Fashion history is a treasure trove! Forward-thinking designers regularly sift through the past to recover earlier trends to reinterpret with a modern edge.

This season some of the best new shoes have their roots in the righteous ’70s, when women’s fashion took a turn for the bold! The precarious stilettos and tight-waisted “Suzy homemaker” dresses of the 1950s and early ’60s stepped aside for chunky heels worn out and about with minis, midis, and pantsuits! Refreshing then! Refreshing now!

Behold a few of the new designs that celebrate the sexy confidence of 1970s’ style!

One of the sunniest interpretations of the spirit of the ’70s is Argila’s Allie!

We are wild about the combination of the buckled and tasseled front (so vintage!) with the hand-cut and sanded wooden heel! And the color? You just have to smile!

Of course, Chie Mihara is the reigning queen of retro-licious beauty! Check out the  ’70s sensibility  of this season’s Xeroco:

The buckles add just the right punctuation to the broad straps! The sexiness is no-nonsense and take-no-prisoners! Devastating in the best kind of way!

Another great Chie ode to the 1970s is the Rumi (a perennial Ped favorite):

Ped’s Laura swears her fashion-forward mother had a pair of identical shoes back in the 1970s! Beautiful as they may have been, Laura’s mom’s couldn’t hold a candle to the Rumi because the modern version features Chie Mihara’s signature padded footbed, the ultimate in comfort! (Ask anyone)!

Coclico also riffs on the leather patchwork so popular in the ’70s in its Valencia:

What a looker! Absolutely distinctive yet ultra-versatile. Note the subtle curve of the chunky wooden heel—Coclico is always attentive to the details!

Coclico’se retro-sassy Vidal also features this gorgeous heel:

Talk about a statement shoe! The way the back strap and hardware twins the strap and hardware over the instep is ingenious!

Coclico also takes a tip from the 70s in its cork platform designs, like the Melania:

Light and comfortable, this beauty updates the vintage look of a platform wedge by creating it in the most modern of colors: flint grey!

Another stunning cork-soled number is Fiorentini + Baker’s swinging Ding Clog:

So fun, this fringed clog is crafted with the same meticulous attention to detail as F+B’s famous boots! The Ding was love at first sight for Ped’s Laura—she immediately bought it and has been wearing it nonstop! (She loves the terra cotta color of the Indian Red, but we also have the Ding in black, if that’s more your thing.)

Speaking of clogs, Trippen’s Strahl exemplifies what can happen when a designer takes retro inspiration and runs with it:

The Strahl‘s spark lies in the 1970s, but this work of art’s fireworks are thoroughly modern! We adore how the teal edges of the black leather are echoed in the patina of the rivets and the rubber on the outsole.

So, get in the mood by listening to James Brown’s 1972 hit, and then literally “Get on the Good Foot!” Your style will be far out! Dig it!

(Psst, another groovy design, though not ’70s inspired, is Fiorentini + Baker’s Pia boot, which is this week’s Sweet Treat. Make its gorgeousness yours for 20% off by clicking “be sweet to your feet” in the upper right corner of any Ped page, which will whisk you to the Pia, with the magic discount code to enter at checkout! What a great way to step into spring!)