SHOES!!! I love them!  Carrie Bradshaw move over…the Museum at FIT is featuring the Shoe Obsession Exhibit, which is perfect for anyone who wants to indulge their shoe fetish.   Shoe Obsession examines our culture’s ever-growing fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. Accessories used to be just that—secondary to clothing fashions. Today, however, shoes have become the main fashion story, replacing the “It bag” as the most desirable accessory, according to FIT experts.  High-heeled shoes—the fashion shoes of the 21st century—have become so tall that even a 4-inch heel is  considered “low.”

Shoe Obsession features over 150 examples of the most extraordinary shoe styles of the 21st-century, highlighting the new concepts, constructions, materials, and types of embellishment that have positioned shoes at the height of fashion. I walked through dark aisles of glass encased displays filled with glamorous shoes, each one suspended on pedestals and highlighted with spotlights.  I felt the message conveyed by each work of art created by these designers.

It was the “red carpet” event for shoes!

The popularity of designer shoes has grown rapidly. The television series Sex in the City, which was broadcast from 1998 to 2004, is often credited with helping to launch the cult for designer shoes. Who can forget Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahnik pumps – or her assertion of “a woman’s right to shoes.”  Blahnik’s popularity paved the way for other high-end shoe designers, a number of whom have become celebrities in their own right. Christian Louboutin’s undeniably sexy shoes—with their signature red soles—have established him as one of the best-known footwear designers in the world.

In addition to showcasing leading shoe designers, Shoe Obsession features extraordinary styles from major fashion houses such as Azzedine Alaïa, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, and Prada.  Avant-garde designers such as Kei Kagami and Noritaka Tatehana—who have made some of the most extreme shoes of the 21st century—further underscore the exceptional creativity of contemporary shoe design.

Today the average American woman has about twenty pairs of shoes—nearly double what she owned in the late 1990s. True shoe  enthusiasts, however, may possess hundreds of pairs.  The exhibition also includes highlights from the incredible shoe collections of several stylish women, including jewelry designer Lynn Ban and fashion icon Daphne Guinness. Shoe Obsession is curated by Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, and Colleen Hill, associate curator of accessories.

I had a euphoric experience at the Shoe Obsession Exhibit!  It made me appreciate my own extensive shoe collection!

Go experience your own shoe fetish fantasy!