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1956 | THE MODEL MADONNA WAS MADE FOR A QUEEN SAYS SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

June 15, 2018, 12:55 am
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1958 | Brisbane, Australia | Made for a Queen
Salvatore Ferragamo and guests
Source: Courier Mail, Brisbane/SAN | September 27, 1958


Soraya that is, former queen of Persia that she never managed to wear her Ferragamos. Or so the caption says. The model is called “Madonna” and promotional photographs showed Ferragamo with actresses dressed as nuns.

The above picture from Brisbane’s Courier Mail is dated September 27, 1958; three days earlier the Australian Women’s Weekly portrayed Salvatore Ferragamo with a full color page and four models on display, the “Madonna” was one of them:

“MADONNA” is the name Ferragamo gives to the embroidered sandal he designed for Princess Soraya. “She has the feet of a madonna” he said. The Princess takes a 6B (4) fitting.

Most probably the model actual date is 1956 as seen in “Le Vostre Novelle” magazine (March 1956) but, as customary with Ferragamo, a model was new this year in Italy, also new the following year in the U.S.A. and brand new the year after that in Australia. 



1958 | Salvatore Ferragamo | The model "Madonna"
Source: The Australian Women's Weekly | September 24, 1958


AND THEN MARKETING KICKS IN…

The SAN (Sistema Archivistico Nazionale - National Fashion Archive) which get the information from the Salvatore Ferragamo SPA and/or Salvatore Ferragamo Museum says:
“The original model was made for Sofia Loren. It is one of the most famous Ferragamo creations, also made for other customers. It’s called “Madonna” and the name was taken from a prototype stored in the (Ferragamo) archive. The shoe is part of the Mantero donation to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum.” (SAN - retrieved May 2018) 
A twin entry in the SAN DB also shoes a picture of the “Madonna” replica renamed “Sofia Sandal” (Fall/Winter 2009/2010).

So, who do you want to believe? Salvatore Ferragamo or Salvatore Ferragamo SPA?



1956 | Salvatore Ferragamo | The model "Madonna"
Black & White Tavarnelle lace upper


Silliness aside, the “Madonna” is part of the Shoes Or No Shoes collection (both versions! - above) and Nazim Mustafaev’s Shoe Icons as well (below); another one, in a less good condition, belongs to the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection at Drexel University. A "Madonna" model has been spotted online going for € 700 (June 2018).



1956 | Salvatore Ferragamo | The model "Madonna"
Black Tavarnelle lace
Source: Shoe Icons


SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
I N D E X


FOOTNOTE


Salvatore Ferragamo and Sofia Loren (hidden)
Close but not the Real McCoy (besides not being a sandal)
Source: your name here

Salvatore Ferragamo and Sofia Loren
Same session, different take of the above photograph
Source: Comune di Bonito (Ferragamo’s birthplace)

1956 | Salvatore Ferragamo
The model "Madonna" | detail


According to SAN/Salvatore Ferragamo Museum a drawing of the Madonna model is to be found from a Ferragamo sketchbook dated 1955.



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COLUM MCCANN: I HATE THE WORD ‘SLIPPER’

June 19, 2018, 12:06 am
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Pere Ubu
The Fabulous Sequel (Have Shoes Will Walk) | 7" EP Chrysalis, 1979
Source: Discogs


… opens the shopping bag, sets the shoes out on his work desk, just finishing touches - a shank to be trimmed, a wing block to be extended, a drawstring that requires threading through, a heel to be cut down - neat, precise, and when he is finished he wraps them each in plastic, making sure there are no creases in the wrapping, since he has a reputation to maintain, the ballerinas, the choreographers, the opera houses … 



CA. 1882 | Edgar Degas
Danseuse espagnole et études de jambes | Spanish dancer and studies of legs


… they all seek him out, sending their specifications, a foot so wide at the toes and so narrow at the heel he must stretch the shoe to accommodate it, the fourth toe abnormally longer than the third, something he solves with the simple loosening of a stitch, the shoe that needs a harder shank, a higher back, a softer sole, he is well-known for his tricks, they talk about him, the dancers with their difficulties or those just simply fussy, writing him letters, sending him telegrams, sometimes even visiting him at the factory - meet your maker! - especially those from the Royal Ballet, so delicate and fine and appreciative …



