Footwear obsessives, rejoice: the New-York Historical Society just opened a high-stepping new exhibit called Walk This Way.

The exhibition showcases footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes — specifically 100 pairs from his private collection, which he assembled over three decades with his wife Jane Gershon Weitzman. You can find it in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery beginning Friday, April 20.

“Walk This Way will surprise and delight visitors with its unexpected lens on women’s history through Stuart Weitzman’s unparalleled historic footwear collection,” says Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society.

Walk This Way will provide viewers with perspectives on collection, consumption, presentation, and production. From personal mementos such as satin bridal slippers to beaded strapped evening shoes worn at ballroom dances, shoes of all stripes will be on display — even pairs dating back to 1800s, like a pair of pink silk embroidered boudoir shoes from 1847.

“Shoes on view range from designs to be worn in the privacy of a woman’s home, shoes that American suffragists wore as they marched through city streets, ‘sexy’ heels that reflected changing norms of female aesthetics, and professional shoes suitable for the increasing numbers of women in the workforce. We are thrilled to be able to offer the public this unique opportunity to explore the private collection of a collector extraordinaire who is also America’s top shoe designer,” Mirrer added.

Walk This Way also provides a walkthrough of the shoemaking process and how women in the shoemaking workforce — in addition to the rise in department store popularity at the turn of the 20th century — made history in 1904 when the Boot & Shoe Workers Union constitution called for “uniform wages for the same class of work, regardless of sex.”

The exhibition is slated to strut its stuff through October. Learn more by visiting the New-York Historical Society.

Buttoned boots, 1870s Leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 179 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Peep-toe mules, mid-1950s Plastic, Lucite, leather, elastic Spring-o-lator Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 84 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Lace-up boots, ca. 1900 Silk and silk brocade Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 59 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Seymour Weitzman (1910–65), designer Mr. Seymour (founded 1950s), maker Pointed-toe laced pumps, ca. 1964 Suede, grosgrain ribbon Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 269 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Boudoir shoes, 1867 Paris, France Silk, embroidery, metallic thread Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 101 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society T-strap evening sandals, ca. 1940s Leather, silk, rhinestones Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 99 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society D’Orsay evening shoes, ca. 1928 Jersey, United Kingdom Silk brocade, kid leather, rhinestones, beads Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 153 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Pumps, late 1920s Brocade, kid leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 247 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Peep-toe ankle-strap shoes, ca. 1930 Silk Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 228 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Delman, London, maker Peep-toe evening shoes, ca. 1935 Leather and mesh net Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 3 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society T-strap pumps, ca. 1937 Velvet, leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 249 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Terry de Havilland (b. 1938), designer Peep-toe platform shoes, ca. 1972 London, England Suede, leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 257 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Salvatore Ferragamo (1898–1960), designer Madonna sandals, ca. 1954–55 Florence, Italy Kid leather, Tavarnelle needlepoint lace, embroidery, beads Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 57 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society

art exhibitions fashion

Last modified: July 9, 2018