Shoes by Linda O'Keeffe (Princeton Architectural Press) 147 pages, $19.95
Small enough to slip into a pocket or purse, but filled with so much information that you won't want to leave it behind.
The first book of Princeton Architectural Press's new Instant Expert series takes a detailed look at fashion's most coveted item.
More than simply a look a shoe fashion, O'Keeffe hits a wide range of topics and provides expert advice on each one. Proper shoe fitting, names for all the various styles, how a hand-crafted shoe is made, top international designers, and many other topics are highlighted. To make things even more interesting there are plenty of fascinating bits of shoerelated trivia, such as a version of Dorothy's red slippers that jeweller Harry Winston created using 25 carats of diamonds and 1,500 carats of rubies. With a $3-million price tag they are considered to be the most expensive shoes ever made.
Throughout the book are remarks from designers, shoemakers, and collectors expressing their expert opinions on a variety of topics. There are a number of photographs but most of the shoes are presented with exquisitely drawn illustrations by Tonwen Jones.