1943 | Shoe Rationing
Photograph: Walter Sanders


… then takes the stack of shoes from the shelf and sets once again to work, and he works all morning long, although Saturdays aren’t considered overtime, he doesn’t care, he enjoys the repetitions and differing demands, the women’s toe shoes so much more intricate and difficult than the ballet boots for men, the French with more of an eye for flair than the English, the softer leather pads demanded by the Spanish, the Americans who call their shoes slippers, and how he detests that word, slipper, like something out of a fairy tale …

Colum McCann
From “Dancer” (Picador, 2004)


Ballet Slippers

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1957 | SHARPENED SHOES | THE CYRANO LAST BY BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

June 22, 2018, 2:13 am
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1957 | Before & after | The Cyrano last (left)
Source: LIFE magazine | January 21, 1957


A NEW POINTED-TOE PUMP LOOKS ODD BUT FEELS GREAT

Although it seems to have been conjured up from a chiropodist’s nightmare, this startling new mum is simply the logical culmination of a trend in shoe styles. The toe, which has been steadily narrowing, now ends in the sharpest possible point. 


Unlike constricting pointed shoes of 40 years ago, these are as long on confort as they are on looks. A special last allows for width at the ball of the foot, puts the point past the wearer’s toes (right).

Somewhat longer than an ordinary shoe of the same size, the new pointed-toe pump makes both the foot and the ankle look slimmer.

LIFE magazine
January 21, 1957



1957 | Sharpened Shoes
Beth & Herbert Levine in LIFE magazine
Source: LIFE magazine | January 21, 1957


A full page spread on LIFE magazine is an opportunity not to be missed, so the retailers were quick to capitalise on it:

We’ve been telling you the fashion importance of our Herbert Levine pointed toe pumps … now LIFE tells the facts behind our sharpened shoes. 
Joseph Salon Shoes advertisement
Source: Los Angeles Times | February 6, 1957

A successful example of the Cyrano last is the model “Anemone”, other noteworthy are “Madame Bowary” and “Black Rose”, both here below.



1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
At Joseph Salon Shoes | Beverly Hills
Source: Los Angeles Times | February 6, 1957

1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Madame Bovary” center stage
Source: The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) | September 8, 1957

1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine | The Cyrano Last
The model “Madame Bovary”
Source: Goldstein Museum of Design (dated 1955 - 1965)

1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Black Rose”
Source: Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | November 17,1957

1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine | The Cyrano Last
The model “Black Rose”
Source: 1stdibs

BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X



1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine | The Cyrano Last
The model “Madame Bovary” | detail
Source: Hinesite Vintage

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1958 | THE TOPLESS SHOE DEFIES THE EYE | NO SHOE BY BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

June 26, 2018, 2:46 am
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1958 | Beth & Herbert Levine | No Shoe | detail
Photograph: Milton H. Greene
Source: LIFE magazine | February 17, 1958


1957 started with a bang for Beth & Herbert Levine with LIFE magazine featuring a full page to the merit of their Cyrano last and a year later the same weekly showcased their NO SHOE calling it “topless shoe”:

TOPLESS SHOES designed by Herbert Levine are attached to soles by two adhesive tapes which are sold with the shoes. The shoes are made in several different heel heights, including flats. This pair in red satin costs $30. 
… of the stocking and shoe fashions that have come on the heels of the skirt news, the most revolutionary is a shoe that is only a sole and why a lady can stay in it defies the eye. 
Actually the shoe is held on by tapes, sticky on both sides, which keep it firmly in place until peeled off. 
LIFE magazine
February 17, 1958


1958 | Attention On Legs
Beth & Herbert Levine - No Shoe (left) | David Evins 
Photograph: Milton H. Greene
Source: LIFE magazine | February 17, 1958


As a matter of fact, the shoes were sold with a small bottle of liquid adhesive to be brushed over the surgical pads in order to keep on the No Shoe: probably too experimental to win over the average customer, but the final effect was stunning and nothing short of a miracle.
According to Helene Verin - author of “Beth Levine Shoes” - the only known surviving bottle of adhesive is part of Waalwijck’s Dutch Leather & Shoe Museum collection.



1958 | Beth & Herbert Levine
Adhesive bottle and No Shoe at the Dutch Leather & Shoe Museum

1958 | Beth & Herbert Levine
No Shoe, surgical pads and insole labels
Source: Dutch Leather & Shoe Museum



Less than glamorous is the only “No Shoe” advertisements we could find: the focus is on the splendid “Anemone” - here called “Pink-a-dink-a-do” - and the “No Shoe”, while called “revolutionary” for good reasons, is kept on the side with a dull drawing that doesn’t really explain, like they were forced to include it, but didn’t want to.



