Closed-toe Sandals: Styles--Double Bar With Center Straps


Figure 1.--This younger American boy in 1960 wears an Eton-style collarless blazer. The advertisement reads, "Blazer with brass: Boy's cader-blue linen weave rayon cardigan jacket, double breasted. White linen-weave shorts. By Imp Originals (f) 4-6X." Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

The other major type of closed-toe sandal had double side bars with the center strap. I know it existed in the 1910s, but I'm not sure how much earlier. This style had double horizontal straps. It appeared in America as well as Britain, but proved more popular in Bitain. British boys, however, generally did not wear this style as most, but not all boys' school sandals had only one side strap. In America the double bar sandal was mostly worn by girls and has proven to be an enduring fashion classic. This style has remained a primarily a girl's play sandal and was not worn for dresswear. Some boys also wore these sandals. It was occasionaly seen in the Spring and worn for Easter or spring wear. The most popular color for boys appears to have been white. Unlike the girls, this was for boys more of a dressy shoe style than a play sandal. It appears to have been more common in the South than the Northeastern states--normally the area in which boys dress fashions set trends. This has never been a popular style for boys, but small numbers of usually wealthy American boys did wear them. HBC has noted this style during the 1970s, but it became even less common in the 1980s.

Terminology

HBC has rchieved information on these double- or twin-bar sandals within the sandal section. They are also commonly referred to as a style of strap shoes. The difference between sandals and shoes is the openess of th upper strucure and usage. The terms sandals and strap shoes are sometimes used interchangably. Double-bar sandals enclose quite a bit of the foot and thus come close to actually being a shoe. In modern use the term sandal is often used as a casal, play shoe--but this has not always been the case. Many dress shoes were called sandals in the early 20th century. We note that when these double-strap sandals first appeared in American catalogs about 1910 that they were referred to as "bare-foot sandals". A good example is the Montgomery Ward 1910 catalog.

Origins

A HBC reader has noted twin-bar sandals referred to in catalogs as Bulgarian sandals. We are not sure why this style of sandal was referred to as Bulgarian sandals, but it suggests Bulgarian origins to the style. The earliest ads we have noted refer to "barefoot sandals"> These references to Bulgaria disaapear after the 1920s. We are not sure about the origins of the twin-bar sandals. Nor or we sure about the origins of other styles of sandals such as the "T"-strap sandal so commonly worn by British boys. We had thought that the two were essebtially connedcted and being of primarily British origins. A HBC reader writes of the origins of of the twin-nar sandal with a center strap. He writes, "My hypothesis is that the style came to North Anmerica with immigrants about 1900, probably from people who lived in the area of the old Roman province of Dacia or modern Bulgaria. I am centering my research on Bulgaria. where the style is currently shown as part of peasants' costume. It is also referred to as "tsurvouli" and was also used by Bulgarian soldiers. I'm going to try to attach a picture and a Bulglarian history writeup. I am assuming the tsurvouli came from a Roman style, but maybe it's Slavic in origin."

Style

One of the major styles The other major type of closed-toe sandal is the double side bars with the center strap. This style had double horizontal straps.The other principal style are the "T" strap and the single bar "Mary Jane" style. Of course there are many variations on these basic styles. With double bar center strap had two basic variants. By far the most common style is the style with the center stap running all the way to the top cross bar. The boy in the image here wears this style dine in white (figure 1). They of course came in other colors. This style appeared in the early 20th century and is still worn.We have also noted a much less common variant in which the center strap only ran up to and was attached to the lower cross bar. While we notice double-strap sandals in the early 20th century. We only note a few instances of of the half center strap in the mid-20th century. We note it advertized in the Sears 1950 Winter catalog. It dors not appear to have been very popular or widely worn. We note very few images of boys or girls wearing this style. Nor do we note many catalog advertisements.

