This is going to be a faster post, but I wanted to share this with you right away! The Bata Shoe Museum was absolutely a high point in my recent trip to Toronto. I knew that I would love my tea at the Fairmont and seeing Anastasia, but everything else was more of a gamble. (We all have those places that we thought we would love and end up hating…) However, the Museum was fantastic. Dedicated solely to footwear across time and space, it is right up my alley. These are my Bata Shoe Museum highlights!
The Bata Shoe Museum is in Toronto, and is entirely dedicated to footwear throughout the centuries. They have over 13,000 items in their collection, and have one semi-permanent exhibition, and three temporary exhibitions. Although I haven’t been able to visit before now, I’m so happy that I was finally able to. It might be small but it is a mighty museum!
Manolo Blahnik ‘Locka’ Shoes, 2014
These modern gems were hidden in the All About Shoes exhibition, right at the end. According to the Museum,
Take a fascinating journey and experience the many facets of footwear: its evolution and symbolism through the ages, the methods and materials of its manufacture and its place in our imaginations.
The BSM’s flagship exhibition, All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages, is a voyage through four and a half millennia of shoes. As well as presenting an engaging overview of the history of footwear, All About Shoes also explores the wider context of our fascinating collection.
Anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to fashion in the twenty-first century has heard of Manolo Blahniks. They are up there with Louboutins and Jimmy Choos- the ultimate in luxury footwear. Founded by Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik, the Blahnik name quickly rose to prominence in the 1970s. Blahnik started designing shoes for several different designers beginning in 1971. This was also the same year that he began designing shoes under his own name.
These particular shoes are the Lockas, and they were donated to the museum by Blahnik himself in 2014. “His work is often inspired by the elgance of the past which he translates into objects of desire for the present… It remains one of his favourite shoes of that season.” (Exhibition Info)
English Pink Silk Shoes, 1795-1805
These shoes were earlier in the All About Shoes timeline. Like many surviving historic garments and items, we have no idea who made these shoes. Nevertheless, they are still fascinating. English in origin, they date back to the late eighteenth/early nineteenth centuries. This is quite a fascinating period, historically, as there was massive social and political upheaval across Europe. The French Revolution has far reaching effects. And one of those effects? Simple fashion. “Encourage to make more modest fashion statements, the privileged shifted away from the colourful and elaborate styles used earlier in the century, and instead embraced a more subdued palette of plain silk and printed leathers.” (Exhibition Info) Although they are quite plain, they are still quite beautiful in person. (It is clear that they are well-made, not to mention that they actually survive. Treasured objects tend to survive longer, so that may give us a clue about these shoes.)
My favourite element though, is the maker’s stamp. Look closely, and you will see that it says “Sutton Shoe Maker to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales/ Henrietta Street/ Covent Garden/ London. Royal warrants are still particularly prized and valuable today, but they were incredibly important in the Georgian period. Caroline of Brunswick, the Princess of Wales at this time, had only just assumed the role in 1795. So, Sutton apparently grabbed their royal warrant quite quickly!
Green Velvet Shoes, 1930-1933
These shoes aren’t noticeably “out there”, but they are simply beautiful. I think that many of us would wear them now! These were featured in the Want exhibition, which focused on the evolution of shoes during the Great Depression. Logically, it would be easy to assume that footwear in the 1930s would be solely (pun intended!) practical, but this exhibition shows that fashion and style was still paramount. “This pair of deep forest green shoes with elegant detailing was made by the Canadian shoe manufacturer the Empress Shoe Company…. In 1933, at the height of the Depression, the company declared bankruptcy and in 1936, just weeks before his daughter’s wedding, Allan Alfred Mark, the found of the company, committed suicide, a victim of the devastation wrought by the Depression.” (Exhibition info) This shape comes in and out of style frequently, as it is rather classic. Velvet is also having a moment right now!
Jeremy Scott x Adidas Sneakers, 2015
These are incredibly striking, and you see them as soon as you walk into the Gold Standard Exhibition. They don’t really look like they would be the most comfortable shoes, but they make a statement. According to the exhibition info, “This contemporary pair of gold Jeremy Scott x Adidas sneakers may be the height of fashion today but they harken back to the golden winged sandals made for the Ancient Greek messenger god, Hermes.” As soon as I realised the Classical connection, I was sold. (I mean, I definitely couldn’t afford them, but that’s irrelevant…) This exhibition was also fantastic for showing themes that run through footwear over millenia. No matter where you are in the globe or what century you are in, people like shiny shoes!
I promise to be back soon with a full look, but I hope you have enjoyed my Bata Shoe Museum highlights!
Cheers,
The Historian
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So glad you loved it! People sometimes forget about it because the ROM is so close, but it’s well worth it!