Fifty Shoes That Changed the World

Design Museum Fifty

by Design Museum

Peek into history's shoe closet with this passionate look at the most important footwear in recent times. In the modern world shoes don't just keep your feet warm and dry-they often communicate a message about the wearer. Join the Design Museum for a look at the fifty iconic shoes of the last 150 years, beginning with Frye Boot in 1863. Learn how a doctor's ankle injury launched a boot (Dr. Martens) that became the symbol of a generation's defiance and how an immigrant Italian plucked the name Tod's out of the New York telephone directory to define the driving shoe that perfectly encapsulates the American dream.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Design, History

112 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2009

About the author

Design Museum is a museum founded in 1989, located by the River Thames near Tower Bridge in central London, England. The museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. In 2007 the museum was listed by The Times newspaper as number two in their top five museums of the year.

Deyan Sudjic is the current Director of the museum. He succeeded Alice Rawsthorn in 2006. Unlike most large London museums, the entrance is not free, as it is not subsidised by the UK Arts Council. For this reason it operates as a registered charity, and all funds generated by ticket sales aid the museum in putting new exhibitions together. The museum attracts 200,000 visitors annually.


Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Kalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a 2012 Christmas present. It's fairly interesting and an easy read. Not excessively enlightening because sometimes they just explain that a shoe had a great design and that's why it was important but I'm not really sure how it changed the world. Also a disadvantage of this book is that it didn't cause me to want to research the shoes more. The details of each shoe are limited to one page, which would lead the reader to crave more knowledge about each shoe. I didn't experience that which was disappointing.

[Tiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and light read. It was interesting and cool to learn more about the origins of some recognisable shoes but for the most part, I found the write ups to be too short and not detailed enough into how each shoe changed the world. Also, it felt as though they were talking about primarily the shoes that changed the world if the world was just NYC - like there were so many references to the shoes featured on sex and the city. But the book failed to highlight shoes from other regions like asia, so really it should be the 50 Shoes That Changed the Fashion World.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the 1930s to 2009, this book provides a quick overview of the many shoes that have come and gone and, in many cases, lasted into today's fashion. The descriptions are perhaps a little too brief to be of much use, but they are good for a light read and some quick facts. The selections are quite broad, covering everything from Converse All Stars to Dorothy's slippers in The Wizard of Oz. With few expectations, this book makes for a fun, easy read.

[Anna L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially, a coffee table book with 50 photos of shoes and a couple of paragraphs describing each one. Selection is rather questionable and only a couple of those 50 I would say could even approach 'changing the world'. I did not find it particularly valuable or interesting.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, kind of dumb. Reads like an employee assignment, "Here, go do something with this title, you have the whole second quarter."

[Ananaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very random but surprisingly entertaining read, more so than half the fiction books I've read this year ;-;

[Janet R. Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Might need to get some Doc Martens, Stilettos and Birkenstocks !

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shoes we wear are most often chosen for fit and comfort. But fashion trends also influence our choice of shoes. This fascinating and informative book presents a short history of 50 specific shoes which have made a significant impact on fashion. The book's focus ranges from the simple flip flop, to Frye boots, Doc Martens, stilettos, Air Jordans, Manolo's (Manolo Blahnik), Jimmy Choo's plus many more. The Design Museum celebrates them all!

[Herschel Lisette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It gives a good snippet of how Nike came about, how the Air Jordan became popular, what inspired Louboutin in making his shoes. I highly recommend this book for people who love shoes!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heart shoes :)

[Gian J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book interesting but it fell a little short to me. It explained what the shoe was all about but I am looking for why it became historical.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun overview of the history of some famous shoes. They never actually explain how those shoes changed anything about the world, though.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't believe most of these shoes have changed the world but an entertaining look at some shoes.