Help dating vintage suede pumps

[DaisyandStella]

I have two pairs of suede vintage pumps - at first glance I was thinking 1940s, however, now i'm wondering if they could be older. Can anyone help me date these?

The first pair is brown suede with peep-toe and cutout design. They are marked "Made Expressly for
Caspari & Virmond Wisconsin's Foremost Boot Shop Milwaukee" and "Short Back Last Foot Saver Shoe".

The second pair is a green suede cross-over peep-toe marked "I. Miller Galleria Made in Italy".

Thanks much!
Brooke

 

[Jonathan]

The green suede are early 70s, the brown suede early/mid 50s.

 

[DaisyandStella]

The green suede are early 70s, the brown suede early/mid 50s.

Wow Jonathan I was completely off! Is there a good resource you can point me to for help determine age?
Thanks so much!

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

I can recommend Jonathan's excellent books - he's written two on shoes and I love them both, especially The Seductive Shoe. You can see a list here.

I'm not a not a shoe specialist like Jonathan, but I agree with his datings - the '30s and '40s revival styles of the early '70s can be really good but there are indications that give them away. It's easy to be swayed by style so I recommend looking at construction - there are subtle differences in heel shapes, and different materials. The labels also reveal age and reproduction styles often mix eras in a way that originals do not.

For example, a '40s suede platform would have a different heel - they're chunkier and yet more elegant at the same time. Mostly it's good to look at lots of examples that you know are authentic. The internet sadly is awash with misdated shoes, it makes it hard to learn the real differences.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Here's a high heel platform slingback from a 1949 mail order catalogue. You can see how the heel is much higher, and shaped less blockishly. The buckle is different to yours and the toe is shaped slightly differently too. This is an illustration, so not as good as a real shoe but the feel is different.

We tend to associate platform heels with the '40s but they were used into the '50s.

The gold piping trim on yours was popular in the mid '70s too, but I don't think I've seen it on an early suede shoe.