Tuesday Shoesday: I Miller Shoes

There are lots of shoes on Etsy. Some are from yesteryear designers while others are from discount outlets; the buyer definitely needs to beware. One of my favorite brands that I've yet to score a pair from is I. Miller Shoes - a high end designer.

The Finds (from left to right): Color I. Miller Advertisement, c.1951, $6.99, mirluck; I. Miller Advertisement, c.1961, $9.95, genpaper; 2-page I. Miller Advertisement, c.1954, $10, devocanada.

From Shoes A-Z: Designers, Brands, Manufacturers and Retailers by Jonathan Walford, p.116:

"Israel Miller was born in Russia and moved to the United States, where he was taught by an Italian shoemaker in New York. In 1880 he established what would become a family company, opening a store and factory on 23rd Street, making and selling theatrical footwear. By the 1940s the company had become known for its fashion footwear, created by freelance designers such as Andre Perugia and David Evins, as well as its own growing studio of talent, including Margaret Clark. The company is often remembered for hiring the young Andy Warhol in the late 1950s to dress windows and produce charming shoe sketches used for Christmas greeting cards."

The Finds (left to right): Color I. Miller Advertisement, Date Unknown, $10, devocanada; Color I. Miller Advertisement, c.1958, $10, devocanada.

"Expensive, but wait 'til you wear it."

The Finds (left to right): I. Miller Advertisement, c.1950, $10, devocanada; I. Miller Advertisment, c.1958, $9.99, 237; I. Miller Advertisement, c.1961, $10, devocanada.

"Light and Lovely" "Sleek New Mobility" "Built to Comfort, Coddle, and Make the Most of Your Foot"

In 1958, Millerkins, a walking-suit pump, cost about $20, roughly $154.35 today (calculated via DollarTimes). Today, vintage I. Miller shoes can be found from $24 to $120, or even lower in thrift shops.

The Finds (top, clockwise): Brown Gray Lizigator Purse, Deitsch with matching Pumps, I. Miller, c.1950s, $60, NorthStar Vintage; Tan Lizard Pumps, I. Miller, $110, Sweet Trash Vintage Clothing; Midnight Blue Suede Sandals, I. Magnin & Co. I. Miller Beauty Shoes, c.1940s, $58, Thirteen Bees Vintage; Navy Peep Toe Slingback Pumps, I. Miller, c.1950s, $24, Thunderbird Vintage.

Have any vintage shoe designers caught your eye?

Ciao Bella!

Eden

 

Credits: All collages created by Eden Hensley Silverstein for A Timeless Affair. All product images taken by their respective eBay: devocanada, genpaper, and mirluck; and Etsy sellers: NorthStar Vintage, Sweet Trash Vintage Clothing, Thirteen Bees Vintage, and Thunderbird Vintage.