Evening pumps

Herbert Levine Inc.|Beth Levine

ca. 1967 · silk · 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. Levine produced many simple, wearable shoes in addition to her more experimental work. This pair of pumps highlights the designer's use of interesting materials and high production quality. Probably kept as samples, the two shoes are not an exact pair, differing in the finishing and lining.

Artist

Herbert Levine Inc.|Beth Levine

Date

ca. 1967

Medium

silk

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