There once lived a magician who weaved a tinsel toe dream and became the Shoemaker to the Stars…Maharani Gayatri Devi, Eva Peron and Marilyn Monroe, were just a few of the glitterati to step into his shoes.Salvatore Ferragamo.This Italian Shoe Designer, was the darling, of an entire generation of Hollywood stars: Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Sofia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Ava Gardner, Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks and many more…Ferragamo’s passion was for custom-made shoes. Marilyn Monroe loved his glamourous stilettos and owned 40 pairs.Perhaps the most famous Ferragamo stilettos were the scarlet satin rhinestone-studded stilettos that Marilyn wore in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
The Ruby Slippers that Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and her Rainbow Suede Platform Sandals are also well known.The “extraordinary fit” and extravagant designs, is what made a Ferragamo so lustworthy. In his own words, he was a, “Confirmed foot fanatic”. To perfect his art, he even studied the anatomy of feet at the University of Los Angeles.
Salvatore’s unique hand-made shoes were high on comfort with an aerodynamic design and supportive arches.The Cage Heel, the Wedge Heel and Platform Shoes, are his inventions.Another novelty, was heels made from corks of wine bottles.His Invisible Shoe, made from a single strand of nylon line wound round the sole, is the stuff of footwear legend. And it still endures after six decades…
For all those who have a shoe fetish the Ferregamo Museum in Florence is a Must Visit. The Museum has over 10, 000 shoes created by this foot philosopher, from 1920 till his death in 1960.His name lives on as an international company run by his wife and children.
