Dating shoes

[greatglenvintage]

Wondering if these are even vintage at all. Shoes are still not my strong point. Also wondering what the metal circle is on the bottom of the toe. Thanks!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

I would say late 50s to early 60s and they appear to be peau de soie, may well have been dyed to match a dress. That was quite customary at that time, you bought them as white and had them dyed to match your outfit.

 

[greatglenvintage]

I'm assuming that would explain the pink on one of the soles?

 

[greatglenvintage]

Also, am I correct that these are size 9B? I'm not sure why there is a zero after the 9.

 

[bycinbyhand]

early 1960s

 

[BonniesVintageClothesLine]

At that time(50s-60s) you could take your nice shoes to the shoe shop and have the metal pieces put on the soles of shoes to take the wear off of the sole. The point at the front and the heel took the most pressure and often wore badly so the metal was put on to protect those areas of the shoe. My Mother often had these put on her nice shoes so the soles would last much longer. BTW, metal pieces were added to the front and back of men's shoes, too! These were shaped more like a spread out horseshoe. I guess people back on those days were more geared to a life when things were not disposable but repaired and preserved and used for a longer time than things today.