Overview

"What do your shoes say about you? Shoes are now much more than just things to walk in. From kids on the block to models on the catwalk, we use them to signal how fashionable we are. But, beyond style, this most intimate object communicates much more ...our sexual desires, aesthetic sense, social status and personality. And, before they became supreme objects of desire, shoes had a history. From ancient times to the present, shoes have had a cultural as well as a practical purpose. Within these pages is pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about shoes - the tiny crushing shoes of China, the infamous chopine with its 23-inch heel, how dandies made men's shoes beautiful in the eighteenth century, and how the powers of conservatism made them dull again, war and the wellington boot, sex and the high heel, the codes of the ""gay shoe,"" shoes in fairytales and in art, the irresistible rise of the sneaker, and the cult of shoe designers."

Full Product Details

Author:   Peter McNeil (University of Technology, Sydney, Australia) ,  Prof. Giorgio Riello (University of Warwick, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Berg Publishers
Dimensions:   Width: 21.00cm , Height: 3.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   1.709kg
ISBN:  

9781845204433

ISBN 10:   1845204433
Pages:   658
Publication Date:   01 August 2006
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction. A Long Walk: Shoes, People and Places, Giorgio Riello (London School of Economics, UK) and Peter McNeil (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) STEP 1. A FOOT IN THE PAST 1. Beneath Their Shining Feet: Shoes and Sandals in Classical Greece, Sue Blundell (Birkbeck College, University of London, UK) 2. Sumptuous Shoes: Making and Wearing in Medieval Italy, Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli (University of Bologna, Italy) 3. Courtly Lady or Courtesan? The Venetian Chopine in the Renaissance, Andrea Vianello (Saint Joseph's College, Maine, USA) 4. Walking the Streets of London and Paris in the Enlightenment, Peter McNeil and Giorgio Riello 5. War Wellingtons: Military Footwear in the Age of Empire, Alison Matthews David (Winchester School of Art and University of Southampton, UK) 6. The Perils of Choice: Women's Footwear in Nineteenth-Century America, Nancy Rexford (Independent scholar) STEP 2. ENCOUNTERS AND CULTURAL INTERACTIONS 7. Purity, Pollution and Place in Traditional Japanese Footwear, Martha Chaiklin (University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA) 8. Interrogating Africa's Past: Footwear Amongst the Yoruba, Tunde M. Akinwumi (University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria) 9. A Dream of Butterflies? Shoes in Chinese Culture, Paola Zamperini (Amherst College, Massachusetts, USA) STEP 3. SHOES, BODIES AND IDENTITIES 10. Fashioning Masculinity: Men's Footwear and Modernity, Christopher Breward (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK) 11. A Delicate Balance: Women, Power and High Heels, Elizabeth Semmelhack (Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada) 12. Shoes and the Erotic Imagination, Valerie Steele (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA) 13. Sex and Sin: The Magic of Red Shoes, Hilary Davidson (University of Southampton, UK) 14. Beyond the Rainbow: Queer Shoes, Clare Lomas (London College of Fashion, UK), Peter McNeil and Sally Gray (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) STEP 4. REPRESENTATION AND SELF-PRESENTATION 15. Made in Italy: Ferragamo and Twentieth-Century Fashion, Stefania Ricci (Ferragamo Museum, Florence, Italy) 16. Style Through Design: Form and Function, Giovanni Luigi Fontana (University of Padua, Italy) 17. Sole Representation: Shoe Imagery and Twentieth-Century Art, Julia Pine (University of Carleton) 18. Limousines for the Feet: The Rhetoric of Trainers, Alison Gill (University of Western Sydney, Australia) 19. Conclusion. The Male Cinderella: Shoes, Genius and Fantasy, Peter McNeil and Giorgio Riello