1958 | The most revolutionary shoe of the season
Beth & Herbert Levine | "Anemone" (left) and No Shoe (far right)
Source: Corpus Christi Caller Times | March 2, 1958


FOOTNOTE

The Metropolitan Museum of Art owns a prototype of the No Shoe which was a gift of Beth Levine to the Brooklyn Museum: it is dated 1955-1960, while the book “Beth Levine Shoes” dated it 1957.


BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X



1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
No Shoe prototype | Gift of Beth Levine
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art (dated 1955-60)

It's empty, isn't it?
1958 | No Shoe Adhesive
Source: Dutch Leather & Shoe Museum

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1957 | THE HAREM SANDAL AND THE HALTER PUMP BY BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

June 29, 2018, 7:31 am
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1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The Harem Sandal (top) and the Halter Pump
Source: The Times | October 13, 1957


NEW HERBERT LEVINE SATINS … DIVERSE AND EXCITING!

Devastating, dramatic white satin evening slippers (dyeable of course); new pace setters in the social scene, with the after-dark eloquence for which Herbert Levine is so famous.

The Harem Sandal, it’s rhinestone delineated T-strap an upturned continuation of the sole. 32.95

The Halter Pump, its entire pointed toe a myriad of rhinestones. 34.95

Source: The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana)
October 13, 1957



1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The Harem Sandal
Source: Beth Levine Shoes (Stewart Tabori & Chang, 2009)

1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The Harem Sandal


THE HAREM SANDAL: IS THAT THE ACTUAL NAME?

We don’t know; this is a rare case of too many sources (that’s why it’s rare) saying different things. An older ad (April 1957) calls it “T-scroll” and explains that the strap can be worn over or under the vamp; the thumbnail drawing by Ruthie Ballin (Beth’s sister) on the shoe box says “T-Square” (this must be it); Helene Verin in her book calls it “T-Flap”, and finally, the well known Saul Steinberg ad doesn’t calls it at all but makes clear we’re talking about the “Harum-scarum silhouette”.




1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
TOP LEFT: T-scroll (Clarion Ledger | April 17, 1957)
TOP RIGHT: Ruthie Ballin thumbnail drawing
BELOW: Saul Steinberg ad (detail)


1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The Halter Pump
Source: Etsy


Besides being delightful, not much can be said about the Halter Pump; we’re still looking for additional information regarding the rhinestone work. Could it be Arpad’s like the Sea Mist or the 3,000 rhinestones pump?


BETH & HERBERT LEVINE



1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The Halter Pump

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1966 | TONY THE SHOEMAKER GOES ORIENTAL | BY BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

July 3, 2018, 12:09 am
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1966 | Beth & Herbert Levine’s Tony The Shoemaker at Berger’s
Source: Buffalo Courier Express December 4, 1966

TONY THE SHOEMAKER goes oriental, in a multicoloured Temple print, on cream-colored silk … sets it on a graceful mid-heel. It’s exclusively Berger’s. $ 28 shown with a matching hand-bag, in a Hermés inspired style. $20 
Source: Berger’s advertisement
Buffalo Courier Express December 4, 1966

It wasn’t “exclusively Berger’s” as the model here below was made for Joseph Magnin, and we might add that we’re not sure how Beth Levine would have liked the “Hermés inspired style”, but that’s the way it was.


1966 | Tony The Shoemaker
Source: Etsy (sold 2014)

1966 | Tony The Shoemaker
By Beth & Herbert Levine


FOOTNOTE: TONY THE SHOEMAKERS 

Plenty of Tony The Shoemakers in and around New York: Levine’s Tony was Tony Acuti, production manager at Herbert Levine, Inc.; before that, at the beginning of the last century, other Tonys made headlines.

The first one was Antonio Milano - known as Tony The Shoemaker - who murdered and set on fire in his bookshop the body of Harry E. Smith, a fourteen year old boy. The boy had rushed inside the shop, as chased by other boys, and went straight toward Tony who reacted either hitting the boy with the hammer or throwing the hammer at him: he didn’t remember, nor he remembered what happened soon after. He was sentenced two years later (1913) and plead for clemency.

Another Tony The Shoemaker was Tony Perretti, one of the leaders of the Navy street gang in Brooklyn. Involved in a crime in 1926, he fled Brooklyn and returned two years later convinced he was in the clear. He wasn’t.



BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
FEATURING TONY THE SHOEMAKER

BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X



1966 | Tony The Shoemaker
Insole Detail
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1960 | POLKA DOTS AND CRYSTAL GLASS | BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

July 6, 2018, 1:17 am
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1960 | Polka dots and crystal glass | (L) Unknown model - (R) Rock candy
Beth & Herbert Levine
Source: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Corpus Christi, Texas) | March 6, 1960

CHOICE PICKINGS FROM OUR SPRING FASHION CROP 
The freshest, brightest shoes for your spring wardrobe … here with a new and different look … the look of Herbert Levine. Built on the famous Cyrano last with pencil slim heels. Feature red polka dots or navy and white polka dots dress up the silk shoe, and trimmed with a black calf tip and gold railheads, 36.95. 
Lilac lustre on white lustre calf gives untold beauty to a mammoth cluster of rock candy crystal. 38.95. 
Source: The Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Corpus Christi, Texas) | March 6, 1960

The model on the right is called "Rock Candy" and it was prominently featured in many stand-alone advertisements (see below). The one on top remains unnamed (for now) and the undated photograph here below - taken form the dormant Herbert Levine facebook page - doesn't help either.



1960 | Cyrano last and polka dots is all we know
Beth & Herbert Levine


ROCK-CANDY BY HERBERT LEVINE 
Cut crystals, like rock candy gone sophisticated, decorated the slenderly squared toe of this elegant black patent slipper, also available in White Pearlized calf, 36.95. 
Source: Waco Tribune-Herald (Waco, Texas) | June 17, 1960

1960 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Rock Candy”
Source: Abilene Reporter News | January 24, 1960

HERBERT’S LEVINE “ROCK CANDY” 
Most captivating shoe of the season … bespeaking the finesse and grandeur of the inimitable Herbert Levine. Peaked toe opera on a slim stiletto heel; glistening black patent with a cluster of crystal-cut glass balls strung together with golden wires. Devastating! 37,95 
Source: The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) | March 20, 1960


1960 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Rock Candy”
Source: ebay (picture)/ Democrat And Chronicle | March 16, 1960


Besides the rock crystals, another feature of this model is the clipped point, although barely visible in the actual shoe and largely ignored in other ads.



1960 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Rock Candy” | “clipped” toe detail
Source: ebay

1960 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Rock Candy”
The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana) | March 20, 1960

The “Rock Candy” design is the upgraded version of a model marketed September/October 1958; the book “Beth Levine Shoes” called it “White Grapes” but it is debatable what the actual name is. Both models were designed with the celebrated Cyrano last.



1958 | Beth & Herbert Levine
White Grapes pump
Source: “Beth Levine Shoes”

1958 | Beth & Herbert Levine
Purple Grapes pump
Source: Pinterest



BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X




1958 | Beth & Herbert Levine
B&W Grapes pump (far right)
Source: Detroit Free Press | September 21, 1958

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1958 | THE DAISY PUMP | BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

July 10, 2018, 12:39 am
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1958 | The Daisy pump
Beth & Herbert Levine
Source: The Tennessean (Nashville)| April 27, 1958

1958 | The Daisy pump | detail
Beth & Herbert Levine
Source: 1stdibs

1958 | The Daisy pump
Beth & Herbert Levine
Source: 1stdibs


1958

STEVEN ARPAD FOR HERBERT LEVINE

NO SHOE (THE TOPLESS SHOE)


BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X

FOOTNOTE

1950 | Daisy sandal (Italian, unknown brand) | detail
Source: L'Illustrazione Italiana (#9 - Marc 5, 1950)

Here Come The Spring News
1950 | Daisy sandal (Italian, unknown brand)
Source: L'Illustrazione Italiana (#9 - Marc 5, 1950)

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1957 - 1959 | SUN SPOTS AND HURDY GURDY | BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

July 13, 2018, 5:56 am
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1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Sun Spots”
Source: Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT) | May 19, 1957


What goes with everything?
Multi-colored Polka Dots on White Washable Leather. 
An Exciting idea.

Source: Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT)
May 19, 1957



1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Sun Spots”
Source: Etsy

1957 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Sun Spots”
Source: Etsy


Two years later the brand showcased a couple of “Sun Spots” spin-off: the “Hurdy Gurdy” (actual model still to be found) and the “High Tie”. More polka dots can be found here.


