Record details
| Red silk court shoes | |
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Pair of women's red silk court shoes with stiletto heels. Designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior. Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ fashions in 1947 chimed perfectly with the popular mood of optimism and the need for a fresh start after the Second World War. Paris became the world’s fashion capital and in 1953 the modern stiletto heel was launched by Dior collaborator Roger Vivier. It was a moulded plastic heel with a steel pin down its length enabling high but slender heels. |
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| Northampton Museum and Art Gallery | |
| 1959 | |
| Silk, plastic and steel | |
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Red has always been a significant and powerful colour, in part down to the expense involved in obtaining the natural red dye derived from cochineal scale insects found in South America. Worn to convey contrasting messages at different times and in different cultures. Red shoes were the prerogative of Roman senators and later the Emperor. King Louis XIV of France adopted red as the colour of nobility. He covered his wooden heels in red leather to indicate status and wealth. In China, red bridal shoes are thrown on the roof of the newly married couple’s home to ensure happiness and a long marriage Contemporary examples include Dorothy’s ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz, which were essential for her to fly home to Kansas and the demonic red ballet shoes that lead Vicky the main character in the film The Red Shoes, to her death. We think that there are 11 shoe styles in the world. See if you agree.
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