From 16th-century Venetian platforms to 21st-century Christian Louboutin stilettos, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum explores the cultural history of the high heel. Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe aims to uncover high-heeled shoes' associations with power, sex and fantasy.
The more than 160 historical and contemporary heels on display explore all forms the high-heeled shoe could possibly take to defy gravity. There are glamorous examples from design houses such as Manolo Blahnik, Chanel and Salvatore Ferragamo alongside designs that push – or puncture – the envelope from the likes of architect Zaha Hadid and iconoclast Vivienne Westwood.
Pentagram partner Abbott Miller’s exhibition catalogue showcased the shoes as extraordinary works of art and design. Look through our gallery to see some examples.
The Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe exhibition is on display until 15 February 2015.