A stunning collection of more than 200 pairs of historic and contemporary shoes will be on display, many for the first time, at this fabulous exhibition which aims to explore the transformative power of extreme footwear!
The exhibition will explore the ‘agonizing’ aspect of wearing shoes as well as the euphoria and obsession they can inspire.
‘Parakeet’ shoes Caroline Groves (b.1959) Photography by Dan Lowe
‘Twas the unforgettable Marilyn Monroe who once said “I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot” – and indeed shoes worn by Marilyn Monroe as well as other high profile figures such as Queen Victoria, Sarah Jessica Parker and the Hon Daphne Guinness will be shown as well as famous shoes, such as the ballet slippers designed for Moira Shearer in the 1948 film The Red Shoes.
Red ballet shoes made for Victoria Page (Moira Shearer) in The Red Shoes (1948), silk satin, braid and leather, England Freed of London (founded in 1929), Photograph reproduced with the kind permission of Northampton Museums and Art Gallery
Footwear for men and women by 70 named designers including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Prada will be on display.
Historic lotus shoes made for bound feet and 16th-century chopines, silk mules with vertiginous platforms designed to lift skirts above the muddy streets, will also feature.
“Shoes are one of the most telling aspects of dress. Beautiful, sculptural objects, they are also powerful indicators of gender, status, identity, taste and even sexual preference. Our choice in shoes can help project an image of who we want to be.”
Wedding toe-knob paduka, silver and gold over wood, India 1800s
Tickets £12 (concessions available). Available to book from the end of January 2015 visit vam.ac.uk/shoes or call 0800 912 6961 (booking fee applies)
The exhibition is curated by Helen Persson, Curator in the Asian department of the V&A, specialising in textiles and dress.
The exhibition will tour to Bendigo Art Gallery (March – May 2016); Queensland Museum and Science Centre (June – October 2016) in Australia; and to Peabody Essex Museum (Nov 2016 – Feb 2017) and the Savannah College of Art and Design (March – June 2017) in the USA.
