Six centuries before Manolo Blahnik opened his first boutique, anonymous European craftsmen cobbled shoes that make his needle-thin stilettos seem tame. Pointy toes stretching nearly a foot beyond the wearer's feet were stuffed with moss in order to keep their peculiar leaflike shape. And even the Middle Ages weren't the beginning. Ancient Greek statues of Aphrodite show her in platform shoes that Lady Gaga might envy. Throughout time and around the world, shoes have defied, refined and redefined the anatomy of the human body to a greater extent than any other garment or accessory. An expansive new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum shows the historical development and modern proliferation of footwear with equal attention to sociology and fashion. Ancient and medieval shoes are exhibited together with Manolos and Jimmy Choos, and the future of footwear is explored through thermoplastic knitting and 3D printing.... Essay by Jonathon Keats.
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