In the pink
In the pink Pink is a controversial colour evoking strong feelings of attraction and revulsion. Before the late 1600s, pink was often ignored in favour of shades of red and there was no word in the English language to properly describe it. During the 1700s in France, pink was a fashionable ‘new’ colour and was worn by both men and women as a sign of taste and class. This pair of women’s pale pink silk damask buckle latchet shoes are from the 1740s. From around 1660 highly decorative shoe buckles were worn, first by men with women adopting them later, perhaps because their shoes were hidden beneath long skirts. Buckles then became the prevailing style until the time of the French Revolution of 1789. Another feature of women’s shoes at this time was the white kid-leather rand. The rand is the narrow strip of leather that sits between the upper and sole. It was easier for shoemakers to sew the delicate upper to the soft leather rand first and then sew the rand to the sole.
Northampton Museums 