HOT TAKE: THE WEDGE IS NOT DEAD

Because I said so.

Aug 01, 2024

Hot Take (n): a quickly produced, strongly worded, and often deliberately provocative or sensational opinion or reaction.

My name is Alexia Ioannou and I approve of this message.

I’ve been thinking about the resurgence of the wedge since the dead cold of winter. My mental fixation developed when I found these Jimmy Choo butterfly wedges from the early 2000’s. The moment I put them on I was in awe of way they made my foot look (slim and beautiful in all the right ways), while giving me just the right amount of height and support.

It was then that my expedition to find the most daring wedges of summer began. My top discoveries have included pieces like these Pucci’s wedges, these pink terrycloth Jimmy Choo’s and these sculptural 1998 Prada Glass wedges.

1. Jimmy Choo Butterfly Wedge 2. Pucci Embelished Wedge 3. Prada SS 1998 Glass Wedge

For long many have perceived the wedge style as cheap and cheugy (I’m guilty of subscribing to this mindset). I believe this idea must’ve erupted from the unforgettable Steve Madden wedges in the early 2000’s and overly trending twill/jute espadrille wedges that are permanently burned into my eyeballs.

After discovering these vintage silhouettes I was eager to see how these styles were being reinvented in todays market. Naturally, I headed to designer shoe heaven (the 2nd floor of Bergdorfs). You can imagine my reaction when I discovered NOT ONE WEDGE IN SIGHT. For me this speaks to a much larger issue happening in the current shoe market, where everyone is copy and pasting trends from one designer to the next rather than reflecting on what made these designers so brilliant in the first place. I could go on and on about this, but I’ll spare you the details…for now.

“Salvatore Ferragamo: The Shoemaker of Dreams”

The wedge was originally conceptualized in the late 1930’s by Ferragamo. At the time, his production method was prided on studying ones anatomy and constructing individual foot molds according to that. When the League of Nations imposed economic sanctions on Italy, it became increasingly difficult to obtain the steel and leather materials one needed to create the arch of the shoe. Leading him to experiment with pieces of Sardinian cork. These original pieces are now garnered as works of art, going for up-worths of 10k.

Ferragamo's original wedge's from the 1940's.

The wedge style would go on to create waves in the fashion industry due to its nature of comfortability and versatility. Receiving the likeness of publications such as Vogue in 1938, “The Wedge Has Entered!” Vogue (May 1, 1938)