Reviews

"'At last a work that deals not only with the history of footwear, but also with its cultural significance. This volume helps transform the shoe from a mundane object of everyday use into something of great social and psychological power.' Manolo Blahnik 'If you have ever wondered why women are forever in search of, consumed by, in love with, transformed by ""The Perfect Shoe"": wonder no longer. Simply read this history of shoes. Then go out and buy some more. ' Stuart Weitzman 'A landmark contribution to the study of the 'world of clothes'...an examplar in showing what is possible, what can be done and how to go about doing it...By our shoes are we known, read and put into social identity boxes.' Cultural Sociology '... moves the shoe definitively from the margins of 'accessory' to the centre of fashion. This survey of the shoe in all its aspects - historical, cultural and global - reveals footwear as a key to the vicissitudes of fashion and iconic in itself.' Elizabeth Wilson 'A landmark publication and immensely timely for the history of dress. It provides not only a wealth of important new information about the public and private meanings of shoes but also a sharp critique of these previously neglected articles of wear.' Margaret Maynard 'Never losing its footing in the methodological minefield that is cultural history, Shoes: a history from sandals to sneakers strides impressively towards establishing footwear as a significant commodity, metaphor, aesthetic object and signifier within a wide-range of cultural and historic contexts.' Ulrich Lehmann 'With hundreds of stunning photographs, Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers traces the importance of just about every kind of footwear to reveal how fashion has changed over the years.' Zoom Fashion Portal 'An exceptionally beautiful and wide-ranging history of footwear.' The Observer 'Anyone who has ever spent the rent on a pair of impossibly high stilettos, has bought shoes that don't fit, or owns shoes they have never worn, will want to get their hands on this beautiful coffee-table tome.' The Times Magazine 'Charting their history, 'Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers, takes a peak at some of the best. Stilettos, wellies, sneakers and boots - they're all included and put in their cultural, historical, political and social contexts, each foot fashion is explained in detail alongside beautifully executed illustrations and photographs.' Dazed and Confused 'All them [the contributors] are engagingly passionate about their particular footwear niche. ... Erotic Connections are everywhere in this book. ... Hardly a stone is left unturned - or unillustrated - in this department.' The Times ""Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers' is footwear fof thought. This lavishly illustrated collection of essays presents a global history of the humble (and not-so-humble) shoe as a symbol of style, status, sexuality and desire, from ancient times to the present day.' The Remix - supplement to the New York Times '[Shoes] is lavishly ... illustrated, and the pages of text are colour-coordinated with the pics, as good accessories should be.' The Evening Standard 'This book reveals all this and more, guiding readers through footwear history and giving some examples of artistic, literary and, obviously, fashionable interpretations.' Alessandra Capozzi, Collezioni Donna"

At last a work that deals not only with the history of footwear, but also with its cultural significance. This volume helps transform the shoe from a mundane object of everyday use into something of great social and psychological power. Manolo Blahnik If you have ever wondered why women are forever in search of, consumed by, in love with, transformed by 'The Perfect Shoe': wonder no longer. Simply read this history of shoes. Then go out and buy some more. Stuart Weitzman ... moves the shoe definitively from the margin'A landmark contribution to the study of the 'world of clothess of 'accessory' to the centre of fashion. This survey of the shoe in all its aspects - historical, cultural and global - reveals footwear as a key to the vicissitudes of fashion and iconic in itself.' Elizabeth Wilson ...an examplar in showing what is possible, what can be done and how to go about doing it...By our shoes are we known, read and put into social identity boxes. Cultural Sociology A landmark publication and immensely timely for the history of dress. It provides not only a wealth of important new information about the public and private meanings of shoes but also a sharp critique of these previously neglected articles of wear. Margaret Maynard Never losing its footing in the methodological minefield that is cultural history, Shoes: a history from sandals to sneakers strides impressively towards establishing footwear as a significant commodity, metaphor, aesthetic object and signifier within a wide-range of cultural and historic contexts. Ulrich Lehmann With hundreds of stunning photographs, Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers traces the importance of just about every kind of footwear to reveal how fashion has changed over the years. Zoom Fashion Portal An exceptionally beautiful and wide-ranging history of footwear. The Observer Anyone who has ever spent the rent on a pair of impossibly high stilettos, has bought shoes that don't fit, or owns shoes they have never worn, will want to get their hands on this beautiful coffee-table tome. The Times Magazine Charting their history, 'Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers, takes a peak at some of the best. Stilettos, wellies, sneakers and boots - they're all included and put in their cultural, historical, political and social contexts, each foot fashion is explained in detail alongside beautifully executed illustrations and photographs. Dazed and Confused All them [the contributors] are engagingly passionate about their particular footwear niche. ... Erotic Connections are everywhere in this book. ... Hardly a stone is left unturned - or unillustrated - in this department. The Times 'Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers' is footwear fof thought. This lavishly illustrated collection of essays presents a global history of the humble (and not-so-humble) shoe as a symbol of style, status, sexuality and desire, from ancient times to the present day. The Remix - supplement to the New York Times [Shoes] is lavishly ... illustrated, and the pages of text are colour-coordinated with the pics, as good accessories should be. The Evening Standard This book reveals all this and more, guiding readers through footwear history and giving some examples of artistic, literary and, obviously, fashionable interpretations. Alessandra Capozzi, Collezioni Donna

