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A Look Inside 'Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe'

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By Laura Gurfein
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  • Manchu Woman's Shoe, Qing Dynasty, 19th century. Cotton, embroidered satin-weave silk.
  • Walter Steiger "Unicorn Tayss," Spring 2013.
  • Chopine (Italian), 1550–1650. Silk, metal.
  • Roger Vivier "Virgule Houndstooth," Fall 2014. Calf hair.
  • French shoes, 1690–1700. Silk, leather.
  • Rem D. Koolhaas "Eamz," 2004.
  • Salvatore Ferragamo platform sandal, 1938. Leather, cork.
  • Christian Louboutin "Printz," Spring/Summer 2013.
  • Winde Rienstra "Bamboo Heel," 2012. Bamboo, glue, plastic cable ties.

Images and captions courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum

You may want to wear your best flats to Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe, which opened to the public this afternoon at the Brooklyn Museum—plan on spending hours lingering over the fantastic footwear than spans more than four centuries and is sourced from around the globe.

"I knew that I did not want to organize the exhibit chronologically, or by designer," exhibit curator Lisa Small told WWD. "I thought it would be more interesting to go across those categories. As I looked across the shoes, the themes began to present themselves." Indeed, you'll find a modern day Christian Louboutin heel next to the 18th-century creation that inspired it, plus six original short fims created for the exhibit—not to mention shoes you couldn't even imagine taking a single step in.

Check out a sampling of what the exhibit has to offer after the jump, and be sure to check it out before it closes on February 15th. Thursdays may be your best bet—the museum is open until 10pm that day.

· Killer Heels Are Coming to the Brooklyn Museum This Fall [Racked NY]
· Brooklyn Museum's 'Killer Heels' Curator Talks About the Shoe [Racked NY]
· All Day at the Museum Posts [Racked NY]

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