Figure 1.--Here we see the Roger P. Smith enjoying their summer vscation in Sun valley, Idaho. Notyice tyhe boy's jigh-top Keds. The press caption read, "At the Outdoor artificl Ice Rink ast Sun Valley Idaho: Mrs. Rogers P. Smith 2402 Seiner Street, San francisco, California stops tyo watch her son and daughter, Nancy and Philip enjoy the fun of sdjating in the summer sunshine. They will be guests at the milr-high Uniin Oscific resort until August 18."

The basic sturdy oxford was the primary shoes worn by American boys in the 1950s. Thy were worn to school and also for dressing up and also as a casual shoe. The sneaker option was not yet nearly universal for casual wear. Both black and brown lather oxfords were worn, but brown was the most common. We also see two tone shoes, brown or black oxfords with white tops. White high-top shoes were worn by toddlers. Saddle shoes were also popular. They were at first introduced as a sport casual shoe and this continued to be the case in the 50s, but we begin to see younger boys wearing them as a dress shoe. Both boys and girls wore them, but they were more popuar with girls. Loafers were a popular preppy style in the 1950s and 60s. Boys and girls wore them, mostly teenagers. There were different styles Penny loafers were a particularly popular style. Sneakers were widely worn and growing in popularity, but were not yet commonly worn to school or nearly universal for casual ear. There were differet styles and colors for boys and girls. Sneakers were mostly worn for play until well after World War II, but eventually become very imprtant for play, especially boys. But even for play and camps, we still see some boys wang leather oxfords instead of sneakefrs. The primary sneaker for boys wre high-top black keds. Girkls wore low-cut snrakers usually red or white. Sandals were not very popular for boys. Pre-school boys wore them in part because toeing shoe laces was complicated for little hnds. Girls of all ages wore them. Strap shoes by the 50s were almot entirely for girls.

Created: 11:40 PM 10/3/2024
Last updated: 11:40 PM 10/3/2024