Shoes AZ. 45th Ed. [Hardcover]

Sky-high, ornate, and thepinnacle of glamour, both restrictive and liberating, art object and deeply ordinary, shoes tell the story of shifting attitudes toward desire, power, and wealth throughout history. Lace up for a journey throughthe most enviable shoe closet from the permanent collection at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technologyand four centuries of fashions hardest working accessory.

Featuring designs from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Chanel, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Roger Vivier, Christian Louboutin, and more,Shoes AZ. The Collection of The Museum at FITcelebrates fashions most revolutionary and coveted labels with more than 400 styles selected from the Museums pristinely preserved collection. Texts fromDaphne Guinness, Valerie Steele, Colleen Hill, and The Museums expert team of curators explore the unique legacy of each of the featured designers and thelasting cultural impact of the shoe. Also featured are custom portraits of the designers by illustrator Robert Nippoldt.?Exclusive access to original sketches, advertisements, and photographsfrom the designers private archivesfurther illuminate the genius behind the functional, sculptural delights we cannot live without.

BAStep inside one of the worlds most enviable closets to celebrate the empowering, sensual, playful, and practical shoe. Hundreds of groundbreaking designs, ephemera, and sketches are featured in this volume, a follow-up to Fashion Designers AZ, from the most coveted labels such as Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahn?k, Gucci, Roger Vivier, and more.Shoes are a language; they speak of our identity. They delight and shock, captivate, cajole, and appall. They heighten us, embolden us, dictate the very way we move. They are also surely one of lifes great joys.