FIDM Museum Blog

Marlene Dietrich's evening shoes

 

The 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition opens next week! This year's exhibition showcases over 100 costumes from 20 films released in 2011. What's more, we're also featuring a selection of classic costumes from both the FIDM Museum collection and the Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, Historic Hollywood Collection. The exhibition runs from February 14th through April 28th and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. As always, the exhibition is FREE. Information on booking a guided tour of the exhibition can be found here.

During the run of the exhibition, look forward to a series of blog posts about objects and costume designers featured in the exhibition. First up, a pair of Delman evening shoes worn by Marlene Dietrich. As the label on the insole indicates, these shoes were made "Especially For Marlene Dietrich." Eye and light-catching, we believe these glittering heels were worn by Dietrich during one of her popular 1950s nightclub appearances.

Evening Shoes
Worn by Marlene Dietrich, 1950s
Delman
Silk satin, glass rhinestones, marcasite, metallic cord & leather
Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles/FIDM Museum
L88.1.213AB

Plaid platform shoes, c. 1972

 

Fashion history is rife with examples of women borrowing from menswear. Bloomers (the nineteenth-century adaption of male trousers), riding habits (adapted from men's riding habits) and the 1980s "power suit" are just a few examples. But how often do men adopt versions of womenswear? Not very often. Jean Paul Gaultier's skirts for men come to mind, but not much else. One notable exception is the 1970s platform shoe. Worn by both men and women, flamboyant 1970s platform shoes crossed gender barriers. Because of their eye-catching height, the most exotic platform shoes were worn by men under the age of thirty. Despite high prices and the necessity of re-learning to walk in platform heels as high as 5 inches, young men bought, "gold and silver, or pink and purple, or green and yellow monster shoes that rival anything their girl friends are wearing."¹

Men's platform shoe
C. 1972
Museum Purchase
2006.5.2AB

A Step Ahead of the Competition

 

As we've discussed here, here and here, many of the objects in our collection are donated. Our donors are extremely generous, and we've been gifted with many wonderful pieces over the years. To round out our collections, we also purchase objects. In this post, FIDM Museum curator Kevin Jones describes this process and reveals how his extraordinary patience helped bring an unusual pair of 1959 Roger Vivier evening shoes into our collection. These shoes are featured in both FABULOUS! and the companion catalogue.

Evening shoes
Paris, France, 1959
Roger Vivier for Christian Dior
Kingfisher feathers & leather
Museum purchase
2009.5.50AB

Indoor slippers, 1850-75

 

Our Study Collection offers FIDM students, faculty and researchers hands-on access to historic garments and accessories. Objects find a home in our Study Collection for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we have near multiples in the Permanent collection, or a donated object shows signs of age or wear. All Study Collection objects are accessioned because they have something to offer. Though well-worn, this single leather slipper is evidence of a nineteenth century footwear trend while also offering insight into nineteenth century conceptions of public and private space.

Slipper
Leather, satin, linen
1850-75
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2009.897.188

Thierry Mugler jellies

 

Remember jellies? Brightly colored, glossy plastic jelly shoes, usually shortened to jellies, were a 1980s fad. Made from injection molded plastic, jellies were available in a rainbow of colors and often had a textured (braided, ridged, etc.) surface. Though slip-on jellies were the most common style, buckle jelly sandals and even jelly lace-ups were also available. This pair by Thierry Mugler are in the classic slip-on style, though the lightning bolt cut-out gives them a unique character. Though it's a bit difficult to see in this image, the shoes are embedded with gold glitter.

Apollo jelly shoes
Thierry Mugler for Grendha
1985
Museum Purchase
2004.5.67AB

Suede and vinyl boots, 1968-70

 

By 1965, the miniskirt had infiltrated women's fashion. Worn by women of all ages, the popularity of the style resulted in a new fashion focal point: the leg. Exposed for the first time since the 1920s, the leg needed a new wardrobe. Colored, patterned and textured knee-socks were worn with low-heel, square-toed shoes. Sheer neutral and black stockings became passe, replaced by tights in a rainbow of colors and textures. According to an end-of-the-decade fashion recap from 1969, "the hosiery industry rejoiced as stockings went from sheer to crazy with color and pattern making the rising hem easier to take."¹ The same article also noted that "many [women] switched to tights" during the 1960s.

Boots, which had been relegated to bad weather or outdoor pursuits for many decades, made a return to the fashion scene. André Courrèges' Spring 1964 collection, which featured all-white, minimalist garments paired with flat boots, goggles and helmets, is often cited as the origin of 1960s boot mania. Beth Levine, who designed a pair of jewel-studded evening boots as early as 1959, also deserves credit for bringing the boot to forefront of fashion during the 1960s. Levine's creativity also resulted in an innovative 1960s garment which mimicked the look of a boot, the all-in-one stocking shoe.

