Walk This Way

There is a new exhibit at the Taft Museum of Art called "Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes." The exhibit features 100 pairs of shoes from shoe designer Stuart Weitzman and his wife's personal collection of vintage shoes. This exhibit not only shows the varying designs of shoes over the years, but it also tells the stories of the shoes production, consumption, and social activism at the time of production.

Recently, Sarah took a trip to this exhibit and snapped some photos to share. The first photo shows boudoir shoes that were made in 1867 by designer François Hubert Ponscarme. This pair of shoes was made for the Paris Universal Exposition. The soles of the shoes display the international exhibition's seal of excellence which you can see next to the shoes in the photo.

The next shoe we would like to speak about is the Pointe Shoes made around 1994 by Freed of London. These pointe shoes were worn by Heather Watts during her last performance after a 25-year service with the New York City Ballet.

Lastly, our personal favorite pair on display at the exhibit are the red boots designed by Gregg Barnes and made by T. O. Dey in 2013 for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. Kevin Smith Kirkwood wore the boots during the Broadway show from 2013 to 2016.

This exhibit is a must see with its intricate shoe designs and rich history described throughout the displays. The exhibit is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from February 27th to June 6th, 2021 for only $12 a ticket. They also offer a online virtual tour for $10 a ticket and free admission on Sundays if you are interested in checking out the exhibit.