They were named after the comic strip character Buster Brown’s sweetheart Mary Jane, who wore this type of shoe. Mary Jane shoes have an interesting history. I chose a pair of navy blue leather ones with chunky heels that looked very much like these: Many of the girls were beginning to wear heels, so of course I had to have a pair of Mary Janes with heels. I started attending Catholic school in 5th grade and we had to wear a uniform, but we were allowed to wear shoes of our own choice, as long as they were either black or navy blue and appropriate for school. I never got to wear them again though, because they didn’t match anything else I had, and I was always required to be perfectly coordinated for my mother.Īs I grew older, I never outgrew my love for Mary Janes. I couldn’t stop looking at the way they graced my feet. My dress was a gorgeous pink confection with embroidered roses, a huge white sash, and a layered skirt, and I had a pink matching coat and hat, but all I cared about was the shoes. On my 6th Easter, my mother bought me a pair of white patent leather Mary Janes to wear with my new pink Easter outfit. I don’t remember the girl’s name or even what she looked like, but I never forgot those shoes. I had to go over there and stroke those velvety shoes. One day at Sunday school, another girl was wearing burgundy velvet Mary Janes. I remember at a birthday party I attended, one of the girls was wearing baby blue patent leather Mary Janes. Sometimes I’d see other colors or even materials on the shoes. In the winter, many of the girls (including myself) wore colored tights under their dresses and jumpers, and I liked the contrast of their shiny black Mary Janes with the red, black, white, hunter green or navy blue tights they had on. I was constantly looking at the other girls’ feet, because I found their shoes so fascinating. I envied the girls at school who got to wear their Mary Janes every day. ![]() The ladies always smiled politely and murmured some compliment before going on their way. I remember running around the department store stopping in front of strange ladies, proudly pointing to my new shoes and telling them to look at how pretty they were. The ones I chose were special, because they had square toes and two thin straps across the instep rather than just one. One of my happiest memories is from when I was about 5, when my mother took me shopping for a new pair of Mary Janes. I remember taking them out of their box during the week and just looking at them, turning them over and over in my small hands, admiring their shininess and sniffing their new-leather aroma. My own pair of black patent leather Mary Janes were strictly reserved for Sunday school, birthday parties, and other special outings. ![]() No matter what sort of dress I wore to school, I was always made to wear plain brown Oxfords or loafers with my school dresses, but some of the girls got to wear their dressy Mary Janes every day of the week. School dresses varied and ranged from dark plaid jumpers over white blouses (or pleated wool skirts with suspenders for the younger girls), to cotton dresses with full gathered skirts in warmer weather. We had clothing for different activities: pants (or slacks, as they were called) or overalls were “play clothes ” then we had our “school dresses,” and finally our flouncier, dressier Sunday and party dresses (these were usually interchangeable). Back in the ’60s, little girls didn’t yet wear pants to school. When I was a little girl, I think I was happiest whenever I had a brand new pair of Mary Jane shoes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |