Strap Shoes: Terminology


Figure 1.--Both boy and girls wore stra shoes in the early 20th century. After World War I we still see this in Rurope, but not so commonly in America. We are not sure why this duifference developed. One factor may be that the Buster Brown Shoe Company began calling them Mary Janes.

Strap shoes are named for the strap or bar that crosses the foot to close the shoes. Straps shoes are also referred to as closed-toe sandals. Clothing catalogs and advertisements have interchangeably used both terms. For the purposes of HBC we have chosen to separate the two terms. We use strap shoe for a dress or regular use shoe and closed-toe sandal for a casual play sandal. Here quite fratkly we are unsure how to classify school sandals. We will archive these shoes based on our assessment of which category is involved, regardless of the term that may be used in the catalog or advertisement. Related shoes like "T"-strap shoes or double-bar sandals also are named after the strap. There are, however, other names such as "Mary Janes". HBC had thought that Mary Jane, the little girl in the Buster Brown commic strip and films, was Buster's girl friend. A HBC reader tells us, however, that she was Buster's sister. Interestingly Buster himself is often pictured wearing the same strap shoes as Mary Jane, but it was her name that was used for the shoes. Mary and Buster both wore the strap shoe until the shoe company started making a boy's oxford. At which point the company started calling the strap shoes "Mary Janes". The term was only used in America and perhaps Canada. It is worth noting that while American boys generally stopped wearing strap shoes and closed-toe sandals at about this time, the style persisted as acceptable boys' wear in Europe for many more years. This decissiion to call strap shoes "Mary Janes" probably had an impact on the popularity of strap shoes and closed-toe sandals in America. We are not sure what other factors may have explained the different conventions which developed between Europe and America at this time.

Straps

Strap shoes are named for the strap or bar that crosses the foot to close the shoes.

Sandals

Straps shoes are also referred to as closed-toe sandals.

Usage

Clothing catalogs and advertisements have interchangeably used both terms.

HBC Usage

For the purposes of HBC we have chosen to separate the two terms. We use strap shoe for a dress or regular use shoe and closed-toe sandal for a casual play sandal. Here quite fratkly we are unsure how to classify school sandals. We will archive these shoes based on our assessment of which category is involved, regardless of the term that may be used in the catalog or advertisement.

Related Shoes

Related shoes like "T"-strap shoes or double-bar sandals also are named after the strap.

Mary Janes

There are, however, other names such as "Mary Janes". HBC had thought that Mary Jane, the little girl in the Buster Brown commic strip and films, was Buster's girl friend. A HBC reader tells us, however, that she was Buster's sister. Interestingly Buster himself is often pictured wearing the same strap shoes as Mary Jane, but it was her name that was used for the shoes. Mary and Buster both wore the strap shoe until the shoe company started making a boy's oxford. At which point the company started calling the strap shoes "Mary Janes". The term was only used in America and perhaps Canada. A reader writes, "You state here that when the Brown Shoe Company had Buster Brown wear oxfords instead of strap shoes, "the company started calling the shoes 'Mary Janes.' " This seems logical, but do you have any source of information that confirms this? When I wrote the company, they could not confirm the point. Any old Buster Brown shoe ads I've seen do not use the term "Mary Jane"." Well here HBC doesn't have any press release from the Buster Brown Company or other actual citation. This would be very helpful and we will certainly attempt to find some information to confirm this. It would be interesting to go back and look at the contemporary catalogs, but the HBC catlog section is not yet well enpugh developed to do this.

Country Differences

The terms used for these shoes varied substantially from country to country. Our country information, however, is very limited. It is worth noteing that while American boys generally stopped wearing strap shoes and closed-toe sandals at about the time that the Bustern Brown Company began calling them Mary Janes, the style persisted as acceptable boys' wear in Europe for many more years. This decissiion to call strap shoes "Mary Janes" probably had an impact on the popularity of strap shoes and closed-toe sandals in America. We are not sure what other factors may have explained the different conventions which developed between Europe and America at this time. A German reader tells us, "In German these shoes are never referred to as 'Sandalen', but I don't know the correct name. Sometimes the name comes from the material used. I have heard these shoes called "Lackschuhe" meaning patent leather shoes, but only when they there actually done in patent leather."








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Created: 7:37 PM 7/5/2007
Last updated: 4:51 AM 11/14/2010