At last a work that deals not only with the history of footwear, but also with its cultural significance. This volume helps transform the shoe from a mundane object of everyday use into something of great social and psychological power. Manolo Blahnik If you have ever wondered why women are forever in search of, consumed by, in love with, transformed by 'The Perfect Shoe': wonder no longer. Simply read this history of shoes. Then go out and buy some more. Stuart Weitzman ... moves the shoe definitively from the margins of 'accessory' to the centre of fashion. This survey of the shoe in all its aspects - historical, cultural and global - reveals footwear as a key to the vicissitudes of fashion and iconic in itself. Elizabeth Wilson ...an examplar in showing what is possible, what can be done and how to go about doing it...By our shoes are we known, read and put into social identity boxes. Cultural Sociology A landmark publication and immensely timely for the history of dress. It provides not only a wealth of important new information about the public and private meanings of shoes but also a sharp critique of these previously neglected articles of wear. Margaret Maynard Never losing its footing in the methodological minefield that is cultural history, Shoes: a history from sandals to sneakers strides impressively towards establishing footwear as a significant commodity, metaphor, aesthetic object and signifier within a wide-range of cultural and historic contexts. Ulrich Lehmann With hundreds of stunning photographs, Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers traces the importance of just about every kind of footwear to reveal how fashion has changed over the years. Zoom Fashion Portal An exceptionally beautiful and wide-ranging history of footwear. The Observer Anyone who has ever spent the rent on a pair of impossibly high stilettos, has bought shoes that don't fit, or owns shoes they have never worn, will want to get their hands on this beautiful coffee-table tome. The Times Magazine Charting their history, 'Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers, takes a peak at some of the best. Stilettos, wellies, sneakers and boots - they're all included and put in their cultural, historical, political and social contexts, each foot fashion is explained in detail alongside beautifully executed illustrations and photographs. Dazed and Confused All them [the contributors] are engagingly passionate about their particular footwear niche. ... Erotic Connections are everywhere in this book. ... Hardly a stone is left unturned - or unillustrated - in this department. The Times 'Shoes: A History from Sandals to Sneakers' is footwear fof thought. This lavishly illustrated collection of essays presents a global history of the humble (and not-so-humble) shoe as a symbol of style, status, sexuality and desire, from ancient times to the present day. The Remix - supplement to the New York Times [Shoes] is lavishly ... illustrated, and the pages of text are colour-coordinated with the pics, as good accessories should be. The Evening Standard This book reveals all this and more, guiding readers through footwear history and giving some examples of artistic, literary and, obviously, fashionable interpretations. Alessandra Capozzi, Collezioni Donna

Author Information

Giorgio Riello was born in Italy and is now living in London. He has a degree in economics and a doctorate in history and has researched and taught in several British and Italian institutions including the Royal College of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Open University and the University of Padua. He is currently co-ordinating a research project on cotton textiles in the early modern period at the London School of Economics. He has widely published on fashion, textiles, product innovation and design in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and is the author of A Foot in the Past: Consumers, Producers and Footwear in the Long Eighteenth Century (Oxford University Press, 2006). Peter McNeil trained in the history of art with a focus on design history. His MA 'Designing Women' examined inter-war women and interior design, and his PhD 'Fashion Victims' explored Enlightenment menswear, caricature and identity around the figure of the 18th-century London macaroni, a stylish fop. Another current interest is the relationship between fashion, furniture and interior architecture. He is Chair of Design History in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technology, Sydney.

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