Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us [Hardcover]

Rachelle Bergstein (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 29, 2012

Rachelle Bergstein brings readers along on a unique and delightful romp through the history of shoes, the women who wear them, and the profound impact they have on our lives.

Women from the Ankle Down includes interviews and cameos with influential figures ranging from Lisa Mayock of Vena Cava to Oscar Award–winning costume designer Patrizia van Brandenstein, from Doc Martens historian Martin Roach to Fashion Institute of Technology museum director Valerie Steele; from Marilyn Monroe and Jane Fonda to Salvador Ferragamo and Christian Dior; from Judy Garland to Wonder Woman.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fleet-footed social history.” (Liesl Schillinger, New York Times )

“A lively look at the history of stilettos, sneakers and sundry other leather- and rubber-soled objects of swoon.” (Olivia Barker, USA Today )

“If style defines the woman, and shoes a woman’s style, then ooh la la, here’s the definitive history and guide—everything from Chinese bound feet to Ferragamo, from Hollywood favorites to running up one’s credit card on the sine qua non of fashion.” (Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat )

“If you could glimpse the passing parade of the last hundred years or so from behind a slightly raised curtain, you’d have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in this richly anecdotal history of shoes.” (Amanda Lovell, More Magazine )

“Every woman who loves her shoes should read this book—hell—every man who loves women’s shoes should read this book….Informative, interesting, and just plain fun.” (New York Journal of Books )

“[Bergstein’s] entertaining book wears its research as lightly as a pair of strappy sandals.” (Tricia Springstubb, Cleveland Plain Dealer )

“Fun.” (Susannah Calahan, New York Post )

“At last someone has dared to probe one of the most mystifying phenomena in our culture: what’s the deal with women and shoes? Rachelle Bergstein starts from the ground up and tells us—with wit and brio—a lot about society from an unusual and original perspective.” (Ron Rosenbaum, author The Shakespeare Wars and How the End Begins:The Road to a Nuclear World War III )

“As a woman who walks, I’ve often wondered why I don’t wear more sensible shoes. Now I know. Rachelle Bergstein has written a compulsively readable history: it won’t keep you from buying an absurdly uncomfortable and expensive pair, but it will make you understand why you’re doing it.” (Ruth Reichl, author of Garlic and Sapphires )

“[An] engaging, toe-to-heel study....From flats a la Audrey Hepburn, Keds and white go-go- boots, Tommy-era platforms, and Jane Fonda’s Reebok Freestyles, to Sex and the City’s pricey Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choo’s, Bergstein ably runs the gamut of styles over the decades…” (Publishers Weekly )

“An illuminating study of the history of women’s shoes in the 20th century….Wickedly provocative.” (Kirkus )

“An entertaining journey through the social history of shoes and the people who have worn them....Well-written and well-referenced….Recommended to all fashion followers as well as those who enjoy the ankle-down approach to studying our high-end material culture.” (Holly Hebert, Library Journal )

“Engaging….A charmingly interwoven story of the past 100 years, detailing a bit of the psychology behind different styles as well as the fame that drives the fates of a variety of soles and heels.” (Booklist )

From the Back Cover

What is it about a pair of shoes that so enchants women of all ages, demographics, political affiliations, and style tribes? Part social history, part fashion record, part pop-culture celebration, Women from the Ankle Down seeks to answer that question as it unfolds the story of shoes in the twentieth century.

The tale begins in the rural village of Bonito, Italy, with a visionary young shoemaker named Salvatore Ferragamo and ends in New York City with a fictional socialite and trendsetter named Carrie Bradshaw. Along the way it stops in Hollywood, where Judy Garland first slipped on her ruby slippers; New Jersey, where Nancy Sinatra heard something special in a song about boots; and the streets of Manhattan, where a transit-worker strike propelled women to step into cutting-edge athletic shoes. Fashion aficionado Rachelle Bergstein shares the stories behind these historical moments, interweaving the design innovations and social changes that gave each one its lasting significance and appeal.

Bergstein shows how the story of shoes is the story of women, told from the ankle down. Beginning with the well-heeled suffragettes in the 1910s, women have fought for greater freedom and mobility, a struggle that exploded in the 1960s with the women's liberation movement and culminated in the new millennium with our devotion to personal choice. Featuring interviews with designers, historians, and cultural experts, and a cast of real-life characters, from Marilyn Monroe to Jane Fonda, from Gwen Stefani to Manolo Blahnik, Women from the Ankle Down is a lively, compelling look at the evolution of modern women and the fashion that reflects—and has shaped—their changing lives.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper (May 29, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061969613
• ISBN-13: 978-0061969614
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than expected May 29, 2012

By Pauline

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

With Women From the Ankle Down in hand, I had expected to be entertained by a soft, fun romp through the world of women's' shoes; good bedtime reading. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that once I began reading what Ms. Bergstein chronicled, I couldn't put the book down. Far more than (and in addition to) an overview of women's relationship with their shoes and the fun of connecting different shoe styles to women's differing identities, I was experiencing a cultural analysis of how the zeitgeist of our country had changed over almost a century. I was given a cohesive view of woman in their struggles and triumphs within that time frame. Taking the journey via Ms. Bergstein's very apt, entertaining and intelligent writing style, I felt sorry for all of the Rosie's who had to give back to the men not only their riveters, their work clothes, and their "practical" shoes, but also their new found sense of empowerment. I ached for the eventual emotional deadness and pill-popping inclinations of the 50's housewife who "had" to look a certain way each day for her husband, down to her heels. I adored the back story of the Ruby Slippers and the making of the Wizard of Oz. Overall, Bergstein's book has layers of experience. I found it to be a thoroughly pleasurable and compelling read - both smart and entertaining - unexpectedly thought provoking, and a book that any woman can relate to and enjoy.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars shoes glorious shoes! April 19, 2012

By C. Quinn

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This wonderfully readable book traces the modern history of shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo to Marilyn Monroe, from the ruby slippers to Carrie Bradshaw's Manolos. Shoes are tied to current events, to music, to movies, to the evolving role of women in the world. I was delighted to read about Hollywood starlets and their relationship to their shoes and shoemakers, and certainly loved hearing about the ruby slippers in all their glory. As a girl with a closet full of shoes, it was lovely to travel down memory lane by reading about some of my old favorites- Keds, Chuck Taylors, and of course a couple of pairs of Docs. The book was a great read about a subject dear to many women's hearts, and would make a great gift for any Imelda Marcos wanna-be in your life.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Trip Through Time April 10, 2012

By Bonnie Cehovet VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

What an astounding book! This was like old home week! And a confirmation of what women have always known - that our shoes tell the world who we are, even more than our clothes. Bergstein talks about shoes (with authority!), but she also presents them against the background of their own time, reflecting the people and issues that were prevalent at that time. It is the history of American shoe styles, with the inclusion of British and European influences.

Even those of us that do not know much about the people behind the shoes will recognize the names that shine here: Ferragamo, Doc Marten, Jimmy Cho, Christiane Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik. We read a bit about their history, and about the history of the women who wear their shoes - the movie studio starlets (and the major stars!), Judy Garland and her ruby red slippers, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Nancy Sinatra, Jane Fonda, and Jacqueline Kennedy, with her impeccable style.

Starting in the war years of WW II, we see how styles changed with the materials available, and how the role of women changed. Flats, mid-level heels, power pumps, stiletto heels, wedges, boots, sneakers, running shoes - they all have their place.

Through the lens of Bergstein's writing, the reader will see why their shoes are so important to them, and to the image they wish to project. A powerful, fascinating read!