I was delighted to get this commission to make a pair of strapped black-on-black shoes with a heel lift and stiffener. Black on black makes for such a clean finish to the opening, subdued, but certainly noticeable. I strongly recommend binding for all, not just because it helps reinforce the opening, but because of the way it finishes the shoe.

Some details below…

Whipping in the stiffener. You noticed that in this pair, opposed to this previous pair, I’m using a curved awl to whip it in. The main reason is that I’m practicing for 18th century shoes!

Inseaming, nothing special to see here!

A shot of the inside. Historically, some of these types of shoes had a whipped-in reinforcement patch here.

A closeup of the quarters, showing the heel stiffener and the inside of the binding.

The decoration was taken from the late 16th century finds in Nova Zembla. A single heel lift is attached.

A different shot of the finished shoes. The silk ribbons are tipped with brass aglets.