Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes
Stuart Weitzman Million Dollar Sandals | 2012
Palter DeLiso Evening Sandals | 1950
Rene Caovilla Slingback Pumps
Terry de Havilland Peep-Toe Platforms | 1972
Lace-Up Brocade Boots | 1900
Yves Saint Laurent Singback Peep-Toe Pumps | 1967
T-Strap Evening Sandals | 1940
Seymour Weitzman Pointed-Toe Slingbacks | 1964
D'Orsay Silk Brocade Evening Shoes | 1928
Alivia Matthews Veni.Vidi.Vici. Sandals | 2018
Decorative Heels | 1920
Asha Ama Bias-Daniels Afropunk Dress | 2015
Stuart Weitzman Evening Sandals | 1972
Beth Levine Crazy Girl Plastic Pumps | 1960
Spectator Pumps Signed by 27 members of The Yankees | 1941
Stuart Weitzman Glass Slippers | 2013
Pink Mules Worn by Ginger Rogers in Top Hat | 1935
Danielle Fliegel Ziggy Sneakers | 2018
Seymour Weitzman Pointed Lace-Up Pumps | 1964
Beth Levine Shining Hour Evening Mules | 1953
Stuart Weitzman Diamanté Pumps | 1969
Samantha Efobi Empowerment Sandals | 2018
Stuart Weitzman Millennium Pumps| 2000
Enzo of Roma Thong Sandals | 1960s
Seymour Weitzman Pointed -Toe Pumps | 1964
Gregg Barnes Kinky Boots | 2013
C.P. Ford & Co High-Top Shoes | 1912-1915
David Evins Column-Heeled Pumps | 1970
Delman Evening Sandals | 1935
Mabel Julianelli Black Satin Pumps | 1950s
Silk Peep-Toe Ankle Strap Pumps | 1930
Silk Peep-Toe Ankle Strap Pumps | 1930
From Ginger Rogers’ pink peep-toe mules to a pair of electric red Kinky Boots, Stuart Weitzman’s Walk This Way Collection of Historic Shoes takes it’s viewers on a fascinating journey through the evolution of one of the world’s most beloved accessories. Not only does this exhibit house some of the most legendary shoes that helped pave the way for future designers, it also gives us fashion lovers a deeply interesting history lesson.
I myself visited the exhibit at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati over the weekend, and was blown away by all of the details behind each shoe and their backstories. From the early 1900’s of lace-up boots to the wildly creative use of crystals, ropes and even newspaper of modern day design; shoes have come a long way and continue to make statements with every outfit. If you attend the exhibit (which runs through June 6th) I highly recommend taking your time to read about each shoe and really take in the craftsmanship of each and every one.
Below is a brief, yet detailed description about the exhibit and how it was inspired.
Featuring silk boudoir shoes created for the 1867 Paris Exposition to leather spectator pumps signed by the 1941 New York Yankees, Walk This Way offers more than 100 striking pairs of shoes. Organized by the New-York Historical Society, this exhibition presents footwear—spanning nearly 200 years—from the collection of high-fashion shoe designer Stuart Weitzman. Weitzman’s wife, businesswoman and philanthropist Jane Gershon Weitzman, formed and added to the collection as a gift to her husband over their 50 years of marriage.
An integral part of our everyday lives, shoes not only protect our feet, but tell stories centered around women’s labor activism, the fight for suffrage, and the sexual revolution. They also serve as pathways toward discovering the vital role women and diverse historical narratives played in both the production and consumption of footwear. In this exhibition, women take center stage as we explore a variety of shoes, including those worn by suffragists as they marched through the streets, Jazz Age flappers as they danced the Charleston, and starlets who graced the silver screen in the postwar era. Walk This Way features the footwear designs of Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Beth Levine—the “First Lady of Shoe Design”—as well as shoes by Stuart Weitzman himself.