Boots
Suede/vinyl
1968-1970
Museum purchase
2003.5.31AB

Evening shoes

 

Brocade T-Strap Evening Pump
Woodward & Lothrop
c. 1927
Silk brocade, leather, rhinestone and metal
Gift of Vicky Stevenson
S2008.948.2A/B

During the 1920s and into the 1930s, T-strap shoes were popular for both day and evening wear. This muli-colored, floral patterned silk brocade T-strap evening shoe dates from about 1927. Silk shoes were most commonly worn indoors, as the delicate fabric would have easily stained or torn when walking about on city streets. The insole is marked with a gold stamp reading “Woodward & Lothrop,” a now-defunct department store based in Washington D.C. With its gold and yellow rhinestone buckle and yellow accented floral pattern, this shoe would have perfectly complemented the short, slim, jewel-toned evening dresses of velvet or silk popular in the mid-1920s. Metallic accents, like the yellow-gold tone in the pattern and the rhinestone buckle, were popular in 1920s evening dress and accessories. The sturdy boulevard heel would have allowed the wearer of these shoes to easily dance the Charleston, one of the trademark dances of the 1920s.

Delman shoes and clutch, 1960

 

Shoe fanatics may not realize that the luxury shoe brand Delman has been in existence for over 90 years. Founded in 1918 by Herman Delman, the New York company quickly grew into a sought after status brand. By 1931, The New Yorker reported that Delman sold 2,000 pairs of shoes each week.¹ Customers included Adele Astaire (sister to Fred), Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn and Irene Castle. Delman's Madison Avenue shoe salon was styled like a "Louis XVI-style gallery, where shoes were displayed like works of art."² Stamped Delman labels inside each shoe reinforced the idea that Delman produced unique and valuable art objects. This unmistakable logo, of a seated woman being fitted for a pair of shoes, was unique in an era when shoes were typically labeled with the name of the retailer, not the designer.

Though Herman Delman designed shoes in the early years, he also hired many individuals who went on to become noted designers in their own right. Herbert and Beth Levine designed shoes for Delman, along with Kenneth Jay Lane and Roger Vivier. For several years in the early 1950s, Roger Vivier designed for both Delman and Christian Dior, resulting in shoes labeled Delman-Christian Dior.

Though Delman produced practical and elegant day shoes of leather, Delman shoes intended for evening feature striking color combinations and eye-catching surface embellishment. In the early 1930s, Delman created "aluminum-painted shoes for dark nights, shoes ornamented with ground glass, or...rhinestones and sapphires."³ A pair of Delman evening shoes from 1958 were crafted from tangerine, royal blue and emerald green satin with a purple suede heel. This pair of Delman evening heels and matching clutch are entirely covered with iridescent rhinestones, tiny seed pearls and dots of velvet flocking.

High heels and clutch purse
Delman
1960
Gift of Anonymous Donor
2001.40.7A-D

Evening boots, 1850-55

Women of the mid-nineteenth century had essentially two choices when it came to fashionable footwear: ballet-like slippers or ankle boots. Both types of shoe were made of soft, pliable textiles such as velvet or satin and had a flat, extremely thin leather sole. No matter which shoes a woman wore, they were hidden by the full, floor-length skirts then in fashion. Because they were seldom seen, both types of shoe were usually made of a plain black or white textile. Evening boots were an exception, as they were sometimes made to match a specific gown. These pink and green evening boots from the FIDM Museum collection are made of a slightly iridescent brocade and damask silk with green leather foxing at the heel and toe. Due to the high-quality of both the construction and textile, we believe these boots were probably made in France and imported to the United States. The side lacing is typical of boots from this period.

Evening boots
1850-55
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2006.37.3AB

Beth Levine's Kabuki shoes

Self-taught shoe designer Beth Levine (1914-2006) created some of the most innovative and fanciful shoes of the 20th century. Levine began her career in 1938 as a shoe model/secretary for a New York shoe manufacturer. Given that Beth had size 4 feet, it was almost as if she were born for the job! Levine soon realized that she had more than a passing interest in shoes. Regarding her experiences in her first position, Levine later said, "I could tell anything from the inside of the shoe. I could even tell by the feel of the shoe how it had been manufactured."¹ After working at a series of shoe manufacturers, Levine interviewed for a design position at Andrew Geller, an upscale New York shoe manufacturer in 1946. Her interviewer, Herbert Levine, became her husband a few months later.

After their marriage, the Levines decided to open a shoe manufacturer with the goal of creating beautiful, inventive, carefully constructed shoes, using an assembly line process. Under the company name "Herbert Levine," they shipped their first shoes in 1949. Though Herbert's name was on the shoe box, Beth was the true creative force behind the team. Within a few years, Levine shoes were sold throughout North America and Europe. They were also widely copied, always a true sign of admiration.

Kabuki shoes
Beth Levine
c. 1964
Silk satin uppers, wood soles
Museum Purchase
2005.5.173AB