Vintage is classic. The old is now the new. Vintage couture shoes and vintage inspired shoes are now back again with us. Vintage spells history, art, passion for style and creativity. The need to look good and stand out in the crowd. Vintage couture is also a breath of fresh air for those of us fed up with the limited options that the high streets provides, and those of us who care about our environment.

I may be opinionated, but, the most important piece of item in the whole outfit ensemble are the accessories. Shoes, an accessory, will make or break the total and final stylish look. Put on a plain, dull shift dress, a unique wide-belt around the waist. Now put on some classy pumps, be it vintage, or vintage inspired, and voila! you will look almost ready for the catwalk. You look the part of a stylish and chic woman.

I’ve always been a fashion and style freak.

Even with my ever lean purse. Vintage shoes especially. I don’t really follow any trend. I just create my own style. This could be firstly attributed to the fact that i am creative naturally, and secondly, because i dare to be different in all things i do.

I remember back in the late 70′s, my favourite shop in the whole wide world, situated in Atlanta Ga, was a vintage haute couture shop called ‘Putting on the Ritz’. This vintage boutique takes you back in time to the 30′s, 40′s and 50′s couture. Step into this shop, and you are transported back in time.

People would ask me where i got my unusual and unique shoes from. I was always a little naughty about revealing my special finds. It was my well kept secret. I wanted them all to myself at the time.

I would find a unique couture shoe, the one i really, really want, but half of the time, i never get my size, a size 7 (or 40).

That’s how i realised that people had much smaller feet at the turn of the 20th century. How much smaller could they have been centuries before then! I still wonder. The couture dresses tops and trousers were never really a problem. It was always the shoes.

I would say about 80% of all the stocked items were either fairly used, which primarily means, worn once. Most of the haute couture items were worn by actresses and actors for some great movie or theatre play. The new, un-used items, especially shoes, some which came in their original shoe boxes were all in great condition. Any wear you may notice was always only the slightest scratch on the undersole. The only problems were the small sizes as i earlier mentioned.

So when getting a right size is difficult, or impossible (as the case usually is), go for the vintage inspired creations. It’s your next best option to original vintage or antique.

Great shoes are like a beautiful piece of art on the feet. You will not achieve a chic look with just any shoes. No way will the ‘just regular comfy’ shoes compliment your attire. My favourite shoes are the Italian shoes. I believe they produce the best in couture shoes and bags.

There is also the choice of vintage shoes, made from antique and vintage materials, recycled, re-cut and re-used, to make beautiful chic handmade couture shoes. The ones i love are the ones made from antique Japanese Kimonos, some a few hundred years old, but still in near perfect condition due to the unique way of its preservation. These exquisite fabrics are used for the upper of the shoes. Colours and textures chosen always depict a story, a grand occasion, or, simply the seasons of the year.

Vintage couture shoes, or, vintage inspired creations are a cut above all other shoe styles. It has become bigger than ever as we now see more and more bygone styling coming onto the catwalks.They tend to be a bit pricey in some boutiques, but you can get much better bargains online. A lot of these shoes are timeless pieces, and, a great investment in couture.