Guest Author - Norma Shephard

Imelda Marcos, former Philippine First Lady and the world’s most infamous shoe collector, was reported to have owned 3,000 pair of shoes during her husband’s presidency. Her stash quickly became a symbol of extravagance when opposition forces toppled the Marcos government in 1986. Much of the collection, including the espadrilles she wore when fleeing the presidential palace, is now on exhibit to the public at the footwear museum in the Philippine city of Marikina. “Filipinos recycle the bad into things of beauty,” said Marcos, at the opening of the facility.

Many shoe lovers own more pairs than they can reasonably wear in one year. Actress and self-proclaimed shoe lover, Constance Marie, admitted to owning one hundred and fifteen pair, when she appeared on the Martha Stewart Show in February 2006. She purchased three additional pairs while in New York for the taping. But you don’t have to be a celeb to catch the bug. Law librarian, Betty Dykstra, collects new and wearable vintage shoes. The self-confessed “shoe-aholic” (“I can’t start buying because I can’t stop”), keeps sandpaper in her desk for scuffing up the soles of new shoes, on those occasions when freshly polished floors are particularly slick.

Some shoe hoarders report an emotional attachment to their favourite shoes, and are able to recite their history; when and where they were purchased, on what occasion they were worn, or what was happening in their life at the time. Indeed, the shoe sagas are closely related to their personal memoirs; similarly, vintage fashion enthusiasts purchase period footwear in order to connect with a favoured historical era.

Ultra-expensive footwear is often purchased for a different reason, however. Michael Fink, the senior director of fashion at Saks Fifth Avenue, believes that many high-priced shoes currently on the retail market are purchased by collectors as art objects. They “go directly into a display case and never see a foot,” believes Fink.

True shoe aficionados enjoy wearing, shopping for, or simply looking at, their shoes. Author and designer, Christy Ferer, incorporated a famous shoe image into her home décor, by superimposing a photo of the Duchess of Windsor’s shoe closet onto a muslin room divider. Seven rows of soft-hued pumps and ankle straps face forward, creating an aura of simple elegance.

The mere sight of that perfect pair of shoes will cause a serious shoe hound to bite or even lick her lips; likewise, a rare antique find might send the most staid museum curator into a swoon. One visitor to Montreal’s McCord Museum told me she was transfixed by a particularly exquisite display of children’s shoes; so much so, that she had to remind herself to breathe. Is it any wonder; then, that shoe lovers form collectors clubs, produce shoe videos, organize sneaker subculture events, and subscribe to magazines dedicated solely to shoe collecting? For more on this topic, see my book, In Step With Fashion; 200 Years of Shoe Styles.