Bata Shoe Museum

theyoungcleopatra: 6 weeks till The Great Gatsby is in...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:37:34 -0400

6 weeks till The Great Gatsby is in theaters.

(1920s shoes at the BATA Shoe Museum to set the mood.)

Roger Vivier Shoe of the Day

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:54:00 -0400

We’re sadly counting down the days until April 7th when we have to say goodbye to our exhibition Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection. Between now and then we will be looking back at some of the highlights of the exhibition, ending with a week of the staff’s favourite artifacts!

A great look at the Shoe Design Project 2, held at the Bata Shoe...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:12:29 -0400

A great look at the Shoe Design Project 2, held at the Bata Shoe Museum on Saturday, March 16th, 2013 by our community partner for our upcoming sneaker exhibition, Toronto Loves Kicks.

The amazing dancers from UNITY Charity kicked off this...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:04:19 -0400

The amazing dancers from UNITY Charity kicked off this year’s March Break with dance lessons and a performance!

A Step into the Bata Shoe Museum - Blog Post

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:46:48 -0500

A Step into the Bata Shoe Museum - Blog Post:

One of our curious correspondents asked recently for some information about footwear made from non-traditional materials and it prompted me to go take a look in our storage rooms for some really intriguing examples – and since our collection has over 13,000 pairs of shoes, it was not tough at all to find these very interesting pieces!

The latest and final rotation of artifacts are now on display in...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:42:00 -0500

The latest and final rotation of artifacts are now on display in our exhibition “Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection”. I think these are one of our favourites…

And how fitting to celebrate Christian Dior’s birthday today - January 21st, 1905.

New exhibition, opening January 18th! The seeds of the Bata...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:16:00 -0500

New exhibition, opening January 18th!

The seeds of the Bata Shoe Museum were sown in the field when Mrs. Sonja Bata began to travel the world with her husband on business. At each distant destination she found herself marvelling at how different traditional footwear was around the world and she began to collect examples. Her early collecting became the foundation of the Museum that would grow to include over 13,000 artefacts.

Join us beginning January 18th as our newest exhibition opens to the public. Highlighting the history of shoemaking traditions, many of which are slowly disappearing, the exhibition will feature field trips that have brought a wealth of in-depth information to the Museum. Visitors can learn from the voices of the makers, see the images of their processes and amaze in the diversity of traditional footwear reflecting a variety of world cultures.

Beautiful photos! theyoungcleopatra: The Father of the...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:47:42 -0500

Beautiful photos!

theyoungcleopatra:

The Father of the Stiletto

Roger Vivier didn’t design shoes, he made art that could be worn on the feet. His clientele included Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Taylor, Josephine Baker and John Lennon. In 1954 he designed the first high thin aiguille heel for Christian Dior. Walking through this exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum, I couldn’t help but make my fantasy Christmas list…

A selection of items from our recent lecture and hands on demo...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:45:08 -0500

A selection of items from our recent lecture and hands on demo “Looking Pretty: Fashion in the 50s”. So what’s your favourite 1950s item?!

candidcanada: BATA SHOE MUSEUM Honestly, I’ve always been a bag...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:39:38 -0500

candidcanada:

BATA SHOE MUSEUM

Honestly, I’ve always been a bag lady. I don’t really like my feet and find that all the fancy shoes are way to high for me but Bata Shoe Museum had me day dreaming about the things!

Shoes can make or break an outfit and the amount of times I’ve heard girls say, ‘I always judge a man by his shoes’. Maybe my friends are shallow, or maybe they have a point. Like anything else shoes can show off you personality and uniqueness whereas I usually see them as things that stop my feet from getting dirty.

There were all sorts of shoes there dating back thousands of years. I found this quite unimaginable, as a pair of shoes from Primark are known to last no longer than two weeks! There were Native American, Japanese and Mexican and Ghanian shoes. There were even a pair of shoes worn buy the one and only Mr Robert Pattinson himself.

If you like history, art, fashion, design and just creativity in general, then this is the place for you.

Contact Details

Bata Shoe Museum
327 Bloor Street West
Toronto
ON M5S 1W7
Canada
(416) 979-7799
http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/

BSM Blog - Creating Footwear From Unusual Materials

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:31:10 -0500

BSM Blog - Creating Footwear From Unusual Materials:

Bata Shoe Museum Assistant Curator Sarah Beam-Borg looks at some examples in our collection of footwear made from some less than everyday materials.

tiny-librarian: This pair of buckles belonged to Lord Nelson,...

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:41:17 -0500

tiny-librarian:

This pair of buckles belonged to Lord Nelson, commander at the Battle of Trafalgar, one of the most significant naval victories of the Napoleonic wars, and the battle which claimed Nelson’s life. His remarkable ability to motivate others was the “the Nelson touch” and he was well-respected by sailors and officers alike.

Stored in a smart leather case and finely engraved, Nelson’s bejewelled buckles were a 45th birthday gift from the great English seaman, Lord St. Vincent. They are inscribed “To Admiral Viscount Nelson from St. Vincent, 29 September, 1803.”

In the same year, England declared war on France and Lord St. Vincent named Nelson Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean. Later the ornate buckles came into the possession of the great beauty Lady Meux, who caused a stir in London but riding around in her carriage drawn by zebras! In 1905, she presented the buckles to Lord Charles Beresford, a British Admiral and Member of Parliament.

non-westernhistoricalfashion: Manchu platforms19th...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:50:17 -0500

non-westernhistoricalfashion:

Manchu platforms
19th century
China

The Bata Shoe Museum:

Manchu women were forbidden by law to have their feet bound, as was the custom among Han Chinese women. In order to mimic the desirable “lotus gait” of the Han women, Manchu women added high platforms to their shoes that stilted their gait. This pair is beautifully embroidered with a peony motif.

Shoe Shenanigans at the Bata Shoe Museum: 2012 Docent Training Finished!

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:55:59 -0500

Shoe Shenanigans at the Bata Shoe Museum: 2012 Docent Training Finished!:

batashoemuseum-education:

Every year here at the Bata Shoe Museum we spend 4 weeks training volunteers from the community to become docents. A docent is a person who acts as a guide, typically on a voluntary basis, in a museum, art gallery, or zoo. We had two groups filled with exciting new docents being trained this year,…

‘Vamping’ up our celebrity collection! We added...

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:42:07 -0500

‘Vamping’ up our celebrity collection! We added some new blood to our notable people exhibition this fall with the addition of shoes worn by two of Hollywood’s most famous cinema vampires - Bela Lugosi and Robert Pattinson!

BSM Blog - October 25th - St. Crispin's Day: The Feast Day of Shoemakers

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:46:00 -0400

BSM Blog - October 25th - St. Crispin's Day: The Feast Day of Shoemakers

"It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking."

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:25:25 -0400

“It’s no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.”

- Irish proverb

BSM Blog - A Step into the Bata Shoe Museum

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:19:16 -0400

BSM Blog - A Step into the Bata Shoe Museum:

This blog entry looks at what comes between you and your shoes - SOCKS!

Bata Shoe Museum exhibition “Roger Vivier: Process to...

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:22:22 -0400

Bata Shoe Museum exhibition “Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection” - Perfection Room

Bata Shoe Museum exhibition “Roger Vivier: Process to...

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:21:24 -0400

Bata Shoe Museum exhibition “Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection” - Process Room.