Chronology

We believe that these double-strap closed-toe sandals first appeared in the 1900s. A HBC reader has noted newspaper ads earlier in the 1900s, but we have no evidence that they appeared in the 1890s. I doubt if they appeared until after the turn of the 20th century. But they seem to have appeared very early in the century, at least in America. I'm less sure about Europe. A readery notes a post card advertising "barefoot sandals" made by the Evans Co of Massachusetts. The card has an inprint of President McKinley on the opposite side, and is dated 1902. The barefoot sandal on the card is identical to those worn by an unidentified boy in Louisville, Kentucky. This style could have been the original two bar t-strap sandal. We are not sure if this was the earliest ad, but it is the earliest one that we have found to date. We note Arthur Prolux wearing double-strap sandals in 1908. The earliest catalog ad we note at this time was an add for barefoot sandals in the Ward's 1910 catalog. We are less sure about other countries. The question of the "explosive" growth in popularity of the barefoot sandal between 1900 and 1910 needs to be studied. I think I know why this occurred (see above), but how? It would be great if we could get hold of old shoe factory records, write-ups on shoe styles at the turn of the century, etc. Mass production was a factor as opposed to the handmade shoes up to the turn of the century. We have noted both boys and girls wearing them through much of the 20th century. We note younger American boys wearing them in the 1920s. An unidentified boy with his sister is a good example. After the 1920s, however, it became more common for girls than boys to wear it, especially in America. We notice a Germnan Kindergarten boy wearing it about 1950, but it does not seem to have been a very popular stule in Germany. HBC has noted this style during the 1970s, but it became even less common in the 1980s for boys. Girls continue to wear them.

Countries

Twin bar strap shoes appeared in America as well as Britain, but proved more popular in Britain. British boys, however, generally did not wear this style as most, but not all boys' school sandals had only one side strap. This was a very popular style for children in America as both a play shoe and school shoe. We note younger boys and girls wearing them, but most school-age boys came to see these as a girls' style. We have not yet developed much information on other countries. We have not noted many French boys wearing them. We notice a German Kindergarten boy wearing it about 1950, but it does not seem to have been a very popular style in Germany. We note more boys wearing single strap sandals or the "T"-bar style.

Gender Conventions

In America the double bar sandal was mostly worn by girls. There was, however, considerable variation over time and regionally. There were also social class variations. Boys fom ealthy families were more likely to wear these sandls than boys from working-class families. These sandals have proven to be an enduring fashion classic. This style has remained a primarily a girl's play sandal and was not worn for dresswear. Some boys also wore these sandals. It was occasionaly seen in the Spring and worn for Easter or spring wear.

Color

Double strap sandals have compe in a variety of colors. The most popular color for boys appears to have been brown. This is somewhat difficult to assess in black and white photographs. We note these sandals offered in American catalogs done in the same brown as shoes. They do not seem to have been very popular, however, with American boys, especially school age children. We note some boys dressed up for some formal occassion wearing white sandals like the fashionable boy here (figure 1). We have also seen them in blue, brown, and red. The red ones were especilly popular with younger children. The pattern in Britain is a little ifferent. Boys did commonly wear sandals to school. Here the most common color was various shades of brown. This was especially true of the single bar school sandal with the center strap which most boys wore. The double strap sandal was much less common as a school sandal in Britain. We do, however, note some boys wearing them in the 1980s. For some reason these sandals were iften dine in a dark blue. We are unsure about color trends in ither countries.

Conventions

Unlike the girls, this was for boys more of a dressy shoe style than a play sandal.

Regional Trends

It appears to have been more common in the South than the Northeastern states--normally the area in which boys dress fashions set trends.

Social Class

This has never been a popular style for boys, but after the 1920s small numbers of usually wealthy American boys did wear them. Here there appears to have been some regional differebces. A HBC reader reports that some boys in California, not especially wealthy boys wore them. A reader growing up in Washington DC during the late 40s and early 50s, does not recall boys wearing them in his middle-class neighborhood. We do recall that John F. Kenney wore them until about 8-9 years of age. We are less sure about social class trends in other countries.

Individual Accounts

A HBC reader reports, "In Southern California during the 1940s and 50s when I was growing up, "double bar sandals with a center strap" were not uncommon for boys. Oh, they weren't super popular either, but my brothers and I were the only boys of my cousins who lived near me who did not wear them at one time or another. And up through about the 3rd Grade, there were nearly always a few boys who wore them to school. Although girls also wore this style of shoe, they were not considered particularly girlish nor did anyone think anything bad about the boys who wore them. As recently as 1987 the younger brother of one of the kids in my daughter's 1st grade class of my daughter came to a family event at the school wearing red shoes in this style. Interestingly, one of my college roommates, about 4 years younger than me, once mentioned that his younger brother had worn them and that he himself would have worn them as a child without a fuss, but if his parents had tried to give him a pair of saddle oxfords he would have protested and been horribly embarrassed."






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Created: March 16, 2001
Last updated: 10:21 PM 3/11/2006