Well-heeled women, cutting-edge fashionistas, and anyone else with an eye for creativity, craftsmanship, and history will relish this virtual "walking" tour of The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's shoe collection. One hundred shoes from the Institute's archive of 2,500 are on display in this wonderful volume, including sixteenth-century velvet, open-toe Italian chopines, whose tall platform soles literally elevated women of rank; fur-lined, nineteenth-century carriage boots, worn over evening shoes during winter carriage rides; actress Joan Fontaine's frilly marabou mules; and a pair of studded, multi-strapped stilettos designed by Christian Louboutin, whose signature red soles were created when he used nail polish to energize his designs. Brief text highlighting designers, fashion traditions, and tidbits of trivia accompany the dazzling photos, creating a colorful celebration of fabulous footwear.