Boys in T-Bar Sandals 60

[norlington2]

Two school buddies in about 1960. They both have Clarks Joyance sandals - the classic t-bar. The pair on the right could use a dab of Cherry Blossom though...

[strapshoechris]

From the obvious looseness of the straps, I'm sure both boys regularly slipped into their T-bars without proper buckle opening/closing. Lazy boys need to wear ballet flats with elastic instep straps instead so there's not much to mess with.

[Bertino56]

Norlington, I'm wondering if some of these are Clark's Lysander rather than Joyance.
I recall they looked very much alike, but they may have come in different size ranges.
Lysander is, after all, a boy's name.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/opobs/2440668235/sizes/o/

[T-Bar-Bear]

Awesome picture Norlington! this one has to be one of the best you've put up!

Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!!!

[norlington2]

This advert from 1971 shows both Joyance and Lysander sandals...

1973 was the last year that either of these was made. The Lysander is a bit more boyish with slots instead of petal-shaped cutouts, and the distinctive triangle cut into the lengthways strap. In the 1930s when both these styles were introduced, the Lysander was a very modern British warplane, so definately aimed at boys, whereas Joyance was uni-sex.
Here's another Lysander advert from about 1970...

That's a great photo you linked to on Flickr; my Sunday best was just like that!
Thanks for the kind words again Bigfoot - I'll do my best.

[Robyn Jodie]

Interesting.

In 1969-70 I was living in an apartment in West Los Angeles, California, just down the street from the Veterans Administration Hospital. I often had to park my car around the corner, half a block from my apartment. A family who lived near where I parked had two boys, a preschooler and an older boy, I would guess about 9. The family were British transplants and both boys wore T-bar shoes.

One day when the older boy was coming home from school, he walked past me and I got a good look at his shoes. I was intrigued by the fact that they had slits rather than the traditional tear-drop cutouts. Now I learn they were Clarks Lysander.

I have a question: did they come in different colors? The shoes of the boy who lived near me seemed to be more of a reddish brown (like the shoe polish called "ox blood") than the nearly tan of the photograph.

[strapshoechris]

Speaking of colours, did boys ever wear that "Tarjan" T-bar (first one farthest left in the ad)? Those look closest to the one pair of Clark's T's I bought years ago, although mine were BLACK.
R.J.-Did that boy in Hollywood wear those T-bars to PUBLIC school? If so, I wonder how they went over with his classmates?

[norlington2]

Robyn, I can only remember seeing dark brown, but who knows, it was a long time ago.
Joyance came in blue, bright red , white and light brown, but boys only ever wore the brown ones.

Here's another Lysander pic, a still from a BBC TV movie called "The Hummingbird Tree".

Chris - did boys ever wear Trajan sandals (named after the Roman emperor I believe)?
Well, this one did!

[norlington2]

Digging deep into the archives, I've found that girls could wear Lysanders too....

[T-Bar-Bear]

Interesting.

In 1969-70 I was living in an apartment in West Los Angeles, California, just down the street from the Veterans Administration Hospital. I often had to park my car around the corner, half a block from my apartment. A family who lived near where I parked had two boys, a preschooler and an older boy, I would guess about 9. The family were British transplants and both boys wore T-bar shoes.

One day when the older boy was coming home from school, he walked past me and I got a good look at his shoes. I was intrigued by the fact that they had slits rather than the traditional tear-drop cutouts. Now I learn they were Clarks Lysander.

I have a question: did they come in different colors? The shoes of the boy who lived near me seemed to be more of a reddish brown (like the shoe polish called "ox blood") than the nearly tan of the photograph.

Wilshire and the 405! I used to live close to there Sherman Oaks) Ventura and the 405 but moved Man, I wonder how WLA was like during your stay there. I know now that it's super expensive as hell and traffic in WLA sucks major @$$!

[Robyn Jodie]

Use your eyes, Robyn Jodie!

By "reddish brown" I mean something like the color that norlington2's avatar appears
to be on my screen: a dark, dark brown with a tinge of red.

And now that I am reminiscing, I remember when I was in junior high (we didn't call
it "middle school" back then -- in my area it was 7th through 9th grades, ages about
12 or 13, depending on when in the year you were born, till about 14 or 15). Anyway,
when I was in 9th grade a brother in 7th grade and sister in 9th from the UK started
going to my school. The boy wore brown T-bars -- I don't know the style, I just know
I really, really liked his shoes.

Partway into lunchtime, the library opened and I was nearly always standing in line
waiting to go in. The boy was frequently in the line as well, although we were
usually spaced well apart and I never got the chance to talk to him.

[Lonny]

I'm enjoyuing all the great pictures and comments on t-straps.. Here is an unusual picture of a boy wearing sandals with the split in the "t" carried to an extreme.

[norlington2]

Would you call those Y-bars?

[mjb]

Y not

Mary Jane Boy

[Christie-Jane]

How about "*-Bars"?