Men likewise abandoned overly formal clothes and began wearing more casual sporty styles for the first time. Men’s suits of today are largely based on those worn in the late 1920s.
“The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines, and High Spirits” showcases shoe styles that were popular throughout the decade, reflecting the new freedoms that were opening up for women.
Styles included the T-strap shoe, designed to keep women’s shoes on their feet while doing the Charleston, and the menswear-influenced shoes worn by women who were stepping out of the domestic sphere and entering the workforce in record numbers.
Hundreds of shoes (from a collection numbering over 10,000) are on exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum on an ongoing basis, ranging from Chinese bound-foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals to chestnut-crushing clogs and glamorous platforms. The Roaring Twenties exhibit runs until June 2012. For more information visit www.batashoemuseum.ca.