Rocking horse shoes
When and where was this item first created, and what practical purpose did it serve?
Rocking horse shoes emerged in 1970s London as part of the underground punk and alternative fashion movement. Designer Vivienne Westwood created the original platform shoes at her King’s Road boutique SEX in 1972, inspired by fetish footwear and historical references to 18th-century chopines. The shoes served as both fashion statement and rebellion against conventional footwear, elevating the wearer literally and figuratively above mainstream society.
Westwood designed them to challenge traditional notions of femininity and practicality, creating footwear that was deliberately difficult to walk in. The name “rocking horse” came from their distinctive curved sole that mimicked a rocking horse’s base. These shoes became essential to the punk aesthetic, worn by musicians and fashion rebels who embraced their theatrical, confrontational nature.
Westwood designed them to challenge traditional notions of femininity and practicality, creating footwear that was deliberately difficult to walk in. The name “rocking horse” came from their distinctive curved sole that mimicked a rocking horse’s base. These shoes became essential to the punk aesthetic, worn by musicians and fashion rebels who embraced their theatrical, confrontational nature.
What are the key design features and construction methods of this item?
The defining feature of rocking horse shoes is their distinctive curved platform sole that rocks forward and backward like a rocking horse base. The sole typically measures four to eight inches at its highest point, creating dramatic height while forcing a unique swaying gait. Construction involves a thick wooden or cork platform core wrapped in leather, vinyl, or canvas materials.
The upper portion features ankle straps or lace-up closures for security, essential given the shoe’s instability. Many versions include decorative hardware like buckles, studs, or D-rings that reference bondage and fetish aesthetics. The toe box is often pointed or squared, emphasizing the shoe’s architectural qualities.
Early versions used heavy-duty construction with reinforced stitching to withstand the stress of the unusual weight distribution. Colors ranged from basic black leather to metallic finishes, animal prints, and bold solid colors. The curved sole creates negative space underneath, giving the shoes their distinctive profile when viewed from the side.
The upper portion features ankle straps or lace-up closures for security, essential given the shoe’s instability. Many versions include decorative hardware like buckles, studs, or D-rings that reference bondage and fetish aesthetics. The toe box is often pointed or squared, emphasizing the shoe’s architectural qualities.
Early versions used heavy-duty construction with reinforced stitching to withstand the stress of the unusual weight distribution. Colors ranged from basic black leather to metallic finishes, animal prints, and bold solid colors. The curved sole creates negative space underneath, giving the shoes their distinctive profile when viewed from the side.
What cultural movements and social contexts featured this item?
Rocking horse shoes became central to punk fashion culture in 1970s London, worn by musicians, artists, and fashion rebels frequenting clubs like the Roxy and venues along King’s Road. They appeared in iconic punk photography and on stage with bands like the Sex Pistols, becoming visual shorthand for punk’s rejection of mainstream culture. The shoes crossed into gothic and alternative subcultures throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, adopted by New Romantics and post-punk musicians who appreciated their theatrical drama.
Fashion photographers embraced them for editorial shoots that explored themes of power, sexuality, and rebellion. They became particularly associated with dominatrix fashion and BDSM culture, worn in underground clubs and fetish scenes. The shoes influenced Japanese street fashion through punk imports and inspired local designers to create extreme platform variations.
By the 1980s, they had spread beyond underground circles into high fashion, appearing in avant-garde collections and art fashion contexts. Their cultural impact extended beyond footwear to influence architecture, furniture design, and sculpture.
Fashion photographers embraced them for editorial shoots that explored themes of power, sexuality, and rebellion. They became particularly associated with dominatrix fashion and BDSM culture, worn in underground clubs and fetish scenes. The shoes influenced Japanese street fashion through punk imports and inspired local designers to create extreme platform variations.
By the 1980s, they had spread beyond underground circles into high fashion, appearing in avant-garde collections and art fashion contexts. Their cultural impact extended beyond footwear to influence architecture, furniture design, and sculpture.
Is this item still produced today, and how has it evolved over time?
Modern rocking horse shoes continue to be produced by specialty alternative fashion brands and custom shoemakers, though they remain niche products rather than mainstream footwear. Contemporary versions often feature updated materials like lightweight synthetic cores and improved ankle support systems for better wearability. Demonia, a California-based alternative footwear company, produces the most widely available modern interpretations, offering various heights and color options.
Japanese brands like Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty create elaborate versions for Lolita fashion enthusiasts. High-end fashion designers occasionally reference the style in runway collections, creating luxury interpretations with premium materials and refined construction. The basic silhouette has evolved to include variations like Mary Jane straps, oxford lacing, and boot heights.
Modern safety regulations have influenced construction techniques, with some manufacturers adding non-slip sole treatments and improved arch support. Custom makers still produce faithful recreations of Westwood’s original designs for collectors and punk enthusiasts. The shoes maintain their countercultural associations while finding new audiences in cosplay, alternative fashion, and theatrical communities.
Japanese brands like Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty create elaborate versions for Lolita fashion enthusiasts. High-end fashion designers occasionally reference the style in runway collections, creating luxury interpretations with premium materials and refined construction. The basic silhouette has evolved to include variations like Mary Jane straps, oxford lacing, and boot heights.
Modern safety regulations have influenced construction techniques, with some manufacturers adding non-slip sole treatments and improved arch support. Custom makers still produce faithful recreations of Westwood’s original designs for collectors and punk enthusiasts. The shoes maintain their countercultural associations while finding new audiences in cosplay, alternative fashion, and theatrical communities.
How do you identify authentic vintage versions of this item?
Authentic vintage rocking horse shoes from the 1970s feature hand-constructed wooden or dense cork platform cores wrapped in leather or heavy vinyl. Original Westwood pieces show distinctive craftsmanship with hand-stitched seaming and heavy-duty hardware including metal D-rings and buckles that develop specific patina patterns over time. Authentic examples display characteristic wear patterns where the curved sole contacts the ground at heel and toe points, creating smooth, polished areas on the platform base.
The leather on genuine vintage pieces ages to develop deep creasing around ankle areas and natural scuffing that follows the shoe’s unique stress patterns. Period construction shows visible hand-finishing details including rough edge painting and slightly irregular stitching that reflects pre-industrial production methods. Original labels from SEX boutique or early Westwood collections provide definitive authentication, though many genuine pieces lack labels due to the boutique’s informal production methods.
The weight distribution in authentic pieces creates specific balance points that differ from modern reproductions using lightweight materials. Authentic aging includes cracking of leather platforms along natural flex points and darkening of metal hardware that develops gradually over decades rather than artificial aging treatments found in reproductions.
The leather on genuine vintage pieces ages to develop deep creasing around ankle areas and natural scuffing that follows the shoe’s unique stress patterns. Period construction shows visible hand-finishing details including rough edge painting and slightly irregular stitching that reflects pre-industrial production methods. Original labels from SEX boutique or early Westwood collections provide definitive authentication, though many genuine pieces lack labels due to the boutique’s informal production methods.
The weight distribution in authentic pieces creates specific balance points that differ from modern reproductions using lightweight materials. Authentic aging includes cracking of leather platforms along natural flex points and darkening of metal hardware that develops gradually over decades rather than artificial aging treatments found in reproductions.
