"Iconic" is the kind of word that's been so over-used that you sigh every time you read it. Sometimes it feels like it's almost lost its meaning. Few things in fashion truly are iconic, but there is no doubt in our mind that key Chanel pieces tick all the right boxes. The quilted bag, the tweed jacket, the two-tone shoes - all of these fashion staples have stood the test of time and are instantly recognisable as Coco's creations. They might be slightly different each season, but so iconic (a term we by no means use lightly) that you know exactly what they are. Karl Lagerfeld always plays around with Coco's design of the two-tone shoes, but for AW15 he revived them in their original glory. In celebration of this throwback to the two-tone slingbacks, we take a little look at the shoe's history.
In 1957 Coco first introduced slingbacks in beige and black. She described them as “the height of elegance.” At the time women mainly wore shoes that matched the colour of their outfit, in one shade only. Can you imagine style dictating that you match your shoes to your jumper? No thanks. This is what made the Chanel slingbacks so revolutionary: they didn’t have to exactly go with an outfit, and they could be easily worn on any occasion. The press dubbed it “the new Cinderella slipper,” and it was seen on famous feet; from Brigitte Bardot to Jane Fonda.
The beige colour lengthened the leg whilst the black toe cap shortened the foot and protected the end of the pump. The slingback style allowed for freedom of movement, and with help from the shoemaker Massaro, Chanel had it elasticated. Coco was inspired by the two-tone mens shoes that had been around since the eighteenth century, and she brought the style into womenswear.
The original model of the shoe has been constantly changed to suit the fashion of the time. Nothing is safe: the colours and the heel shape have all been changed. The slingback was briefly done away with, and even in 1966 the shoe was laced with black ribbon.
Since he became creative director of the fashion house in 1983, Karl Lagerfeld has been playing around with the two-tone shoe. From 1986 he focused on a ballerina style. In 1994 came the black and white model with an ankle strap. His use of colours became increasingly experimental: from plum and blue, to fuschia and black and more. SS15 saw strappy derbies in gold leather with black toe caps. The materials have also been changed: tweed and patent leather for AW09, PVC and satin in SS13 RTW, lace and leather thigh boots for SS13 haute couture.
It's hard to keep up, so a part of us is glad that this year Coco's original design is back on the runway. Every model in the AW15 ready-to-wear show sported the shoes, Lagerfeld explaining that “the slingback has become the most modern shoe and makes the legs look beautiful.”
Text by Prudence Wade