Sky-high, ornate, and the pinnacle of glamour , both restrictive and liberating, art object and deeply ordinary, shoes tell the story of shifting attitudes toward desire, power, and wealth throughout history. Lace up for a journey through the most enviable shoe closet from the permanent collection at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology ―and four centuries of fashion’s hardest working accessory. Featuring designs from the likes of Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Chanel, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Roger Vivier, Christian Louboutin, and more, Shoes A–Z. The Collection of The Museum at FIT celebrates fashion’s most revolutionary and coveted labels with more than 400 styles selected from the Museum’s pristinely preserved collection. Texts from Daphne Guinness, Valerie Steele, Colleen Hill , and The Museum’s expert team of curators explore the unique legacy of each of the featured designers and the lasting cultural impact of the shoe . Also featured are custom portraits of the designers by illustrator Robert Nippoldt. Exclusive access to original sketches, advertisements, and photographs from the designers’ private archives further illuminate the genius behind the functional, sculptural delights we cannot live without. “Shoes are a language; they speak of our identity. They delight and shock, captivate, cajole, and appall. They heighten us, embolden us, dictate the very way we move. They are also surely one of life’s great joys.” ― Daphne Guinness Daphne Guinness is a multimedia artist. A celebrated authority on fashion and couture, she has worked with some of this century's most esteemed designers and photographers. Straddling roles as model, collector, musician, writer, and muse, she is best known for her work with photographers David LaChapelle, Steven Klein, and Nick Knight. Guinness was founder of the Isabella Blow Foundation, which supported education in the arts and mental health research. Robert Nippoldt is a German illustrator and book artist known for various publications and stage programs about the 1920s, as well as drawings for The New Yorker and Time magazine. He has received over two dozen awards worldwide, including from the Art Directors Club in New York and the International Design Award in Los Angeles.