Are these Gabor shoes from the 60s? also term for detail

[laurenm]

Just wondering if i'm correct with 60s?
Also, I see on one modern Gabor shoe website that they are based in the UK and have been since the 1920s....yet I've also seen a promotional scarf on Etsy that has the same label as my shoes and they are saying they are a German based company....can't find anyway to sort this....there are the three languages on the label so not sure what to make of it?
Any way to describe the little tie bow ribbony buckle thingy? sorry photo is not great.

Thanks alot for any help.
Lauren

 

[Jonathan]

They are 70s - early, but definitely into the 70s. Germany and England use the same sizing system so there has been a bit of a relationship between the two countries in shoemaking over the years - perhaps its a German company that made shoes for the English market.

 

[Linn]

I have two pair of Gabor shoes that I purchased in San Francisco 10 years ago. I couldn't remember exactly when I got them but I found 2005 marked on the box. I was under the impression that Gabor is a German company. Neither the box or the shoes are marked where they were made. Size equivalents are given for the UK, Germany and the US. The writing is in English and German but there is more German. They are still in perfect condition - classic timeless slingbacks.

Linn

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

This post has reminded me that I, too, had a pair of Gabor shoes - I bought them new in 1996 and they were the most expensive shoes I've ever bought, about $350 AUD, high heel black suede with a bow over the vamp. They were excellent quality and very comfortable and sadly, I gave them to a friend (something I've regretted ever since as she didn't wear them and sold them on ebay).

Lovely shoes, might have to see if I can get more of them.

 

[sarah-jane]

I see lots of Gabor shoes in charity shops...they appear - to me at least - to be old lady shoes, so can only assume the styling has deteriorated somewhat! (Or maybe it's just the old lady models are the only ones being bought around here...) But they are British I think. From their website

"Charles Clinkard has been providing high quality footwear for over 85 years. Established by husband and wife Charles and Eveline Clinkard, the first store opened in Middlesbrough in 1924."

 

[Linn]

Here are my Gabor shoes:

They are definitely German. The box is stamped www.gabor.de
I went to the site and there is an English version: http://www.gabor.de/en/

According to this website : https://www.shoon.com/brands/gabor the company was established in 1949 by Joachim and Bernhard Gabor with only 14 employees, the company remains in the ownership of the Gabor family. There is more history about Gabor on their website.

I would call most of the styles "classic" rather than old lady but there are a few that are more current!

Linn

 

[Pinkcoke]

I have only personally looked at Gabor shoes maybe 8 years ago in Blackpool where they were being sold by a retailer of various brands (quite possibly Jones...), we bought several pairs for my mother but even heavily discounted they were expensive shoes. Styles much like Clarks but closer to Bally in construction.
As far as I can work out they are only sold by retailers here in the UK and not directly, the Charles Clinkard company owns/runs that website that Sarah provided. I believe Charles Clinkard's origins are in bench made British men's shoes, they appear to be lending their established name to sell other brands of footwear.
Gabor's online history makes no mention of selling directly in the UK which makes me think their designs haven't been sold in the UK for long (relatively speaking). They have been pro-active in licensing however, so it would not be unheard of for them to licenced the manufacture to a British maker under their name to be sold in this country by various retailers.

I see from their history they opened a museum of their shoes in 2010 so I would contact them to see if they would be interested in the shoes.

I would call the decoration a faux-tied cord with crimped metal ends. (there's a name for this metal piece in jewellery making but I can't remember it sorry)

 

[Midge]

Gabor is as far as I know a German company, and their products are widely available here in Switzerland in "better" shoe shops. I've had Gabor shoes, and I would call their style conservative, not super fashionable, but I do see nice styles by them. Definitely good quality. The old Burda magazines from the 60s and 70s always have Gabor ads.

 

[sarah-jane]

I stand corrected. But I'm sticking with old lady shoes...which are a country mile away from classic styles IMHO. And even farther away from your shoes Linn!

 

[laurenm]

Thanks everyone for all your help.....I like that expression Sarah "A country mile away"......funny someone was describing certain fur hats as "old lady" hats....then there's "Grandpa" sweaters "mom haircuts" etc....my daughter was wearing big (what I thought ugly) cardigans from the 80s for a while that I would consider "old lady" sweaters.....Gonna go look up the definitions of "Dowdy" and "Frumpy" and "Matronly"