New footwear exhibition at Northampton Museum
15/11/2005
A new shoe exhibition tracing the highs and lows of heels has gone on display at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.
The Height of Fashion exhibition showcases an array of shoes from the 17th century to the present day, including a slap sole shoe made in 1650, low heels from the 1790s, 15cm high heels made in the 1890s, wedge heels from the 1940s and stilettos from the early 1960s. One especially interesting exhibit is a pair of shoes with very high heels made for a man in about 1740, which are on loan from the Whitby Museum
Modern designers on display include Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Adele Clarke, Georgina Goodman, Emma Hope and Prada. There are heels made of metal, Perspex and ceramic, and heels studded with jewels and embellished with embroidery.
Shoe design students from the University of Northampton
Northampton Borough Council museum shoe expert Sue Constable said: High heels are a way of life. We don't need to wear them – we can walk perfectly well without them, but there is something special about them. Plain and fancy, old and new, heels have been part of fashion for the last 400 years and this exhibition reflects their highs and lows.”
The Height of Fashion will be showing at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery
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