Best foot foward

When Annette Becker of the Texas Fashion Collection extends an invite, you know it’s going to be a fantastic evening! I was beyond thrilled to be Annette’s guest at Community Partner Night at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum special viewing of WALK THIS WAY: FOOTWEAR FROM THE STUART WEITZMAN COLLECTION OF HISTORIC SHOES. This outstanding exhibit of more than 100 pairs of the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen truly took my breath away and had my dear friend, Benji, and I enthralled from the moment we walked into the space.

The evolution of the shoe is truly a mirror of the evolution of society. Footwear that had a 45-button closure system would have been rather difficult to just slip on and run out the door without help, as many a The Gilded Age fan will recognize. As the world began to speed up and more of society entered into lives outside the parameters of a drawing room, footwear had to become more practical, but that does not mean less stylish. The shoes that danced and walked their way across the 20th century could be made in the most beautiful materials in the most alluring of designs. A particular favorite from the exhibit showcasing this is a pink slingback peep toe by the master, YSL.

As we walked and talked throughout the exhibit, it struck me that the love and effort put into these shoes plucks the same heartstring that any creative must feel when they approach their medium. Shoes can be tiny mobile canvases that are an outward expression of how we want the world to see us.

A very special thank you to Annette, the team at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, and the Texas Fashion Collection for a lovely evening.