12 Books on Shoe Design

From the Publisher. This exclusive look at 100 fabulous shoes from the renowned Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum follows the stylistic evolutions of footwear from the 16th to the 21st century.

From the Publisher. This stunning volume, with a fanciful and intricate pop-up, an elaborate foldout cover, and dramatic still-life photography, evokes the artistry and theatricality of Louboutin’s shoe designs.Celebrated for his vertiginously high stilettos with their signature lacquer-red soles, Louboutin has achieved cult status with celebrities as well as fashionistas. His eclectic and exotic designs, often incorporating feathers, beads, and sequins, are a constant and dramatic presence on the red carpet and in nightclubs and restaurants the world over.Louboutin’s first book, this monograph highlights the extraordinary range of his couture, from his iconic and glamorous creations to his fetishistic pieces, including his collaborations with David Lynch, meant more for the bedroom than the street. New photography captures Louboutin’s artistic sensibilities, while an in-depth interview reveals Louboutin’s life, travels, and inspirations, presenting a very personal look at the man behind the shoes. A work of art in itself, with a five-piece foldout binding and a pop-up, Christian Louboutin is an enticing and revelatory look at the most important luxury shoe designer of our day. 

From the Publisher. While very few of us can boast a shoe collection to rival that of Imelda Marcos, it’s difficult to deny the mood-enhancing effect of a shiny new pair of shoes. And when a woman goes shoe-shopping, whether for skyscraper heels or wear-with-anything ballet flats, she’s spoilt for choice. Cult Shoes is a lavishly illustrated exploration of the world’s top shoe brands and designers, from Manolo Blahnik to Melissa, Camper to Clarks, and from the eighteenth century to the present day. Fashion journalist Harriet Walker selects 30 famous names that have an enduring appeal or command a devoted following, and recounts the history of each brand and its most iconic designs, among them the scarlet leather Repetto pumps immortalized by Brigitte Bardot in 1956 in … And God Created Woman and Terry de Havilland’s multicoloured wedges, which have adorned the feet of celebrities since the late 1960s. A must-have for any shoe fanatic, the book also includes a concise illustrated introduction to the history of footwear, and short features on key personalities and lesser-known but influential brands.

From the Publisher. Jackie O. wore them, as did John Lennon. Icons as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, wear them today. They are the timeless Frye boots!  

In 1863, John A. Frye opened the doors of a small shoe shop in Marlboro, Massachusetts. the shoes he made were to ease the everyday life of factory workers in that small New England town. Over a century later, the Frye Company has become the oldest continuously operating footwear brand in America. The boots Frye made weren’t meant to be icons of fashion, yet somewhere along the line, they became just that. Frye: The Boots That Made History is a 150-year anniversary album that celebrates the early history of the brand, its cultural takeover in the early 1970s, and the artisanal methods that make its craftsmanship unique.  

Frye boots are captured in all the ways they are worn: rocked out and urbanized, accessorized and envied, worked and roughed up, flaunting their inimitable style and all-American cool. This book takes the reader through the style and personality of the distinctive designs and handsome detailing of Frye’s most popular products, from its tough, treasured and instantly recognizable Harness Boot to the exclusive line dedicated to the American flag debuting this fall. With the strongest leather–enough to withstand 20 lbs. of pressure–and dozens of designs, the quality of Frye has always remained the same, making the brand not just a business but a way of life.

From the Publisher. Carrie Bradshaw adored them; Beyoncé sang about them; princesses wear them. From the first time a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes graced the red carpet, the brand has been favored by Hollywood stars, British royalty, and the world’s most fashionable women—as well as highly coveted by millions around the world. Founded in 1996 by Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo is known for its glamorous, creative, and whimsical designs that have inspired legions of fans worldwide.Since launching the company, Mellon has been a creative and business visionary, turning out fashion and cultural icons regularly seen on loyal fans such as Reese Witherspoon, Madonna, Halle Berry, and countless other stars. Through red-carpet fashion photography and behind-the-scenes imagery from the company archives, this book gives an inside look at Mellon and the company’s creative inspirations, as well as showcasing the brilliant, colorful, and memorable creations that have already become fashion classics. 

From the Publisher. Killer Heels explores the rich cultural history of the high heel and its relation to power, fantasy, sexuality, and identity. More than 160 spectacular contemporary and historical shoe designs—from 16th-century Venetian platforms to 21st-century Christian Louboutins—play with the cultural and artistic possibilities of the high heel, use innovative or unexpected materials, and push the limits of functionality and beauty. Complementing the shoes are stills, sketches, and artist statements for six films specially commissioned for the exhibition it accompanies (Brooklyn Museum, September 10, 2014–February 15, 2015) from Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh, Zach Gold, Steven Klein, Nick Knight, Marilyn Minter, and Rashaad Newsome that explore a range of provocative themes and demonstrate the power of the high heel in the collective imagination. In addition, several of the designers included in the exhibition (including Brian Atwood, Zaha Hadid, Pierre Hardy, and Christian Louboutin), along with Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, contribute thoughts on topics such as their inspiration and design process, and the cultural significance of high heels. This collection of killer heels is filled with stunning photos and fashion lore.

