Beads, Buckles and Bows
Four Hundred Years of Embellished Footwear
Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
through August 31, 2005
Title: Apple Green Silk Shoes Embellished
with
Multi-Colored Silk Thread, with Wooden Heels Covered with Maroon Kid
Italian, 1700-1720
Medium: Silk, Silk Thread, Wood, Maroon Kid Leather
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
An Intimate gallery is the serene home to this collection of emblazoned
footwear at Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum.
Clothing and adornments was one method used by the wearer to demonstrate to all who saw them their wealth and class. Shoes too were
used to define fashion and keeping the classes distinct from one
another.
Saint Crispin
Upon entering the display gallery one of the first eye catching objects is a wooden statue of Saint Crispin, a shoemaker. His original
name was Pietro or Peter. However, after he devoted his life to God, he
adopted the name Crispin after his craft. Crispin's legacy was his
ability to engage with Bishops and paupers on the same level. Crispin
spent his days preaching and his nights honing his craft and making
footwear for the poor. He was martyred in 287 A.D. He miraculously
escaped two attempts to kill him by the Roman soldiers. Attempting to
drown him failed and being boiled in oil didn't leave a mark on his body. The soldiers
then beheaded him.
Title: Adelaides (Side Lacing Boots)
French 1855
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
William Shakespeare immortalized the saint in Henry V, in a speech given by the King honoring Saint Crispin's Day following the King's
victory at Agincourt.
Crispin was the first saint to be canonized by the current pontiff, Pope
John Paul II. Saint Crispin is the Patron Saint of Shoemakers and a
natural inclusion in an exhibit devoted to footwear.
Decorative Developments in Footwear
The developments in shoe design are a focal feature of the exhibit. The
designs trace history from elaborate to benign to identify
one's class and sometimes shade it over in dangerous times for the
wealthy, such as during the French Revolution and indiscriminate use of the guillotine.
Title: White and Pink Rhinestone Decorated Shoe with
Small Circles of Matte and Cream Velvet
Artist: Rayne for Delman, English and American c. 1960-1963
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
Elizabeth Semmelhack, Beads, Buckles and Bows Curator
noted, "Brilliantly colored beads, glittering buckles and ostentatious
bows are all part of the rich history of adorned footwear in Western
fashion. Embellishments have the power to transform the ordinary into
the extraordinary and over the last 400 years many ornaments have
evolved to become important signifiers of feminine privilege. Just as
Cinderella's glass slipper transformed a girl into a princess, for
hundreds of years Western women have donned ornamented shoes with
embellishments steeped in history, which enables them to feel like
royalty, even if only for the evening."
Chopines were popular in the early 1500's, especially with the Venetians.
The ornamental shoe has a large platform under the toes that cannot have
been comfortable but that was in and of itself the design purpose.
Uncomfortable shoes weren't bothersome when the wearer didn't walk long
distances, or was able to hire an attendant, demonstrating their wealth, to
provide an arm for balance as they walked along. The high shoes did have
an advantage of keeping mud away from the feet and clothing.
Title: Sequins or Pailettes Popular end of the 18th
Century, were used to decorates boots along with demure bows and
delicately embroidered Flowers
Italian, 1790s
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
The significance of changing designs on shoes was of such import to be noted
by one of the most famous diarists. On January 22, 1660 "This day I began to put on buckles
to my shoes" is found as an entry in Samuel Pepys diary.
Chopines would become popular again thanks to Ferragamo, whose design
waned during the leather shortage of the second World War only to
explode in popularity during the 1970s. Then chopines were called platform shoes.
Buckles
Title: Silk Shoes created for a special occasion
and treasured for centuries. The shoes date to the beginning of the
18th Century, but the embroidery that embellishes them was made in
the 1690s and preserved for decades. It shows three thistles, which
may provide a clue to the original purpose of the shoes. These silk
shoes are possibly Scottish and date from 1710-1730. The glass paste
buckles are French, and possibly date from the 1730s.
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
|
Rococo Buckles were a staple of expensive footwear in the 1730s with
designs that reflected the pomp of the owner. The style contained
scrolls and curlicues, the more by far the better. Nature themed images
such as flowers and shells were an oft-used theme. |
Bows
| Fenelon Bows, a series of multiple loops, became popular in the mid to
late 19th Century as an attempt by the wealthy classes to have elaborate
designs that the lower classes could not afford, while not being as
ostentatious as earlier shoe decorations. |
Title: Orange Grosgrain Silk Court Shoes, The Insteps
are marked 'R' and 'L'.:
British, c. 1880
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto |
|
Title: Adelaides (Side Lacing Boots)
French 1855
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
|
Thanks to the influence of Queen Adelaide, the
Consort of William IV, a style of shoe was named for her. Adelaides
were ankle-length boots with a side lacing closure. They were a way a
lady could retain modesty by not showing an ankle clad in more than a
silk stocking. |
The list of designers is a who's who of innovative fashion talent. From
Jean-Louis Francois Pinet, Henry Rayne, Roger Vivier for Pierre Cardin,
Vivienne Westwood and so many more. Naturally, for a collection that
focuses on the changing fashion of footwear, The Bata Shoe Museum sought
a noted designer's influence and opinion in the creation of this
marvelous exhibit.
Title: Silver Kid Leather Shoes. They show the influence of shoe Designer Roger Viver.
The embellishment includes large plastic beads, synthetic pearls and oversized sequins.
Italian, 1966-1972
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
The visiting designer for Beads, Buckles and Bows is
Michael Vollbracht, Creative Director of Bill Blass Ltd, who observed,
"As a fashion designer, embellishment comes as second nature. It is
something that guides both my sensibility and romanticism."
Title: Orange Grosgrain Silk Court Shoes, The Insteps are marked 'R' and 'L'.:
British, c. 1880
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
Celebration of Queens.
Beads, Buckles and Bows includes shoes that were created
in honor of Jubilees.
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897 inspired a black pump that
reflected her decision to wear mourning clothes for the rest
of her life after the death of her beloved Consort, Prince Albert.
The 1997 Golden Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II inspired another black
pump, this one with a bejeweled crown theme on the heel.
The Museum
| The world's largest collection of shoes and related objects is found at
Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum. Swiss born Sonja Bata has collected shoes
and footwear related objects since the 1940s. Eventually her private
storage was outgrown by the collection and in 1979 the Bata Shoe Museum
was established in downtown Toronto.
In 2005 the Museum will celebrate its 10th anniversary at its current
home on Bloor Street West. |
Title: Adelaides (Side Lacing Boots)
French 1855
Photographer: Matthew Plexman
Photos Courtesy of The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto
|
|