Blue suede shoes became the coveted piece de resistance in menswear in the 1950s and 60s, thanks in large part to the hit by the same name, written and originally recorded by Carl Perkins. The song, which was inspired when Perkins overheard a lover’s squabble at one of his concerts (a young man admonished his date to not step on his suede shoes, fortuitously dyed blue), was considered one of the first rockabilly songs, which incorporated pop, country and blues, of all time.
The song became an anthem which empowered men, and the shoes became a symbol for men’s pride. In the nearly 60 years since the original release of the song, notable designers have produced blue-hued suede shoes, including Cole-Haan, which made a shockingly indigo pair of men’s shoes with even brighter blue laces in a collaboration rapper Theophilus London.