Having spent the last few weeks eating and visiting relatives around London with Mr. New Yorker, we decided that New Year’s Day is going to be our little date to enjoy the start of a new year together.
But unluckily, as we were suited and booted to head out, the ever changing London weather poured down on us and stopped all of our good intentions at once.
So what was the next best thing to explore on a day when the heavens broke open? The unlimited range of museums in London of course!
I’ve been meaning to check out V&A museum’s stylish and intriguing exhibit called the Shoes of Pleasure & Pain.
Like any little girl growing up, I fell head over heels (no pun intended) many times for a beautiful but dangerous pair of shoes. Then, only to discover that I have gained several painful cuts at the end of the first night out with my new collection.
But after seeing this exhibit, I realised that the women of many generations before us had suffered in significantly worse situations. Sometimes for beauty, and sometimes just because it was the social norm at the time!
Aside from shoes that can pass for weapons of torture, some shoes on display were extremely lust-worthy. Manolo Blahnik’s skillfully crafted “Tendora heels” were just stunning, with the bright yellow hues balanced perfectly against a royal blue background.
If you are a bit of a history nerd like myself, then you will totally dig this pair of “glamorous” Venetian Chopine, dating as far back as the 17th Century! How does one walk in these?! Suddenly, those 5 inches Christian Louboutin heels didn’t look so painful anymore…
This futuristic pair looked like it was hot off the 3D printer!
While I was here, I had the opportunity to explore the rest of the museum as well.
This Buddha sculpture brought me back to the time when I was in Hong Kong, I really enjoyed my time at the monastery just outside of the city centre. A feeling of zen and serenity surrounded me as I wandered among this rare collection.
The last day of the Shoes of Pleasure and Pain exhibit is 31st January, so if you haven’t yet made plans for the rest of this wet month, make sure to catch it before it is gone!
What a cool exhibition! Visiting shoes at a museum definitely makes it more exciting 🙂
It is indeed. I was surprised at the extensive collection they had. Might have to save the rest of the museum for another time too 🙂
Thanks Elle! I thought it was a pleasant surprise with the museum full of eccentric collections. And their special exhibits are always very fashion forward with design in mind. Definitely one for the list when you visit London! xx
Awww, the shoes. I love high heels (almost all my shoes are high heels). I would love to visit the collection, but I missed it and I’m too far from London (4-5 hours by car). V&A is a fab museum, I love their jewellery gallery in the upper floor.