If I were to think of an “eternal” model, the first that would come to mind would certainly be the Mary Jane. Always sensitive to its poetic magnetism, I love to decline it in almost all my collections, with that bon-ton style that adapts to the most different looks.
But how was this model born? What if I told you that this feminine and slightly naive shoe was actually worn by boys?
Let's find out the history of this fascinating shoe together!
Let's start with the name. Why Mary Jane?
It all started with… a comic. Well yes. These were the years between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the new century, and in the United States the most widely read newspaper was the New York World.
A certain worked for this magazine Richard Felton Outcault, prominent humorist of the American staff, father of the famous comic Yellow Kid, but also of a comic strip named Buster Brown, which also appeared in Italy in the historical "Corriere dei Piccoli"Between 1908 and 1914 with the name of" Mimmo Mammolo ".
The pestiferous angelic-faced child starring in these paper adventures had a co-star, and guess what his name was? Yup, Mary Jane. Both always wore the same type of shoe in every episode, a model with rounded lines and a strap on the back of the foot. The author became very famous thanks to these comics, from which very acclaimed films were soon taken.
The shoes that the protagonists wore in each episode became extremely recognizable, and Outcault decided in 1904 to sell the rights to some companies that wanted to produce them. The license is sold to 200 companies and, among them, is the lucky one Brown Shoe Company to have the most success. The shoe factory recreates exactly the shoes worn by the little protagonists, initially produced low to the ground with a small ankle strap.
These new shoes invaded the market, under the name of BHD Mary Jane Shoes. Everyone wanted a pair, every child is good at having them at his feet.
It then happens that as the boys grew up they abandoned the Mary Janes while the women, in order not to put them in the closet together with the dolls, added a little heel.
The rise of the Mary Janes from the 1920s
The ankle strap secured the foot which remained firmly in place. This is how another intuition comes: to consecrate the Mary Jane as a dance shoe.
The model grows up as a child, arrives in dance halls and becomes almost mischievous and sensual.
So fascinating that it appears at the feet of stars and women who later became an icon. It won't resist Mary Jane Greta Garbo, for example.
A new concept of femininity is gradually spreading, mixing that childish aspect with the desire for freedom and non-conformism.
The flapper girl, that is, those women of the 20s of the twentieth century, who wore make-up in a brazen way, drank alcohol and smoked like men and were free and relaxed, begin to make it an inevitable accessory. They match Mary Janes with heels with bias-cut dresses and their garçonne hair. This is how this model becomes an undisputed myth.
In the 1950s they will appear at the feet of Twiggy is Jean Shrimpton, with a consequent ripple effect on all the girls of the 60s that allowed these shoes to still be in trend today, in 2020.
In the 90s he also wore them Courtney Love, and the most beloved designers have interpreted them over and over again. Prada, Marni, Gucci, Louboutin: all the biggest fashion houses have ventured into the reinterpretation of this myth that has fascinated women of all ages for centuries.
How to wear Mary Janes
Since then Mary Janes have appeared in all sorts of ways: medium, low, high heels, wide plant, plateau. I too, in my small way, have interpreted them in the world of the Venus Slipper, being a model that I have always adored. Feminine and cheeky, at a superficial glance it appears only romantic and delicate but in reality it hides a world behind a harmless strap.
The best way to wear them?
It is a very versatile shoe. Elegant when combined with a knee-length skirt or classic suit, cheeky with a miniskirt or a short structured dress.
To avoid the schoolgirl effect, you could also be daring with a sock. Do you prefer pants?
No problem, the Mary Jane is also flawless with jeans or tight cigarette trousers or one that is wide at the ankle.
And you, are you already in love with this model? How do you love to wear it?
Take a look at the Mary Jane in my shop, soon I will also be able to reveal those of the new spring-summer 2020 collection!
