The high heel of the D’Orsay pump is revered to this day, even if the creator has been largely forgotten
Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo are just a few of the famous contemporary shoe designers who owe much of their success to an early 19th century gentleman revered at the time for his style, manners and worldliness. Alfred Guillaume Gabriel, the Earl of Orsay was an eclectic nobleman and artist who married into the British aristocracy. It became a touchstone for manners, taste and understated luxury in the English royal court and high society.
The Comte d’Orsay gained fame in France, Great Britain, and the Rhone Valley as a painter, sculptor, chronicler, and wit. He was considered the “most perfect gentleman of his time.” Cynics spoke of men like Beau Brummel and the Earl as “dandies.” The term “Dossy, commonly used during the first half of the 19th century, was considered derived from his name and meant a man who was an” arbitrator elegantarium.
The privileged class at that time was very interested in everything related to fashion and vanity. Shoes and footwear were of special interest. Ever since Catherine de Medici, in 16th century Italy, wore two-inch heels to negate her diminutive height, the search for shoes with increasingly exaggerated heels had become a passion. At the time of the reign of the famous French Sun King, Louis XIV, royal women rocked on high-soled shoes and heels so ridiculously high that they needed some kind of ski pole to stand upright.
The Comte d’Orsay had been a soldier in his youth and brave. Uniforms and military clothing were of great importance to him. He was not happy with the military parade footwear of his day. He designed a military shoe for men in 1838. The profile of the shoe was quite different from the court shoes of the time, it fitted tighter and featured low-cut sides and a V-shaped upper. The silhouette became so popular that it was soon adopted by women. Thus was born the high-heeled shoe d “Orsay”.
“The d’Orsay shoe leaves the sexiest part of the foot, the curved instep, bare. The curve of the instep resembles the curves of a woman’s body, and is normally not exposed, but hidden from view,” said Christian Louboutin. in describing the modern influence and popularity of d’Orsay’s high-heeled court shoes style. Modern materials, technology and design have combined to make women’s shoes increasingly exotic and dynamic. The d’Orsay styles sold today reflect the advancements in engineering to which the pioneering styles created by the Count d’Orsay have evolved.
The origins of the shoe designed by d’Orsay have been largely forgotten. Most women who wear the d’Orsay don’t even know the shoe’s proper historical name. However, the design is one of the most popular today, worn and favored by elegant women everywhere.
The Earl of Orsay inadvertently created an enduring fashion style for women by striving to create men’s footwear. Modern couture designers have taken their military-style shoes and made a leap in style to catwalks, department stores and boutiques where they are paired with increasingly feminine fashion creations. This is a classic example of a product or design evolving from its original intended market to ultimately more successful use.
by: Geoff Ficke