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Shoes

The Meaning of Style
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Shoes by Elizabeth Semmelhack offers a fascinating exploration of the history and cultural significance of footwear. The book delves into the evolution of shoe design and its impact on society, investigating how shoes have been both practical necessities and powerful fashion statements across different eras. With an engaging narrative, it sheds light on the stories behind iconic shoe styles and their influence throughout history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you have an interest in the evolution of footwear and its cultural significance, this might be a fascinating read for you. The book delves into the historical journey of shoes, examining their impact and meaning across different societies and eras, perfect for history enthusiasts and fashion aficionados alike.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

We all make choices every day about which shoes to wear, but why do we choose the shoes we do? Organised around four main types - boots, sneakers, high heels and sandals - Shoes: The Meaning of Style explores the history of shoes and how different types of footwear have come to mean different things about the people who wear them.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

We all make choices every day about which shoes to wear, but why do we choose the shoes we do? Organised around four main types - boots, sneakers, high heels and sandals - Shoes: The Meaning of Style explores the history of shoes and how different types of footwear have come to mean different things about the people who wear them.

Along the way, Elizabeth Semmelhack reveals the anecdotes and scandals, successes and failures, dislikes and obsessions of the makers, wearers, and observers who helped to create the movements and fashions of footwear. Beautifully illustrated throughout, Shoes is a thoroughly surprising history of an everyday item that will appeal not only to followers of fashion but to those interested in social history and identity.

'Elizabeth Semmelhack's work sheds a new and fascinating light on footwear, looking at its social significance and how it has changed over the years. It is an absolute must for those interested in the subject.' - Manolo Blahnik

'This book shows us all the fashion, art, and design that allowed shoes to become a powerful cultural phenomenon. From the feet to the street to the commercial mountain peaks!' - Darryl 'dmc' McDaniels

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Elizabeth Semmelhack's Shoes is praised for its insightful exploration of the cultural and ideological significance of footwear. Semmelhack's expertise breathes new meaning into the categories of sandals, boots, high heels, and sneakers, enhanced by vivid examples and rare illustrations. The book is described as both an academic resource and an engaging read, appealing to scholars and everyday readers alike with its artful examination of identity politics and its captivating narrative style.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781789140804

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 April 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Reaktion Books

Illustration: 172 illustrations, 159 in colour

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 164.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 368

About the Author

Elizabeth Semmelhack is Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto. She is the author of Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (2015) and Heights of Fashion: A History of the Elevated Shoe (2008).

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