Bata Shoe Museum

Description

This handy mini-guide offers a snapshot of the museum, perfect for the visitor who has no time to linger, presenting approximately thirty of the must-see shoes and footwear-related objects from the collection. The Bata Shoe Museum contains the largest shoe collection in the world and celebrates footwear in beautifully curated displays ranging from tiny Chinese bound-foot shoes to French chestnut-crushing clogs and Elton John's silver platform boots. The vast collection has become a wonderful source of inspiration for designers around the world, including Manolo Blahnik, whose exhibition was on view at the museum in 2018. Regardless of age, the shoes are as remarkably relevant today as they were when they were created: anyone who has worn a flip-flop will be familiar with the ancient Egyptian sandals and the pair of thigh-high men's boots from 17th-century France are virtually identical to those worn by women today. Among the museum's most popular features is an extensive assortment of celebrity footwear, including Queen Victoria's ballroom slippers, Robert Redford's cowboy boots, Elton John's monogrammed silver platform boots, Elvis Presley's blue patent loafers, Karen Kain's ballet shoes, John Lennon's Beatle boot, and a pair of Diana Vreeland's shoes, a recent addition to the collection.

Elizabeth Semmelhack is an acclaimed shoe historian as well as creative director and chief curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.