#7176 $350
Silver brocade evening shoes with provenance, c.1923-1927
The rising hemlines of the 1920s focused attention on the exposed leg and foot. During the prodigal 1920s, the demand for luxury shoes was met by an explosion of surface decoration and color. These shoes, with their elaborate cutwork pattern and rich metallic silver fabric, appealed to the appetite for extravagant, expensive accessories.
The shoes are fashioned from metallic silver damask woven with a floral pattern of roses. The T-strap and cutwork pattern are of silver kid. The complex "cutwork apron" style was the latest word in fashion at the time. The shoes have shapely Louis heels 2 1/2" high. The straps close with small silver buttons.
Provenance: The shoes belonged to Katherine Drexel, daughter of Josephine Wharton Drexel and great granddaughter of Francis Martin Drexel, founder of the Drexel family in the United States.
Katherine's aunt was Elizabeth Drexel (Lady Decies), well known for two books that provide an inside view of Gilded Age society. Lady Decies' married life was a constant whirlwind of social activity, entertaining, and being entertained in high style in New York, Saratoga, Newport, and Europe.
The condition is almost excellent. The shoes show gentle wear.
The size is approximately 7 1/2-8. The shoes are 10" long from heel to toe.
