Everyone had a different name for them; saddle shoes, saddle oxfords, or sometimes just plain saddles.  No matter what you called them, no teenaged-girl in the 50s was complete without her bobby socks and saddle shoes. 

The saddle shoe is considered to be one of the few all-Americna shoes.  Though its heyday would come mid-century, the saddle shoe was originally created by Spalding in 1906.  They’re a far cry from what anyone would wear while playing sports today, but saddle shoes were designed with tennis and squash players in mind.  The ‘saddle’ would support the instep, keeping the shoe tight during the intense maneuvers that are made around the court.  Most athletic shoes could link themselves back to these pairs of technologically sound tennies.  Air Jordans, meet your grandpappy.

In the end, tennis players turned to other footwear, pushing the saddle shoe toward obsolescence, saved only by golfers.  The two-toned saddle shoes were classy and sporty all at once, making it a sleek choice for someone about to step out onto the back nine.  Teens and college kids in the 40s started picking up on the saddle shoe, turning it into a bonafide craze.

Parents were going crazy, too!  Kids of the 1950s were much different from the kids of yesteryear.  Though conformity will always be a sort of norm for teens (even when nonconformity is the norm, and therefore conformity), it hit a peak with seeing gaggles of girls with their saddle shoes, cuffed jeans and white shirttails.  It was a proud uniform, one that would begin the separation of adults and teens forever.