From the Publisher. Diane Von Furstenberg has hundreds of pairs; Paloma Picasso has been a fan since she was 14; Bianca Jagger, Anna Piaggi and Kate Moss are fellow addicts. Blahnik’s career began in 1971 when he showed his sketches to Diana Vreeland, legendary editor of American Vogue. Admiring one particularly whimsical drawing of a shoe that crept up the ankle and became entwined with ivy and cherries she said, “You should do shoes.” And so he did.

Here are over one 120 of the exuberant, color-rich sketches that Blahnik makes at the outset of the design process, executed with such verve and deftness that they have become as sought-after as the shoes themselves. Inimitable in style, beautifully reproduced in this book with special inks, they vividly convey Blahnik’s unique vision.

The foreword by Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of American Vogue, and contributions by André Leon Talley, Michael Roberts and Anna Piaggi provide valuable insights into the man behind the shoes. These are complemented throughout the book by the comments of a host of admirers including David Bailey, Suzy Menkes, Mario Testino, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

From the Publisher. Master designer Roger Vivier elevated both the form and decoration of ladies’ shoes during his sixty-year career. His innate Parisian style embodied a sense of perfection and craftsmanship, and his work was coveted by style icons from Elsa Schiaparelli to Jackie Onassis. Described by Yves St. Laurent as bringing to his work a “level of charm, delicacy, refinement and poetry unsurpassed,” he created the first stiletto heel for a ready-to-wear shoe line with the house of Dior in 1955. His shoes are legendary, and the tradition of his innovative spirit continues with the revival of the house by current designer Bruno Frisoni, who has updated Vivier’s concepts, bringing his own touch to signature shapes and embellishments (including the buckle pump made famous by Catherine Deneuve in Belle du Jour). This lavish volume celebrates the history of the venerated house and charts the current evolution of the fantastic haute-couture designs that keep Roger Vivier at the top of every well-dressed woman’s list. With gorgeous new photography of the house’s collection of vintage shoes, beautifully rendered sketches, and details of the amazing accessories coming out of Roger Vivier today, this book is as chic as the shoes that fill its pages.

From the Publisher. Shoes are now much more than just things to walk in. From kids on the block to models on the catwalk, we use them to signal how fashionable we are. But, beyond style, this most intimate object communicates much more . . . our sexual desires, aesthetic sense, social status and personality. And, before they became supreme objects of desire, shoes had a history. From ancient times to the present, shoes have had a cultural as well as a practical purpose. Within these pages is pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about shoes—the tiny crushing shoes of China, the infamous chopine with its 23-inch heel, how dandies made men's shoes beautiful in the 18th century, and how the powers of conservatism made them dull again, war and the Wellington boot, sex and the high heel, the codes of the "gay shoe," shoes in fairytales and in art, the irresistible rise of the sneaker, and the cult of shoe designers.

The editor of "Fashion Theory" taps into the obsession, the fetish, and the fashion of footwear, from the pump to the sneaker and the boot to the stiletto.

This fabulously illustrated book explores western culture’s fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. Over the past decade, shoe design has become increasingly central to fashion, with fashion companies paying ever more attention to shoes and other accessories. High-heeled shoes, in particular, have become the fashion accessory of the 21st century.

Co-written by one of the world’s leading historians of fashion and an authority on fashion accessories, the book features approximately 150 pairs of the most extreme and ultra-fashionable styles of the past 12 years, including work by such prominent designers as Manolo Blahnik, Pierre Hardy, Christian Louboutin and Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier, as well as shoes by influential design houses such as Azzedine Alaïa, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Prada. Avant-garde styles by up-and-coming designers such as Japan’s Kei Kagami and Noritaka Tatehana are also highlighted.

Shoe Obsession examines recent extreme and fantastical shoe styles in relation to the history of high heels, the role of shoes as a reflection of their wearers’ personality traits, and the importance of shoes in art and exhibitions. The book is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs of spectacular contemporary shoe designs.

Shoetopia is the ultimate book on designer shoes, exploring the ever-evolving world of footwear and the creative designers in it. Footwear design continues to be one of the most important and interesting areas of the fashion industry. This stunning book showcases the most exciting and innovative contemporary footwear designers from across the globe, from established, world-recognized brands like Jimmy Choo and Prada to the stars of the future. From traditional skills to extraordinary new developments in the industry, the book features original design sketches and beautiful photography, bringing together a rich array of desirable footwear.