No Imelda's Please

Do we all remember Imelda Marcos? The wife of former Philipine president, Ferdinand Marcos, she was an influential and quite powerful political figure. Really you say? Don't recall that.

Unfortunately the legacy she left was due to her extravagant lifestyle. When her husband's presidency was overtaken, they fled the country leaving behind no less than 15 mink coats, 1000 purses, over 500 gowns and more than 3000 pairs of shoes.

Poor Imelda - she was pressed for time and could not pack all those shoes.

A true vintage lover may love shoes, but will choose wisely. Traditionally, women did not own many pairs of shoes, rather having staples such as a day shoe, and evening shoe and a pair of boots. They were always well constructed and lasted much longer than today's synthetic shoes. Real leather cobbled shoes will always stand the test of time.

These shoes from Anna Carina Vintage are often referred to as slingbacks. The foot does not flap around due to the back strap as they may in a pair of mules. I've always found these to be an elegant shoe looking just as attractive with a skirt as with trousers. But ladies, no pantyhose can be worn with slingbacks....thank you.

A buttery cafe cream suede with a perfect height of heel. These were made by Jack Rogers in the 1970s and are available for $42.

'Heights' of Fashion

Platform shoes have appeared for centuries in cultures around the world. In ancient Greece, actors wore thick-soled shoes to heighten their stature before their audience. In Europe, from about 1600-1750, some women in high society wore tall pedestal shoes called copines. Thick platform shoes were fashionable in the Manchu culture of Northeast China. Japan’s platform sandals became part of the traditional dress of geishas.

In the 1930s, Salvatore Ferragamo is the man credited with transforming platform shoes from beachwear to high fashion with the first wedge heel. The popularity of platforms reached its greatest height in the 1970s, when these shoes became associated with a rebellious youth movement. From the free-spirited fashions of the 1970s to the trendy footwear of today, platforms have continued their role as fashion statements worn by both sexes.

Currently running at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, USA, The Heights of Fashion: Platform Shoes Then and Now showcases more than 60 platform shoes from the 1930s through the present. Ranging from the delicate “lotus bud shoes” of 19th century China designed to emphasize women’s tiny bound feet to the chunky Goth platforms of the 1980s, the shoes on exhibit demonstrate how extreme variations on a style developed in response to different cultural philosophies and concepts of beauty.

The Heights of Fashion will be on display at the Mint Museum of Art through spring 2011. For more information, visit http://www.mintmuseum.org/.

Schiaparelli Shoes to Die For

Do I need to say more?!?!!??