Herbert Levine’s paradox pumps
… how open can a closed shoe be? 
… as openly exciting as these new-for-spring- silhouettes that cunningly conceal here - daringly reveal there! 
Master designer Herbert Levine has created new glamour for your foot by baring your heel to show the prettiest expanse of ankle, by curving an open shank to give the illusion of longer, lovelier legs, by surprise open circles in an otherwise completely closed pump. See the collection in black patent, blue suede, lime green or bone-beige calf. 29.95 to 34.95.

Democrat And Chronicle (Rochester, NY)
February 3, 1959



1959 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Hurdy Gurdy”
Source: Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | February 2, 1959

1959 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “High Tie” (top)
Source: Democrat And Chronicle | April 1, 1959

1959 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “High Tie”
Source: eBay


1957
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1961 | SLENDER NEW STYLES | BETH & HERBERT LEVINE

July 17, 2018, 3:07 am
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1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
Any Day - Any Week - Any Month
Source: The Orange Leader (Orange, Texas) | June 18, 1961


… shoes are always chosen by the most discriminating women. We are pleased to present these truly elegant shoes for you. For many years it has been our goal to bring the very best to Orange (Texas). 

Now you can enjoy the ultimate in fashion and beauty in Herbert Levine fine shoes.
You must see these to appreciate them, therefore, only a silhouette is illustrated. 

Herbert Levine ad
The Orange Leader (Orange, Texas) | June 18, 1961



Black Roses…
from Herbert Levine

For late-day, the glamour of great silk organdie roses with jet centres, jet dewdrops …posed on a beautifully cut slipper of luminous black patent. Also in turquoise patent. Each 36.95.

Herbert Levine ad
Detroit Free Press | March 12, 1961


1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Black Roses”
Source: Detroit Free Press | March 12, 1961

1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Black Roses”
Source: eBay

1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Black Roses” | detail
Source: eBay



Herbert Levine
expresses the ultimate in fine footwear in this superb pump in black silk suede with a velvet collar and pearl stickpin, set on high wine glass heels. Also in magenta.

Herbert Levine ad
The Tennessean | September 24, 1961


1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Royal Plum”
Source: The Tennessean | September 24, 1961

1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Royal Plum”
Source: eBay

1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
The model “Royal Plum” | detail
Source: eBay

1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
Cut-out dress pump & Royal Plum
Source: Detroit Free Press | October 22, 1961



Unfortunately we couldn’t find the name of the rarely seen cut-out dress pump next to the Royal Plum. It’s matter of time, I guess, but of course any help will be appreciated.


BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X


1961 | Beth & Herbert Levine
Cut-out dress pump (Collection of Maureen Reilly)
Source: Hot Shoes - 100 Years (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1998)

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THE KIDS AND THEIR CRAZY SNEAKERS | FEAT. HARLAN COBEN

July 20, 2018, 7:28 am
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Kiwi | The Quality BOOT POLISH
Source: LongWhiteKid

Chaz wore an expensive, chintzy, perfectly tailored suit, the kind that glistens as though wet, a tie Windsored by someone who had too much time on their hands, and Ferragamo shoes that brought to mind that old adage about judging a man by the shine of his shoes. The adage was crap. Guys who always shined their shoes were usually self-involved asswipes who figure superficiality trumps substance.

Harlan Coben
From: Missing You (Dutton, 2014)


Dandy-Shiner | The only rigid shoe-holder
Source: Period Paper


“Your friends from Princeton.”

“Ivy Leagues, man. Some guy wore green shoes. I hate green shoes.”

“Me too.”

“The Ivy Leagues.”

“That’s right. Your friends from the Ivy League. ”

Harlan Coben
Caught (Dutton, 2010)


Green loafers by Bass Weejuns
Source: somewhere on the dark net



“Dear God, what are you wearing?”

Muse sat up. “What?”

“Your wardrobe. It’s like a frightening new Fox reality show: When Policewomen Dress Themselves. Dear God. And those shoes…”

“They’re practical,” Muse said.

“Sweetheart, fashion rule one: The words shoes and practical should never be in the same sentence.” 

Harlan Coben
The Woods (Dutton Adult, 2007)


Make Google Do It
Source: The Hall Of Lame


“I threw on shorts and laced up my basketball shoes.

“Lame,” I heard a voice say.

I turned. It was Buck. “Excuse me?”

“Your sneakers.” He pointed at them. “Did you get them out of, like, some sales bin?”

Snort. Laugh. Snort.

“Um, yeah,” I said.

