In a two-part series starting today, Tony gears up for summer by taking a look at the enduring styles of CVO shoes. Part 2 outlines his favorite modern models. Today he looks back through history and pinpoints when canvas sneakers became the leisure footwear of choice for the burgeoning middle class.
—
by Tony Sylvester.
“Booth’s houndstooth, which Huntsman had cut for his father at Savile Row during the Battle of Britain, was pinched at the waist. The boy saved his presentation on the catwalk in faded blue canvas topsider sneakers and a black knit tie, spattered with bronze paint flecks on the bottom of a boat.'”
– Geoffrey Wolf <더 파이널 클럽>
It’s been a long winter here on the coast. An endless gray flat sky with fake springs that were kicked out after a few hours. There are no storms, no snow, just endless drizzle and sunlightless scenery.
The sun is now up and the big coat is back in the storage bin under the bed. I’m thinking about stocking up my summer wardrobe.
A few years ago I wrote a short piece here at PS Towers reflecting on the following: Interwar style of the French Riviera; How expats and immigrants gave birth to new styles and, in the process, gave birth to ideas for the summer season.
Simon was more specific: Some practical options for your perfect vacationAnd there is one particular item I wanted to revisit and refine: the somewhat mechanical-sounding Circular Vamp Oxford, or CVO for short.
What prompted the deep dive was a very cool photo by David Niven (see above). Niven, pictured in 1956 with one hand on the steering wheel of a Bentley S1 Continental Coupe, is the epitome of the Riviera elan I mentioned in a previous article.
Contrasting double-pleated trousers, a dark shirt, and a strange light-colored jacket with a wide striped wrap tie, all atop canvas shoes with unique rubber soles. The two-tone Bentley astride whitewall tires are accurately reflected on the motor, making the image even more powerful. He couldn’t have planned a better shot if he’d tried.
The history of canvas and rubber shoes dates back 100 years when the Liverpool Rubber Company launched the ‘Sand Shoe’. As the name suggests, they are designed as beach boots, alongside the brand’s range of overshoes, ‘wellies’ and other rubber products.
At the end of the 19th century, rubber coat magnate Charles Mackintosh acquired the company and merged it with John Boyd Dunlop’s eponymous brand. In the 1870s, Scottish inventor Dunlop patented the pneumatic tire, and together they brought to the world a low-top proto-sports shoe made from the same canvas and vulcanized rubber that the British public quickly dubbed the ‘Plimsoll’.
The trademark dark lines around the white rubber sole imitate the safety lines for loading goods over the sides of ships introduced by Samuel Plimsoll MP in the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876. More than 100 years later, British school children still called their white canvas sneakers Plimsolls. Sneakers, sneakers, and tennis shoes are not allowed.
These new innovations seemed perfect to reflect new hobbies and activities, but it took time for these canvas and rubber creations to be adopted by the more aristocratic spectrum of sportsmen. In fact, thanks to the benefit of the men’s fashion press of the time, we can almost pinpoint that exact moment.
The American trade magazine Apparel Arts’ ‘Fashion Forecast – Shoes’ for the summer of 1932 features two pages of shoes suitable for the gentleman of leisure (above). Yachtsmen are advised to choose a white buckskin derby with a rubber sole. Budding tennis players turn to two-tone ‘sports shoes’ – the Goodyear welt toe cap in brown calfskin and white canvas – “widely accepted by international sportsmen in hot weather”.
The closest thing to a full canvas figure is the summer espadrille, which differs greatly in form and function. Manish said in his previous post:. Glossy ads for Conrad Shoe Co and Friendly Five Shoes back this up, with products in white, cream and two-tone leather or suede. Perforated leather and a “flexible” sole add a sporty feel.
But the following summer’s guide tells a different story. “Summer Activities – Observations through the Art of Clothing” features a series of illustrators dressed in colorful costumes. The tennis player dazzles in a ribbon-trimmed blazer, spotted muffler, white flannel and “white canvas shoes with crepe soles.” jackpot.
Their introduction in Esquire Magazine in the fall of 1933 marked the first time these illustrations and instructions were available to a civilian audience outside the menswear industry, and heralded the depiction of summer-loving gentlemen on canvas shoes.
“Palace Costume of the 1934 Season” (above) reports on “white canvas sneakers,” despite noting that “Cuban jai alai shoes are smarter in appearance.” “On The Trail Blazed By Bunny Austin,” from 1935, reports on the influence of British tennis players, pointing out that, along with “white sneakers,” “the new blue canvas sneakers were adopted by many famous professionals.” Canvas sneakers have arrived at celebrities’ country clubs and resorts.
At the same time, amateur sailor and duck decoy inventor Paul Sperry stumbles into a kettle on the deck of his schooner and ends up drinking a rare drink from Long Island Sound. This starts you thinking about the possibilities of slip-resistant shoes.
Inspired by the cocker spaniel’s ability to stay upright even in the cold weather of a Connecticut winter, Sperry experimented with cut patterns on the bottom of the rubber soles to mimic the rough leather of a dog’s paw pads.
In 1937, he sold the patent for his anti-slip soles to the Converse Rubber Company, who would manufacture ‘siped’ soles in a herringbone pattern exclusively for him, and the ‘Top Sider’ was born, which became an instant hit with his fellow members of the Cruising Club Of America.
By 1939, the U.S. War Department was contracted to supply sailors with canvas shoes (above), which became an important part of the work kit and an official part of the U.S. Navy’s casual uniform. After the war, yachting ties remain strong. How many summer moodboards are there where pictures of JFK aboard the boat ‘Manitou’, furry dog sweaters, ray bans and white topsiders are all present and unaccounted for?
At the same time, Ked, a brand of the American Rubber Company, launched The Yeoman (above). The company has been making sneakers with Olympic names like ‘Triumph’ and ‘The Champion’ since 1916, but the Yeoman was very appealing to me because it appears to be the first canvas shoe marketed strictly for leisure use rather than sports.
It was clearly inspired by Edward Windsor’s favorite series of canvas and crepe sneakers. In the famous photo of his closet and shoe rack, you can see the bottom row of tan derbies over red rubber (below).
Although popular belief is that it was a custom-made piece by a London shoemaker, its origins remain unclear. Keds created an entire line of shoes using this model, and it remained in their catalog for at least the next 20 years. It is a wonderful embodiment of the middle-class desire for leisure. In the commercials we see them along with visiting the beach, barbecues and mowing the lawn.
I first became aware of them long after the fact. In the 1980s, an Asian cheap shoe manufacturer borrowed this form and sold it back to the United States under the brand name Zig Zag.
Affectionately named ‘Winos’, they became a prison issue in the California prison system and were favored by Mexican gang members and musicians. As seen in cult gang movies colors (1988), american me (1992) and Blood in blood out (1993), a street portrait by Meririck Morton, appearing on stage with Venice crossover legend Suicidal Tendency. All of these elements would be great wardrobe inspiration for me.
Speaking of wardrobes, I’ve pulled out shoe boxes from dark corners, and in Part 2 we’ll look at some modern options that keep the same spirit alive.
