Shoes do both the walking and the talking as Girls on Wheels Susan Hebert, Karen Dipietro, Vicki Baker, and Cassie Richardson “Walk this Way.”
Vicki Baker
When Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines, she left behind an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 pairs of shoes. Joan Crawford, Carmen Miranda, Mariah Carey, and Christine Aguilera are among many personalities photographed in personal shoe closets the size of bedrooms. Footwear has always been of particular interest to women, selected for style, social status, or—running a slow third—comfort and practicality.
From ancient times to the present, shoes have been so much more than just things to walk in. What people wore throughout history says a lot about the societal norms of the times, reflecting the values, beliefs, and customs of a specific era. Shoes go beyond style to communicate our creative sense, social standing, and personality. Girls on Wheels (Susan Hebert, Karen Dipietro, Vicki Baker, and Cassie Richardson) explored the fascinating historical aspect of shoes at “Walk this Way,” presented by the Dallas Holocaust Museum.
From the collection of shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, the exhibit showcased more than 100 pairs of shoes, spanning nearly 200 years of cultural history along with the stories of the women who wore and made the shoes. Just like other museum artifacts, fashion is a tangible display of history, but this story went beyond just style and beauty.
Ever tried walking a mile in someone else’s shoes? How about the French silk boudoir slippers, embroidered with gold thread, created for the 1867 Paris Exposition, or the Ottoman clogs inlaid with mother of pearl. There were velvet-covered shoes and brocaded shoes. There was even a pair of brown and white pumps signed by the 1941 New York Yankees, which led to discussions about the color barrier in baseball.
There were rock glam shoes featured in The Rocky Horror Picture Show; shiny, patent leather, thigh-high stilettos for the drag queens of the Broadway musical Kinky Boots; and “million dollar” heels comprised of 464 diamonds designed for Oscar nominees strolling the Academy Awards red carpet.
“Walk This Way” was not completely focused on the party shoes of the rich and famous, though. There were shoes made by enslaved people; shoes worn by suffragists and labor activists as they marched through the streets; shoes worn by Jazz Age flappers as they danced the Charleston, bringing in a sexual revolution; and shoes worn by Civil Rights advocates protesting for equal rights.
Along with the footwear, the exhibit chronologized the story of women and the evolution of their rights in history. By highlighting these stories, Girls on Wheels came away with a renewed perspective on the important mark women have made in our society through conformity and independence, culture and class, and politics and performance.
Whether dressed down, dressed for success, or dressed to kill, a woman completes her image by what she wears on her feet. Where future footwear fashions go remains to be seen, as newer generations face novel challenges and embrace different ideologies. The unforeseen trends of tomorrow will come, but for today, “Walk this Way” spotlighted the important footsteps taken by those before us, inspiring us to continue moving forward.