While I didn’t think that my reply was particularly clever, Buck seemed lost by it. “Well, they suck.”

“Thanks.” I pointed at his feet. “Yours are very pretty.”

Buck bent in close to me, his mouth inches from mine. “Why don’t you do everyone here a favor and go home?”

I leaned away. “And why don’t you do everyone here a favor and carry breath mints?”

Harlan Coben
Seconds Away: A Mickey Bolitar Novel (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2012)



Make Google Do It / Part 2
Source: The Hall Of Lame



Janice Matley saw George’s sneakers first.

The toes were jutting out from the doorway of the lab. They were black sneakers, or at least the toe part was black. With the kids and their crazy sneakers nowadays, who knew what color the rest of the sneaker was? Her grandson had a pair of Nike Air Jordans that had more colors than a rainbow.

She swallowed. “Who’s there?” she called out.

Her voice, she was surprised to hear, sounded steady, confident.

“I said, who’s there?”

She saw the foot slide forward. The sneaker was completely black after all. Reeboks, as a matter of fact. 

Harlan Coben
Miracle Cure (British American Publishing, 1991)


Nike VS Reebok
Rainbow Is The New Black


SHOES & BOOKS
[FEAT. HEMINGWAY, SHAKESPEARE, SARAMAGO, RANKIN, GALEANO ...]



Keds for Kids
Source: Period Paper

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INSIDE VIEW OF YANTORNY & BOLDINI BY MERCEDES DE ACOSTA

July 24, 2018, 6:30 am
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One day in 1960, Greta Garbo was standing in a health food store in New York City when she saw a “long-toed, silver-buckled shoe” and the edge of “a black highwayman’s cape.” She knew immediately that it was Mercedes (De Acosta).

Lisa Cohen
From: All We Know. Three Lives. (Farrar, Staruss And Giroux - 2012) 


1923 | Portrait of Mercedes de Acosta | Detail
Source: Here Lies The Heart by Mercedes de Acosta (Andre Deutsch, 1960)

A fifties friend, Buddy Radisch, told Kornbluth, “Andy (Warhol) was the classic star fuc**r, but he had nothing to contribute, he couldn’t speak,” and went on to describe a picnic with Garbo. Andy was invited by Mercedes de Acosta; her unabashedly lesbian autobiography, "Here Lies the Heart", which caused Garbo to drop her, had not yet been published.
Andy considered de Acosta the height of elegance because not only were her shoes made in Europe, but her shoe trees were made by a violin maker. He was beside himself to be in the presence of Garbo, but couldn’t think of anything to say to her, so he drew a butterfly and handed it to her.
At the end of the day she absentmindedly crumpled it and left it. Andy picked it up off the ground, and had his mother write across it, “Crumpled butterfly by Greta Garbo.” Even then, Andy knew how to turn his rejection into an object, pain into art.
Bob Colacello
From: Holy Terror. Andy Warhol Close Up (Harper Collins Publishers, 1990)


1914 - 1919 | Pietro Yantorny | Shoe trees
Donated by Mercedes De Acosta in 1953 to The Brooklyn Museum
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art


A good story, nicely told, as always by Bob Colacello. The shoe trees part however is off target. Here how it was, as told by none other than Mercedes de Acosta herself.

The most beautiful things about all the shoes he (Yantorny) made for Rita (De Acosta Lydig) were the trees. He wanted to fashion them out of the lightest wood possible, so he made them out of violins. 
Rita bought old violins and he transformed them into shoetrees so exquisite that they are works of art in themselves. Stark Young asked if he might have a pair of the trees to put on a table in his living room. He said he considered them equal to any work of art.
Mercedes De Acosta
From: Here Lies The Heart (Andre Deutsch, 1960)


1925 - 30 | Pietro Yantorny | Shoe trees
Gift of Mrs. Edward G. Sparrow, 1969


While Mercedes De Acosta follows Cecil Beaton's lead about Yantorny being East Indian (he was not), she cast some light on the work of the Italian shoemaker:

He went into designing and making shoes because he had a passion for them. He had his own ideas about making them, and he didn't make them for everyone. If Yantorny decided to make you a pair he would make a cast of your feet in plaster, at the same time measuring every inch of booth feet. 
He would observe them walking barefoot to ascertain just where the weight was placed and he would feel them, holding and balancing them in his hands. He would ask you to contract them and make them limp and then put you through a series of toe-spreadings.  
If he finally decided to make you your shoes, you could count on the first pair being delivered in about two years. If he liked you very much, as he did Rita, you might hope to get them in a year, or, if a miracle occurred, in six months.


