Between the Earth & Us... … is a pair of shoes. Radhika Sathe steps in and finds out more about this ‘out’standing wardrobe must-have
As Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, rightly puts it: In 10,000 years of history, “footwear has taken nearly every form possible to service and compliment human bodies influenced by environment, morality, practicality, economy and fashion.”
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British woman has approximately 35 to 40 pairs of shoes in her wardrobe according to a survey. Another survey from 2010, states that a typical American woman spends about $300 on shoes in one year. Sadler Wells’ London Dance House is performing a musical all about shoes. The recently-concluded Fashion Week had everyone noticing not only the garments but also the footwear the models walked in. Noted fashion journalist Camilla Morton is coming up with a book, ‘Manolo Blahnik’s the Elves and the Shoemaker: A Fashion Fairytale’. Well, it does seem to be the age of the shoes, doesn’t it? As Christian Louboutin says in an interview with Colin McDowell, “Shoes are a bit of an addiction.” Shoes have become the current ‘it’ things. The designers are paying attention to them in minute detail, the media and the experts are taking note of the next big trend in footwear, and the consumer is absorbing it all. The retailers, of course, are not far behind. Harrod’s has recently opened its Shoe Salon, where you can have a pick of the different top-end designer shoes. Walking down the passage of history… Shoes have not only played a very active role in reality but also in fiction: Cinderella’s glass slippers, Hans Anderson’s The Red Shoes, Wizard of Oz’ Dorothy’s red shoes, and of course, in the Elves and the Shoemaker. Throughout time, footwear had held high importance in fashion, culture and tradition.
Happy feet The wedding-day is the happiest day in any woman’s life. When a bride-to-be is putting together her wardrobe for - and for after - the wedding, shoes play a very important role. “Shoes are equally as important as the dress! Supplying bridal shoes for what is meant to be the happiest day of someone’s life is extremely satisfying,” Aruna Seth, bridal shoe designer suggests, “Work with your wedding dress to find the perfect shoe.” Sex & the Shoes HBO series Sex & the City’s Carrie Bradshaw takes a wrong turn, by mistake, on the streets of SoHo. On being accosted by a mugger, her comment ‟ “You can take my Fendi baguette, you can take my ring and my watch, but don’t take my Manolo Blahniks” ‟ isn’t much of a surprise to ladies round the world, as it could have been. With importance as much importance as it holds for women from all walks of life, one would take it for granted that we know all about these gifts to womankind, right? Well, not exactly. This is reasserted as the walking down the escalator at the Waterloo station, one sees ‘Shoes: The Musical’ posters adorning the walls. A musical all about shoes makes one wonder what all secrets lie behind these wonderful creations…
Standing Tall High heels are now a common feature in every woman’s wardrobe, be it stilettos or block heels, and of many different heights. Marilyn Monroe once said, “I don’t know who invented the high heel, but all women owe him a lot.” The history of elevated shoes dates back almost two thousand years. They first appeared in Europe in ancient Greece, and had Oriental origins. Interestingly, back to the 15th century, when chopines ‟ very high platform wooden shoes with long heels ‟ were popular, they were deemed as ‘shoes of satan’ or ‘immoral’ by the public. But the Church, surprisingly, actually approved of it: the reason being, they prevented women from indulging in ‘sinful’ activities such as dancing. The fascination for heights has varied through the years, going up and down, but they have never been out of popularity ever. By the late 1900s and early 2000s, heels, especially designer heels, started being considered as a status symbol and as ‘power tools’. Laying down flat The first shoe was made from plant fibre twined together to secure bark or animal skin to feet, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years back. From that
to the sandals in ancient Egypt to the gladiators in ancient Rome, flats have commanded attention throughout time. More common in ballerina slippers and sportswear in present time, flats have been regarded as more practical and comfortable. The most popular flats though are sportswear. They were derived from 1830s’ plimsolls. Originally marketed for men only, by the early 1920s, both sexes were wearing them. adidas was, and still remains, one of the favorites for Olympic players. By 1989, trainers became a status symbol, and it was not so uncommon for someone to be mugged for their trainers! In 1970s, flip-flops came into fashion with the designs becoming more and more creative. With the movie Black Swan and the theatre production The Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne capturing people’s attention, ballerina shoes are back as focus. Get the boot(s)! Boots, as is obvious, have a utilitarian side to them, for protection against elements of nature. But they have evolved from being just that to instruments of torture in the Middle Ages to having sexual connotations in the 1960s. The boots appear in different lengths, from ankle length to mid-thigh length. Boots have a masculine feel to them, as they were originally intended to have. One of the charges against Joan of Arc was that she had worn thigh-high cuissarde boots, in 1431. Well, not all boots were originally fashion-oriented, but came into fashion nonetheless. Case in point, the Uggs; Uggs is short of ugly, and were used to warm Australian surfers’ feet after surfing. But once Kate Moss wore them, there was no stopping the fashion followers! As also the Wellingtons; trendy patterns and bright colours got them in fashion in 2004. Mary Quant had in her Space Age style, plastic boots, which complimented the mini-skirt. Boots have now attained the newer heights with couturier Antonio Berardi coming up with heelless boots, literally! Lay ‘em bare! Christian Louboutin said, “The wonderful
Did you know? • In Biblical times, sandals were often given to seal a bargain or an oath. • Before the 19th century, |around 1818, shoes were the same for the left and right foot. • The first boots for ladies were designed in 1840 for Queen Victoria. • Marie Antoinette had 500 pairs of shoes. • Elsa Schiaparelli, in collaboration with Salvador Dali, designed a hat in the shape of a shoe in 1937. • The largest pair of shoes ever made measured a colossal size forty-two, which equals to twentytwo and one-half inches! • Shoe shopping should be done in the afternoon; not the morning. Science shows that the foot actually swells during the latter hours of the day. • The U.S. Patent Office has on file a design for boots with pockets, for use by nudists.
thing about flat sandals is that you have the feeling of being barefoot. It’s pure liberation.” Back in 1939, the editors of Vogue felt, sandals were too revealing: they had “neither toes nor backs, just heels and straps”. More commonly seen in flats or platforms, sandals are just slip-ons or have straps to tie around the leg. Platforms, associated with the 1970s, are mostly sandals, as the openness makes them look less bulky. They were all about glam rock. Though, they were also made famous by Carmen Miranda in 1940s and Salvatore Ferragamo in 1930s. Though as stated before how they were termed not so appropriate by some in the fashion industry, they soon got picked up by designers to be a part of their collection. Birkenstocks have become prototypes for sandals by designers like Prada. Walking the trendy line This season the footwear trend is all about standing out with your shoe style. Bright and metallic, floral and crafty, or even stark white; get your dainty long feet noticed this spring summer. Individuality is given a bigger platform as you can choose from a range of selection from metallic toned flats to printed floral stilettos, strappy snake skin sandals to crochet strapped wedges. Get a load of the Jimmy Choos at Harvey Nichols or walk into Dover Street Market to find a range of footwear by various designers like Salvatore Ferragamo, Giuseppe Zanotti and Nicholas Kirkwood, who’s opening soon at 5, Mount Street Mayfair, with interesting designs for stilettos, platforms and wedges. Or choose between Beatrix Ong’s angelwinged Angelica or Tracey Neuls’ neon red patent heels. Or if none of these make you lust after them, go to the Shoes of Prey website and design your own shoes! “Shoes change people’s personalities and attitudes,” contemporary shoe designer Edmundo Castillo claims. Some are stiletto sirens while others are sandal savvy. Some are booted beauties, others flattering flats. You may love a particular type of shoe, or be a true shoe-ista and love them all, ignore them, you can’t! n