Shoes at Kunsthal in Rotterdam

More than 500 shoes from the 1900s to modern day all in one place! Who wouldn't want to see that? From Feb 1 to May 11 the Kunsthal in Rotterdam is having the SHOES exhibition, with all these iconic, artsy, designer shoes. From the moment shoes were just functional to the time they were more a fashion statement. As a shoe lover (my walk-in closet is stocked with beautiful United Nudes by Rem Koolhaas) there were plenty of reasons to pay this exhibition a visit.

The exhibition displays about 40 to 50 shoes in one setting. The numbers next to the shoes relate to a big description map with the name of the designer and often the material. The more famous designers like Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo have their own separate spot, where a few shoes (4 or 5) are displayed behind glass.

How cool was it to see the famous shoes of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) in Sex and the City (the movie) in which she finally got married to Mr. Big! As a huge fan of the series having watched all episodes at least 5 times, this shoe was the highlight of the exposition for me. Besides this blue delight with diamonds I also loved seeing my favorite brand United Nude, with a couple of shoes by Iris van Herpen which she designed for UN.

Although I really liked the exhibition, I do think the set-up could have been a lot better. The system where you have to look up every single interesting shoe on a map, just to find the name of the designer was a disappointment. Having the name of the designer right next to the shoe, WITH a story, would have been so much easier and interesting. I truly missed the stories behind the shoes: Who were they designed for? For which event? Who wore them? At what time in his carreer did the designer make them? There also didn't seem to be a storyline for the order of the shoes or the walking route through the exhibition: from 1900 to now? Theme? Culture? 

Lastly, some of the shoes looked old, worn and not taken care of. As a shoe lover I take special care of my shoes to enjoy them longer and make sure they look pretty. Seeing some of the shoes here made me a little sad. Why not give the shoes some extra support and reinstate their original form back by stuffing them with fabric or soft paper?

Besides the SHOES exhibition there was more to see in the Kunsthal for fashion lovers/creative people: A display of Marimekko fabric designs!

Marimekko is a Finnish design company that designs for fabric and houseware. There were lovely designs and inspiration for dresses in the Marimekko display.

And then we saw this sign in the end. A total No-No for a shoe exhibition.

It translates as: Did you come to the SHOES exhibition in your most beautiful shoes? Watch out, you cannot walk in the next section due to the floor with metal grids (and large holes)....



As all ladies turned up in their prettiest shoes, part of the exhibition was a no go area. Shame. I hope Kunsthal makes a better effort next time.



All in all I liked the exhibition and the nice surprise touch by Marimekko. If you are a shoe addict you will probably like it too, just don't set your expectations too high.



And wear sneakers ;)




XX Anne-Marie