TOP: 1911 | Giovanni Boldini | Rita de Acosta Lydyg's portrait | Detail
BELOW: 1925 - 1930 | Pietro Yantorny | Metropolitan Museum of Art


Let's just assume the footgear depicted were Yantorny's, so it's more than fair to say Boldini did them justice; not an easy feat after finishing painting that dress. Here's what Mercedes De Acosta - Rita's sister - said about the paintings:

Boldini painted a number of portraits of Rita and I went with her occasionally to his studio when she was posing for him. When he painted he sometimes wore a bowler hat. He was a highly nervous, energetic and astute little man with a flair for style and chic that no other portrait painter in this century ever surpassed. 
Mercedes De Acosta
From: Here Lies The Heart (Andre Deutsch, 1960)


Portrait of Rita de Acosta Lydyg | Oil on canvas - Private collection
Source: Wikipedia


PIERRE YANTURNY | BOOT MAKER IN PARIS
A.K.A. YANTURNY - A.K.A. YANTOURNY
I N D E X

SHOES & BOOKS
[FEAT. HEMINGWAY, SHAKESPEARE, SARAMAGO, RANKIN, GALEANO ...]



Mercedes De Acosta
Here Lies The Heart (Andre Deutsch, 1960)
Jacket Photograph by Marlene Dietrich

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WHAT DO SHOES TASTE LIKE? BY GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ

July 27, 2018, 8:32 am
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February 28, 1955, brought news that eight crew members of the destroyer Caldas, of the Colombian Navy, had fallen overboard and disappeared during a storm in the Caribbean Sea …

… A search for the seamen began immediately, with the cooperation of the U.S. Panama Canal Authority ..

… after four days, the search was abandoned and the lost sailors were officially declared dead. A week later, however, one of them turned up half dead on a deserted beach in northern Colombia, having survived ten days without food or water on a drifting life raft. His name was Luis Alejandro Velasco. This book is a journalistic reconstruction of what he told me, as it was published one month after the disaster in the Bogotá daily El Espectador.

Gabriel García Márquez
From: “Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor.” 


April 28, 1955
Louis Alejandro Velasco's Odissey
Source: Z Block'15


“The relief I felt while chewing the cards spurred my imagination to look for things to eat. If I had had a knife, I would have cut up my shoes and chewed slices of the rubber soles. They were the closest thing at hand. I tried to pry off the clean, white soles with my keys. But I couldn’t pull off a piece of the sole, it was glued so tightly to the fabric.”


1953 | Denson
Source: HistoryWorld

“For using a certain brand of chewing gum and saying so in an ad, I received a thousand pesos. I was lucky that the manufacturer of my shoes gave me two thousand pesos for endorsing them in an ad. For permitting my story to be told on radio I received five thousand. I never imagined that surviving ten days of hunger and thirst would turn out to be so profitable. ”

Gabriel García Márquez
From: “Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor.” (Knopf, 1986 - First published 1970)



SHOES & BOOKS
[FEAT. HEMINGWAY, SHAKESPEARE, SARAMAGO, RANKIN, GALEANO ...]



Gabriel García Márquez
Relato De Un Náufrago (Debolsillo, 2003 - First published 1970)

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< U P D A T E S >

July 31, 2018, 8:57 am
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1962 | Meet & Greet DAVID EVINS
Source: The Los Angeles Times | August 29, 1962


SHOES & BOOKS
FOOTWEAR IN NOVELS

1935 | RENE MAGRITTE | L'AMOUR DÉSARMÉ/LOVE DISARMED
FEAT. ANDRE PERUGIA

1937 | THE SHOE-HAT BY ELSA SCHIAPARELLI & SALVADOR DALÍ
FEAT. ANDRE PERUGIA

SERENDIPITY
LOUIS XV V/S SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

THE AUTARCHIC WAY OF SALVATORE FERRAGAMO (PART 3/3)
FEAT. FEDE CHIETI

BETH & HERBERT LEVINE
I N D E X

NORMAN ROCKWELL
SPRING FLOWERS (1969)

1959 | LA MARCA ITALIANA

1909 - 1970s | CALZATURIFICIO GALLARATESE
TRACING THE ORIGIN OF THE SS33 DISTRICT



Source: LIFE magazine | May 28, 1965
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1967 | DAVID EVINS | LADY GODIVA

August 3, 2018, 5:24 am
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1952 | David Evins
The model “Lady Godiva”
Source: The Kansas City Times | September 19, 1952


Have you met 

DAVID EVINS

Winner of the Fashion Critics Award, America’s foremost shoe designer.
Mr. Evins is in our shoe salon today with his designer collection.

