Shoes

Beleganti

1948 · leather, plastic · Costume Institute

Ankle straps made a strong showing in the 1940s, when the widespread but cumbersome and potentially heavy platform shoes required a secure attachment to the foot. This modish example features spat-like quarters cut out into a sling at the back. Three-dimensional self trim was the common feature at this time, and here a simple fold-over cuff at the throat substitutes for an applied ornament.

Artist

Beleganti

Date

1948

Medium

leather, plastic

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 the Guild of Better Shoe Manufacturers, 1948