Evening pumps

Rinaldi

ca. 1963 · silk, rhinestones · Costume Institute

As the mode for sky-high stiletto heels began to ebb in the early 1960s, the elegantly elongated horizontal lines were carried over into models with gradually lowering heels. The reduction in heel height diminished instability and allowed designers to further draw out the shoe by setting the heel further back on the foot, as on this design. The low-cut quarters extend the topline and attenuate the foot. The decoration has been kept to a minimum and integrated into the cut of the shoe to complement the sleek aesthetic.

Artist

Rinaldi

Date

ca. 1963

Medium

silk, rhinestones

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 Mrs. William Rand, 1972