Shoes

Herbert Levine Inc.|Beth Levine

ca. 1965 · plastic (acrylic, vinyl), leather · Costume Institute

Beth Levine's ingenious and witty designs, experimentation with novel materials, and ability to invent practical solutions have earned her the place of top female shoe designer of the 20th century. Levine was particularly adept at predicting future trends and devising structural innovations. Chief among her achievements were the popularization of the fashion boot in the 1960s, the use of vinyl and spandex, and the inventions of the Spring-o-lator mule, the stocking shoe, and the topless shoe. These boundary-breaking innovations earned Levine a Coty award 1967. The clear vinyl upper was one of Beth Levine's signature styles, and one which was copied by numerous other designers. This loafer design is very unusual for the transparent idiom, as it was most commonly seen in a pump style. Levine patented a method for attaching clear acrylic heels without the use of screws, greatly improving their virtual transparency.

Artist

Herbert Levine Inc.|Beth Levine

Date

ca. 1965

Medium

plastic (acrylic, vinyl), leather

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Beth Levine in memory of her husband, Herbert, 1994