1953 was a jam-packed year for the ultra famous design house Gucci. Not long before the death of its founder, Gucci decided to introduce, of all things, horse bits as adornment on the men’s version of their moccasins.
Why horse bits? This equestrian accessory, which helps guide the horse, joins the label’s three other symbols (the GG logo, the stripe pattern and the bamboo). Since their initial release, the brand made horsebits an incontestable icon, present in their jewelry, baggage, and leather goods collections. The Italian brand was highly popular in the cinema popular with many a celebrity at the time (John Wayne, Clark Gable, and Fred Astaire, to name a few), both from Hollywood and its own hometown in Cinecitta.
Women, green with envy, had to wait another 18 years before being able to get their hands on the design. Finally, in 1968, Gucci created the first female version of its horse bit moccasin. Fine-tuned especially for Lauren Bacall silhouettes, this piece would go on to be a great success, all the more so because its flat heel was actually comfortable for the woman wearing it! At the exact moment in history when women began to reclaim their rights and borrow from their male counterparts’ wardrobe (remember Yves Saint Laurent’s female tux in 1966), Gucci was able to materialize a way for women to perfectly assimilate with a style normally reserved for men.
Today, the legacy of the horse bit moccasin is undeniable. In 1962, one of the world’s largest museums entered them into its permanent collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art today houses 4 men’s paris and 3 women’s pairs. More than ever, the horse bit moccasin is a trendy item!
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