As a Lindy Hopper, it’s pretty mandatory that you have at least one pair of Keds in your collection for dancing. They are comfortable, last for a long time and come in cool colours and now super cool designs. BUT did you know that Keds had a division that started in the 1930’s that were strictly for women called “Kedettes“? They did! and the line was stylish, really beautiful and with its shock-absorbing sole also comfortable (Keds history)!
Take a look at the following selection of vintage ads for Kedettes and start imagining how cute you would have looked on the dance floor with them on!
Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
“Kedettes”-Keds Stylish Women’s Shoe Division
The Vintage Advertising
Love this dancing Kedette ad from the 1930s.
1940s vintage ad for women’s shoes perfect for summer time fun! I will take the Green one’s, the Yellow ones, brown ones…..
1950s vintage ad: “Say Saludos when you buy your next pair of new Kedettes”.
I just loved the colours AND styles in this 1950s ad and had to add it to the collection of pics.
All of these 1940’s Kedettes would be perfect in my closet, every single one.
1940s for Kedettes Wedges that are perfect for Spring and Summer.
Source: Etsy
I may be tall but I’m a sucker for a wedge and these wedges don’t seem to be too tall for little old me and they are so beautiful as well. 1940s ad.
1940’s Kedettes are simply gorgeous and I have at least 10 dresses that would look perfect with them 🙂
Would you like to own a pair of Kedettes? Here are some examples of what was on sale on the web at time of posting (head over to Etsy to do a search for more updated finds)
Vintage 1950s Kedettes yellow ballerina flat slipper shoes. A beautiful pair of 1950s flat shoes made of bright yellow woven cotton fabric with a yellow cord loop on top.
There you have it, Keds was not always a brand for just running shoes. Now I don’t know about you but I think I might run off to ebay/etsy and see if any still exist in this world that I can drool over.
There is a pub/bar/my local beer hangout called the Rhino Restaurant in Parkdale, Toronto. They have a mural on the side of their wall that for some reason I only noticed recently that I have found very intriguing and has encouraged me to write a blog post about it. Here is the mural (sorry for the side image but the patio was closed and this was a close as I could get).
It’s a mural of the “Miss Toronto Pageant” in the 1920’s…1926 to be exact, the year that the Miss Toronto Pageant started at Sunnyside Park.
WOW…I never knew Toronto had done anything like this. I moved to the city in 1999 and from my reading I discovered that the pageant closed it’s doors in 1991, so of course I would not of read or heard anything about it. Anyways as I was looking thru some very cool vintage pics of the “early days” of the pageant (lets say pre 1960’s because that is what my blog focuses on) I discovered the original image that the mural was based from. Here it is…the first Miss Toronto winner of 1926 – “Miss Jean Ford Tolmie” in her full glory (holy flower hat!) at Sunnyside Park.
Image source: Toronto Archives
Look at the hair and the bathing suits and stockings but the best part is how very unhappy the ladies who did not win are. Totally Miserable! Cheer up ladies you are all beautiful and I would not of known who to have picked if I was a judge!
There is not a lot of history online about the pageant but what I could find, after its initial startup in 1926 it seemed to remain dormant till about 1937. In 1937 the “Toronto Police Amateur Athletic Association” who wanted to add something “extra special” to their annual Police Games decided to take over the Pageant and run it again. It was not without controversy though, no sooner had the pageant been announced than it came under fire from the Local Council of Women of Toronto in a letter to the Board of Control and the chief of police. The council’s issue was not that the pageant objectified women—as feminists would assert in the future—but rather that the pageant was “not in good taste.” Their letter read in part:
“We look to the heads of the police department not only to see that existing laws pertaining to standards of decency and good taste are enforced, but also to be most punctilious in seeing that nothing they sponsor may tend to have a lowering effect on the standards of the people in general.” (Torontoist.com)
But this did not stop the pageant from moving forward with 350 pretty 16+, British Subjects entering. 66 were then chosen to compete in the finale at the CNE Grandstand (Canadian National Exhibition) on July 17th, 1937. The website “Torontoist.com” has a super post on what went down that day that eventually had the very pretty 17-year-old Billie Hallam become “Miss Toronto, 1937“.
1937 Photo of6 of the ladies –Look at their cute shoes and the hair..fantastic!
Toronto Archives
Your 1937 Miss Toronto Winner-Billie Hallam, isn’t she just a doll?
Toronto Archives
With her win, the lovely Miss Hallem won $200 cash (a lot of money in 1937), Free trips to the police games in several other cities, invite to the Miss American pageant, jewellery, and sponsorship deals with companies like “Ponds Produce” & “Star Taxi” to name a few. She even had a potential chance to screen test with R.K.O. Studios…amazing!! (Torontoist.com). This was a huge deal for a 17-year-old in Toronto.
The pageant continued on until 1991 where backlash from Feminists and declining sponsorship eventually saw it shut it doors but thanks to the internet we can relive some of those wonderful pageant moments thru the pictures that still exist today. Lets take a look…
Some of the other contestants from the 1937 pageant. OMG the parasols!!!
Now for something slightly different…”Miss War Worker 1942“. This contest was created to encourage women to enter the workforce during the war (not sure how a pageant would do this, but ok).
Miss Toronto 1946 – Her surfing bathing suit from Catalina is totally adorable and something I would love to have today. Check out the ladies in the background, the one to the left looks a bit like Ava Gardner.
Miss Toronto 1947 – Look at the handsome Police officer hoisting her in the air. Lucky her! Once again her shoes are divine!
Miss Toronto 1948-The bathing suits are super amazing. These ladies all look like they stepped out of a movie set.
Miss Toronto 1950 contestants Beautiful!!
Miss Toronto 1956at the CNE – Ummm Hello! Where can I get THAT DRESS???? yooza!
Miss Toronto 1957 – The runner-up should have won because her shoes were the cutest 🙂
VIDEOS:
Miss Toronto Pageant 1938. The young woman who wins the title of ‘Miss Toronto 1938’ is Dianne Perkin, a cute brunette. She poses with the Mayor and is given a bouquet of flowers. The runners up join Dianne and the Mayor to pose for pictures (Video link. )
Beauty contest at Police Games in Toronto, Canada 1939 (not the same pageant but a great video that I had to share).
So there you have a brief early history/pictures of the “Miss Toronto” Pageant, hope you enjoyed learning a bit about the Glory Day of the Pageant. Please share any thoughts on this topic in the comments section below. I love hearing from my readers!
