"Vintage Shoes" by Caroline Cox with a foreword by Christian Louboutin, published in 2012 in Dubai in hardback with dustjacket by Carlton Books, 223pp, ISBN 9781780971605
Condition Notes:New, but ex-shop display and as such it has a tiny tear on the bottom left corner of the front of the dustjacket over the gutter (the vertical depression between the spine and the front cover proper). There is also some faint scratching to the dustjacket on the back of the book (cause unknown). Despite the superficial faults, it remains an unread, unused copy
About this book: Charting over 100 years of shoe history, Vintage Shoes celebrates the very best in shoe design, revealing how our footwear has been influenced by fashion, society and world events. Focusing on the styles that have emerged between the turn of the twentieth century and the present day, the text places shoes firmly in their cultural context, while breathtaking archive images, stunning fashion photography and specially-commissioned photographs of period footwear showcase the most collectable, glamorous and fabulous shoes ever made.
Beginning with the turn of the twentieth century, shoes from 1900-1919 are covered, revealing how prim Victorian lace-up boots gave way to classic Edwardian elegance, and examining the effect of the First World War on shoe design, fashion and society. The book then evolves through the 1920s, with the emergence of the flapper and the iconic Mary Jane shoe, the glamorous 1930s and the austere war-restricted 1940s, to Christian Diors New Look and the towering stiletto heels created by Charles Jourdan in the 1950s. The exuberance of brightly-coloured design is explored in the 1960s chapter, with lavish couture styles mixing with Biba boots, space age inventions such as André Courreges Moon Girl boots, as well as Roger Viviers groundbreaking low-heeled Pilgrim pump. Platform heels in never-before-seen heights from the 1970s gave way to power dressing, luxury and logos in the 1980s. Each decade ends with a key looks feature showcasing the iconic designs that defined the era.
Vintage Shoes concludes with a final chapter on the 1990s to now, looking at the designer shoes that are sure to become collectables of the future, including offerings from Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs, Prada and Miu Miu, and Gina, among many others. A shopping and collecting guide, which offers advice on sourcing and caring for vintage shoes, is included, along with a glossary of the most influential shoemakers of the last century
Contents:
Foreword by Christian Louboutin
Introduction
1900-19: Edwardian Elegance
1920s: The Modernist Shoe
1930-47: The Hollywood Heel
1948-59: New Look Shoes
1960s: A Youth Revolution
1970s: Biba and Beyond
1980s: Dress for Success
1990s to Now: Future Collectables
Shopping and Collecting
Glossary of Designers
Index
Further Reading and Acknowledgements