Table of Contents
Preface ix
1 Ferragamo and the Wartime Wedge (1900-1938) 1
2 MGM, the Great Depression, and Pulling Yourself Up by Your Ruby Slippers (1936-1939) 23
3 Back to the Drawing Board (1937-1943) 39
4 The Femme Fatale and the Original Power Pump (1944-1948) 55
5 The Stiletto (1950-1954) 67
6 The Feminine Balancing Act (1953-1959) 73
7 Flats, or Some Like It Not (1957-1959) 85
8 From Dolly Birds to Birkenstocks (1961-1966) 93
9 These Boots Are Made for the Valkyrie (1965-1969) 105
10 Props, Platforms, and Porno (1970-1974) 121
11 The Lord of the Gender-Bending Dance (1977-1979) 135
12 Manolo, Molloy, and the New Power Shoes (1975-1982) 151
13 The Workout Is Not a Spectator Sport (1982-1988) 161
14 The Cool Kid Trinity Vans, Chuck Taylors, and Doc Martens (1982-1994) 177
15 Girl Power and Mary Janes (1994-1999) 191
16 Shoes and the Single Girl (1998-2008) 203
17 The Search for Ruby Slippers (2000-present) 221
Authors Note 239
Acknowledgments 245
Notes 249
List of Illustrations 273
Index 275