The Rare Rainbow Striped Shoes I Swoon For!

Are these to die for or what?

 The Rainbow Striped Shoes I Swooned Over!

When these shoes came walking in the door of the shop, I sadly wasn't there at the time. In general when something as eye catching as these come in on consignment I have had to learn over time to die down my own individual explosiveness.  I so badly want to jump and scream over the product in excitement and awe of this vintage marvel, but have realized over the years to show "polite excitement" - that's NOT over the top - to the consignor and keep the 

"OMG-THESE-ARE-THE-BEST-VINTAGE-SHOES-TO-HAVE-EVER-CROSSED-MY-PATH" 

screaming to myself internally... otherwise the consignor is under the impression that 

1. their item is worth an outrageous amount of money or 

2. they take it back, not wanting to leave it with me.

In which case, I lie on the floor and have tears well up in my eyes, grieving the loss of something so amazing.

But seriously, look at these lovelies. 

 But, mothers know best, don't they? My mother was smart enough to know I would literally go cuckoo over these beauties, but didn't reveal them to me immediately either, leaving it to me to discover them on my own. They were in a paper bag on the floor next to our incoming processing station, tucked under another amazing and rare pair - that will be discussed later. 

Once I finally sat down at the computer, I noticed a flash of color - these rainbow loves were just SITTING THERE....IN A BAG ON THE FLOOR? HUHHHHHH?????

"WHAT ARE THESE?" 

I yelled with delight, snagging them out from their humble state - knowing immediately they were special. Why are they special? The fabric. Vintage textiles are AMAZING mostly known for their durability and quality. Things were made so much better back in those good old days. These shoes were "SHANTUNG SILK" otherwise called "Raw Silk". 

SILK SHOES? I'm SORRY....DO THEY EVEN MAKE THOSE ANYMORE?

  
Sure, they do. But they cost an arm and a leg. As with EVERYTHING I touch, I immediately noticed the label was from Town and Country. Okay. This tells me they were mid-century. Town & Country made lovely vintage shoes - many of them pumps as it was the most prominent style of shoe to wear for a lady then. They are a fairly decent label. They sell great in resale and were likely put out originally at large department stores such as Macy's, Gilmore's, Jacobson's, etc.

Upon further investigation looking over the condition of these shoes for the resale market, I always check the heels, the toes, and the bottoms. Since they are covered in fabric, making sure the fabric isn't pulling away from the shoe or fraying somewhere around the base. Flipping them over, I made the BEST DISCOVERY YET. There was something stamped on the bottom of these. But, what? I could hardly make it out due to the wear and tear from years of storage - however, there WAS something there. Finally - I figured out what it said. It read, "T&C's V.I.P."  as shown:

I had never seen this before. Never in the 16 years I've looked at vintage shoes. Never in the years I've scoured the internet and fashion books pouring and soaking in all the information I could about the origin of the company, the era, etc. WELL I NEVER! So, I called up the consignor to find out exactly WHAT this was all about. Another perk of my job. I don't have to go out "picking" for things - they walk into me. Usually from their original owners or family members of their original owners. 

These were consigned by a gal who is nearing age 70 and used to be the owner of a huge Ben Franklin Crafts store that was located near us during the 1970s and 1980s. Sadly, she had to close it in the early 1990's as people seem to pull away from crafting and the business went downhill. Either way, she started out as a salesperson for a department store and ended up getting hired to be in sales for this line of shoes, Town & Country. Come to find out these were custom made especially for her for being the top salesperson in her entire region for Town and Country shoes. 

THESE ARE ONE OF A KIND! 

THESE ARE CUSTOM MADE! 

THESE ARE RARE! THESE HAVE BEEN SAVED!

So that's the origin of these amazing, stunning, outrageous, perfect for ANYTHING pair of vintage beauties, that are currently still available in my Etsy shop. You can click to purchase them HERE.

So, what do you think? Aren't these the most eye catching vintage pumps you've ever seen? No? Please share your favorites by linking them in the comments below! 

Cheers from this Vintage Stylist xo!