Gangster Shoe Spats

These days we tend to think of spats as a relic of a fancier time, when people wore elegant things like top hats and waistcoats and cufflinks not because they needed them, but often just because they looked classy. Like most things nostalgic, though, we’re probably painting a little too rosy of a picture. A stylish cover for your shoes seems like the height of showy fashion today, but in reality spats were largely intended to protect one’s shoes from the grime of day to day living. It’s no coincidence that spats fell out of style around about the same time paved streets started becoming the standard in cities.

But whatever their original function, slipping on a pair of spats today gives you an instant old-fashioned charm. Match them up with a stylish pair of wingtips or saddle shoes and you’re halfway to being a Prohibition era gangster or a Great Gatsby style socialite. These felt spats fit over your shoes with an elastic strap and feature a classy line of metal studs up the side. They’re a perfect way to class up any old-timey outfit, or just to keep your shoes clean when you’re walking those dirty, dusty streets.