Saddle Shoes

Perhaps most readily associated with a patently American 1950s nostalgia – recalling varsity football game nights, wholesome cheerleaders, and spiffy sock hops – saddle shoes (or oxfords) were actually first conceived as a men's athletic golfing shoe in the early 1900s. During the 1930's stagflation, saddle shoes swiftly became a unisex sensation when high school girls deemed them ideal for the snazzy new Jitterbug's accompanying acrobatics, sliding, and spinning. They have since become a cultural mainstay sported by students and Hollywood royalty alike: viz. Diane Keaton and Robert Redford. In fact, the saddle shoes' compelling on-screen cinematic history (from Liv Tyler in Inventing the Abbots, to Sue Lyons in Kubrick's Lolita [1962], to Cybill Shephard in The Last Picture Show) is evidence of oxfords' wide-ranging character appeal. Celebrated shoe designer Rupert Sanderson has been a lifelong oxford fan and decided that the time was ripe to unveil his traditionally Italian-crafted Saddled O range for both men and women at last year's Frieze Art Fair. As cherished by the likes of Tennessee Thomas, Zooey Deschanel, Cate Blanchett and Kate Phelan –- his kicky Saddled O's revival has sparked quite the oxford frenzy!

Grrr I want a pair