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Mary Jane (also known as bar shoes or doll shoes) is an American term ( formerly a
registered trademark The registered trademark symbol, , is a typographic symbol that provides notice that the preceding word or symbol is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office. A trademark is a symbol, word, or wor ...
) for a closed, low-cut
shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture ...
with one or more straps across the
instep The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...
. Classic Mary Janes for children are typically made of black
leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...
or
patent leather Patent leather is a type of coated leather that has a high-gloss finish. The coating process was introduced to the United States and improved by inventor Seth Boyden, of Newark, New Jersey, in 1818, with commercial manufacture beginning Septe ...
, have one thin strap fastened with a buckle or button, a broad and rounded
toe box The toe box is the section of footwear that surrounds the toes on closed-toe shoes. Toe boxes that are too tight can cause injuries and foot deformities, whereas wider toe boxes may be used to treat or prevent common foot conditions such as Mor ...
, low heels, and thin outsoles. Among girls, Mary Janes are commonly worn with
tights Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concep ...
,
pantyhose Pantyhose, called sheer tights, or tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Mostly considered to be a garment for women and girls, pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advert ...
, socks, or completely without them (on bare feet), and a dress or a
skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts ar ...
and blouse. Among boys (less common), Mary Janes are traditionally worn with socks (or without them as well), short trousers and a shirt.


History

Children's shoes secured by a strap over the instep and fastened with a buckle or button appeared in the early 20th century. Originally worn by both sexes, they began to be perceived as being mostly for girls during the 1930s in North America and the 1940s in Europe. They were also popular with women in the 1920s. Today, Mary Janes for children, particularly the more classic styles, are often considered semi-formal or formal shoes, appropriate for school (many schools worldwide require that girls wear them with their uniform), religious ceremonies, weddings, visits, and birthday parties for example. More modern styles are also worn in casual settings, however: playgrounds, shopping centres, sports (Mary Jane sneakers), etc. Although less popular than in the past, Mary Janes remain a timeless classic of children's fashion and, for many people, a symbol of girlhood. Moreover, Mary Janes are a preferred accessory of many traditional or folk costumes, such as those of the
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
female dancer and of the typical woman in Mao's China and the Kims'
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
.


Etymology

Mary Jane was a character created by Richard Felton Outcault, "Father of the Sunday Comic Strip", for his comic strip '' Buster Brown'', which was first published in 1902. She was the sister of the title character Buster Brown and was drawn from real life, as she was also Outcault's daughter of the same name. In Outcault's and his daughter's words, she was the only character drawn from life in the Buster Brown strip although "Mrs. Brown" resembled Outcault's wife. In 1904, Outcault traveled to the St. Louis World's Fair and sold licenses to up to 200 companies to use the Buster Brown characters to advertise their products. Among them was the Brown Shoe Company, which later hired actors to tour the country, performing as the Buster Brown characters in theaters and stores. This strategy helped the Brown Shoe Company become the most prominently associated brand with the Buster Brown characters. The style of shoe both Buster Brown and Mary Jane wore came to be known by her name, Mary Jane.


Adult styles

While the classic Mary Jane still retains its wide popularity and appeal, platform style Mary Janes have also evolved since the late 1990s, with 1-cm to 3-cm (½-in to 1-in) outsoles and 8-cm to 13-cm (3-in to 5-in) "chunky" heels, often with exaggerated grommets or buckles. The 1920s-style Mary Janes were a famous part of flappers' ensembles, thus reinforcing the childlike style the flappers had. These styles were especially popular in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s, within punk rock, psychobilly and goth subcultures. Many times the wearers would accent the look with knee-high knit socks in dark-colored stripes or patterns and/or some form of hosiery (stockings/pantyhose), and often complete the look with a plaid, pleated schoolgirl-style skirt. During the early 2000s, block-heeled Mary Jane shoes were popular in the United Kingdom and were fastened by a rectangular chrome buckle and were made under various brand names such as ''No Doubt'', ''Koi Couture'' etc. Mary Janes are a popular part of
kinderwhore Kinderwhore was a clothing style used by a handful of mostly female grunge bands in the US during the early to mid-1990s. The kinderwhore look consisted of torn, ripped tight or low-cut babydoll and Peter-Pan-collared dresses, slips, knee-socks ...
and
Lolita fashion is a subculture from Japan that is highly influenced by Victorian fashion, Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. A very distinctive property of Lolita fashion is the aesthetic of Kawaii, cuteness. This clothing subculture can ...
. A pump with a strap across the instep may be referred to as a "Mary Jane pump", although it does not have the low heels or wide toe of the original Mary Jane (and a pump is generally strapless by definition).


Gallery

File:Chunky mary jane shoes.jpg, Modern chunky-heeled Mary Jane shoes File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00068, Oskar von Preußen mit Familie.jpg, The family of
Prince Oskar of Prussia Prince Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf of Prussia (27 July 1888 – 27 January 1958) was the fifth son of German Emperor Wilhelm II and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Biography Birth and family Prinz Oskar of Prussia w ...
in 1925: the three boys (aged 10, 8, and 3) are wearing Mary Janes. File:Orthopedic Mary Janes.jpg, Orthopedic Mary Janes File:Mary Jane School Shoes.jpg, Modern Mary Jane school shoes worn with socks. Usually worn by
primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
-aged girls, even in the 21st century.


See also

* * T-bar sandal—a very similar style


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mary Jane (Shoe) 1940s fashion 1950s fashion 1960s fashion 2000s fashion Shoes 1902 in comics Fictional costumes