Synopses & Reviews
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 strike propelled women to step into new cutting-edge athletic shoes. 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 an entertaining, compelling look at the evolution of modern women and the fashion that reflects—and has shaped—their changing lives.
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“A fleet-footed social history.” < b=""> L < k=""> iesl <> S < k=""> chillinger <> <> , < i=""> New York Times <>
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“A lively look at the history of stilettos, sneakers and sundry other leather- and rubber-soled objects of swoon.” < b=""> Olivia Barker, < i=""> USA Today <> <>
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“If style defines the woman, and shoes a womans style, then ooh la la, heres the definitive history and guideeverything from Chinese bound feet to Ferragamo, from Hollywood favorites to running up ones credit card on the sine qua non of fashion.” < b=""> M < k=""> ireille <> G < k=""> uiliano <> <> , author of < i=""> French Women Don't Get Fat <>
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“If you could glimpse the passing parade of the last hundred years or so from behind a slightly raised curtain, youd have a pretty good idea of whats going on in this richly anecdotal history of shoes.” < b=""> A < k=""> manda <> L < k=""> ovell <> <> , < i=""> More Magazine <>
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“Every woman who loves her shoes should read this bookhellevery man who loves womens shoes should read this book….Informative, interesting, and just plain fun.” < b=""> < i=""> New York Journal of Books <> <>
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“[Bergsteins] entertaining book wears its research as lightly as a pair of strappy sandals.” < b=""> T < k=""> ricia <> S < k=""> pringstubb <> <> , < i=""> Cleveland Plain Dealer <>
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“Fun.” < b=""> S < k=""> usannah <> C < k=""> alahan <> <> , < i=""> New York Post <>
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“At last someone has dared to probe one of the most mystifying phenomena in our culture: whats the deal with women and shoes? Rachelle Bergstein starts from the ground up and tells uswith wit and brioa lot about society from an unusual and original perspective.” < b=""> R < k=""> on <> R < k=""> osenbaum <> <> , author < i=""> The Shakespeare Wars <> and < i=""> How the End Begins:The Road to a Nuclear World War III <>
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“As a woman who walks, Ive often wondered why I dont wear more sensible shoes. Now I know. Rachelle Bergstein has written a compulsively readable history: it wont keep you from buying an absurdly uncomfortable and expensive pair, but it will make you understand why youre doing it.” < b=""> R < k=""> uth <> R < k=""> eichl <> <> , author of < i=""> Garlic and Sapphires <>
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“[An] engaging, toe-to-heel study....From flats a la Audrey Hepburn, Keds and white go-go- boots, Tommy-era platforms, and Jane Fondas Reebok Freestyles, to Sex and the Citys pricey Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos, Bergstein ably runs the gamut of styles over the decades…” < b=""> < i=""> Publishers Weekly <> <>
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“An illuminating study of the history of womens shoes in the 20th century….Wickedly provocative.” < b=""> < i=""> Kirkus <> <>
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“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.” < b=""> H < k=""> olly <> H < k=""> ebert <> <> , < i=""> Library Journal <>
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“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.” < b=""> < i=""> Booklist <> <>
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“Fun.” < b=""> S < k=""> usannah <> C < k=""> alahan <> <> , < i=""> New York Post <>
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"A fleet-footed social history." < b=""> L < k=""> iesl <> S < k=""> chillinger <> <> , < i=""> New York Times <>
Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Rachelle Bergstein graduated in 2003 from Vassar College, where she won awards for her academic writing. She works as an editorial consultant for a literary agency in New York City, and her writing has appeared in Fresh Yarn, The Awl, Slice magazine, and The Dirty Durty Diary. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, her cat, and her shoes. This is her first book.