Shoe illustrated in the famous “Lady Godiva”.
Black, brown and navy suede. Or demi-heel, black suede. $ 29.95

David Evins/Woolf Brothers ad
The Kansas City Times | September 19, 1952



1952 | David Evins
The model “Lady Godiva”
Source: Etsy


1948 | DAVID EVINS

1956 | DAVID EVINS

1967 | DAVID EVINS



1952 | David Evins
The model “Lady Godiva”
Source: Etsy

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1959 | THE PUMP BY DAVID EVINS

August 7, 2018, 3:05 am
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David
Evins

1959 | David Evins
Black Suede Pump
Source: Buffalo NY Courier Express | 1959 September 9, 1959



FITTING TRIBUTE
The pump by David Evans

Black suede os shaped to fit like the proverbial clinging vine, with a frame of liquorice-black braid and a faceted jet button.
The precious effect results from the blend of magnificent materials and consummate craftsmanship. 36.95

David Evins at Hengerer’s (Buffalo) advertisement
Source: Buffalo Courier-Express | August 28, 1959




1959 | David Evins
Black Suede Pump
Source: Etsy


1948 | DAVID EVINS
THE NAUGHTY SILHOUETTE | A REVOLUTIONARY V-CUT FOR I.MILLER

1956 | DAVID EVINS
FOR GRACE KELLY

1967 | DAVID EVINS
FOR I.MILLER [HEELSTORY]


1959 | David Evins
Black Suede Pump
Source: Buffalo Courier-Express | August 28, 1959

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1964 | CUSTOMISE YOUR EVINS SHOES

August 10, 2018, 8:39 am
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1964 | David Evins at B. Forman Co. (detail)
Source: Democrat And Chronicle | November 8, 1964

1964 | David Evins (detail)
Source: Goldstein Museum Of Design (dated 1960 - 1964)


HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO DESIGN A PAIR OF EVINS SHOES?

All you have to do is come to Forman’s tomorrow or Tuesday and pretend you always have everything your own way. Like change a buckle, change a heel or dye a silk toe to match your lipstick. 

Then ask for Larry Piper, Davis Evins’ personal representative, who will be on hand to find out just what you want. If he thinks it can be done, then it’s yours. All this pampering can be had where you always buy those beautiful David Evins designs … in Forman’s Shoe Salon, Street Floor, Downtown. 

David Evins/B. Forman Co. advertisement 
Democrat And Chronicle | November 8, 1964 



1964 | David Evins (detail)
Source: Goldstein Museum Of Design (dated 1960 - 1964)

1964 | David Evins (detail)
Source: Goldstein Museum Of Design (dated 1960 - 1964)

1948 | DAVID EVINS
THE NAUGHTY SILHOUETTE | A REVOLUTIONARY V-CUT FOR I.MILLER

1956 | DAVID EVINS
FOR GRACE KELLY

1967 | DAVID EVINS
FOR I.MILLER [HEELSTORY]


1964 | David Evins at B. Forman Co.
Source: Democrat And Chronicle | November 8, 1964

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1985 | ‘BELLA’ BY DAVID EVINS

August 14, 2018, 8:12 am
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1967 | GOLD CHAIN SLINGBACK | DAVID EVINS

August 17, 2018, 1:19 pm
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Meet Mr.
David Evins


SPARE AND ELEGANT DAVID EVINS BRINGS THE MESSAGE

Turns out superb shapelings like these. Flicks them with genius touches - three skinny strips here, a gleamy gold chain there.

Special order your favourite styles in your personal choice of colours, materials, and heel heights. The shoes shown, chain strap in black patent, silver or yellow kid, $38 …

Kauffman’s/David Evins ad
Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette | February 20, 1967




1967 | David Evins
Gold chain Slingback
Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette | February 20, 1967

1967 | David Evins
Gold chain Slingback
Source: etsy


DAVID EVINS
I N D E X



1967 | David Evins
Gold chain Slingback
Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette | February 20, 1967

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REBOOT [THE HISTORIALIST ON VACATION]

August 20, 2018, 12:09 am
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Swiss Local daily
Artwork by Elso Schiavo

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