The Conversation

The history of shoes has been frivolous, ridiculous and extreme

Author: The Conversation

Evening shoe, beaded silk and leather, Roger Vivier (1907–98) for Christian Dior. 1958-60.© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Shoes long ago eclipsed their primary function – to protect feet. For thousands of years shoes have elicited extremes of both pain and pleasure. It is this long and varied history of shoes that the...

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