fondly remember as saddle shoes. They are really an 'Oxford' type of shoe (not a 'sneaker' which are rubber based).

And here I am with my much loved pair in about 1958 or 1959. I would be about 16 years old and that is my bike. Behind is the front of our house (facing the Trans-Canada Highway at Broadview Corner).

And this is simply a close-up for the record.