And of course, it's about resources, since throughout much of history, the people most likely to wear red shoes were those who were rich. Kate Bush's 1993 album, The Red Shoes, also pays homage to the dark frenzy at the heart of Andersen's fairytale, and its lyrics tell a similar story of a young woman who will be forced to “dance” until her legs fall off. The next year, he picked up some red nail polish from his assistant and painted a scarlet stain on the sole of a shoe, and an empire was born. Whether it's King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century posing in his red high-heeled shoes and declaring that only nobility could do the same, or the glimmer of a modern Louboutin sole that represents the wealth of the user (and his ability to walk in dizzying heels), red shoes are still a dominant option.
And Miuccia wasn't the only one thinking of vermilion footwear, from bright red velvet in Simone Rocha and crimson open-toe boots in Victoria Beckham to flashy heels in Hellessy, red shoes went up and down the runways around the world. Related materials, including the Red Shoe Book Club logo (which can be used in the club's promotional materials), are available in the Member Center's digital resource library. Powell and Pressburger's 1948 film The Red Shoes reimagines the story with the headstrong ballet dancer Vicky Page (played by Moira Shearer) caught between art and love and also between two suppressed controlling men as they dance the lead role in an adaptation of the fairytale. To form a Red Shoe Book Club, participants must designate a time and place and select books from the MELP lists to read, discuss and share.
Based on the story of a young woman named Karen who covets and later purchases a pair of bright red leather shoes to go to church, her thirst for something as simple as flashy shoes is apparently so monstrous that an angel condemns her to dance to death.
