"Booty"
Salvatore Ferragamo
1947 · leather, cotton · Costume Institute
Salvatore Ferragamo was the first manufacturer and designer to bring Italian shoes to the forefront of the footwear industry. Using his knowledge of American industrial methods gained during his stay in the U.S. between 1914 and 1927, Ferragamo availed himself of the skilled Italian labor pool to create a high quality, hand-made product for an international market. The designer's work is best known for its innovative use of materials, such as straw, raffia, cellophane, lace, and cork, and for the use of brilliant colors. Ferragamo pioneered the development of the wedge heel and platform sole in the 1930s. Ferragmo began using locally-made Tavernelle needle lace for shoe uppers in the late 1920s. The resulting semi-transparent effect is seen in many of the designer's works, particularly from the 1940s and 1950s. While ankle boots are somewhat atypical of the period, the style was favored by Ferragamo and included in many of his collections.
- Artist
- Salvatore Ferragamo
- Date
- 1947
- Medium
- leather, cotton
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Costume Institute
- Credit line
- Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the Italian Government, 1954
