Women From The Ankle Down: The Story Of Shoes And How They Define Us (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Check out the full review at Kritters RamblingsA look through history and how events in history effect fashion and specifically footwear. Starting at the beginning of how footwear really started becoming a way for women and men to show their personalities in the United States to how each war affected the fabrics that were used and even how to get shoes into the US from outside manufacturers.The most interesting thing for me was the correlation between historical events, fashion and their affect on footwear. Distinctly the flapper era where the hemlines went up and women would want showy shoes since you saw them compared to previous decades where shoes were hidden and were more for function. The last few chapters spoke quite in depth about the music industry and how it has put a stamp on footwear and I enjoyed having those two things in one conversation. Only got as far as page 98. The book starts with the history of Ferragamo and I was interested in his story. I liked the tidbits of shoes in the movies and how they played an influential part in what women wore as well as setting the tone for a scene and the personality of a character. Sounds like a good book, huh? I just couldn't get past the authors opinion of women in the past being miserable and suppressed by their husbands. I admit that there was lots of that going on, but not all women were unhappy and medicated. Her writing just seemed so negative to me. She gave no stories or experiences- just her own views on the unhappiness of women. However, even without her negative outlook on the life of women in the past, I was frustrated with the lack of pictures. It was hard to imagine all the shoes she was describing. When I read a history book, I want to see pictures of places and people. When reading a book on the history of shoes,I guess I need that visual help. She talked about Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Why did she not include pictures of the styles she was referring to?
What do You think about Women From The Ankle Down: The Story Of Shoes And How They Define Us (2012)?
An entertaining read for any self respecting shoe whore.
—yanhan89
This book was an interesting read. Very informational..
—Quark
