
1970s · 1970s · French
Designer
Charles Jourdan
Production
ready-to-wear
Material
canvas and patent leather
Culture
French
Movement
Disco
Influences
1970s platform shoe trend
High-heeled platform sandals with substantial chunky heels approximately 4-5 inches tall and thick platform soles. The shoes feature wide ankle straps with buckle closures and broad toe straps across the foot. Construction combines matte black canvas with glossy black patent leather trim, creating textural contrast. The platform sole extends significantly forward under the toe area, characteristic of mid-1970s footwear proportions. The heel width matches the platform thickness, providing stability despite the dramatic height. Ankle straps wrap around and secure with metal buckles, while the toe straps create an open sandal silhouette suitable for formal evening occasions during the disco era.
These shoes reveal how the 1970s platform obsession split into two distinct tribes: the cream mules channel space-age optimism with their sculptural, almost architectural heel that looks like it could launch into orbit, while the black sandals ground the trend in disco-ready pragmatism with their chunky, walkable platforms and come-hither ankle straps. The distance between them maps the decade's schizophrenia—one foot in the future, one on the dance floor.
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