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

found this book to be very informative and enjoyable. The author did her
homework quite well with regard to the history of women's footwear. It was
especially interesting to learn about the humble beginnings of Ferragamo,
Blahnik, and Choo. Also, the Hollywood history section was great. I loved
the chapter relative to "Sex and the City". Actually, loved the entire book.
I highly recommend this work;to shoe lovers, especially!

first off, I love to read non-fiction books on random topics. This book is all about shoes, and though every girl knows some shoe basics, I never knew so many interesting stories about shoes existed. Each chapter focused on a different time period and on a different types of shoes. Usually, the chapter included a lot of pop culture too, which I will admit, I am not very well-rounded in. It turns out famous people of all industries (music, movies, politics) play a big part in the types of shoes we as women wear. While I enjoyed most of this book there were parts, mostly located toward the middle of this book, that I found myself a little bored. This may be because I love early 20th century history and not the 60's to 80's as much. This book was good in that the vocabulary was very understandable to someone without a thorough fashion background with explanations for many words that are not commonly known. I loved the cultural stories that were scattered through out the book and the drawings at the beginning of each chapter were a nice touch. Overall, I would recommend reading this book even though it does not make it on to my list of amazing books. There is a lot to learn and understand about how shoes actually play a big part in how women are perceived and how they want to be perceived and this book does a great job of doing that.

I have always believed that fashion is a reflection of history, wants, and needs. This book proves it. Through an entertaining narrative, Ms. Rachelle Bergstein takes you through the history of shoes through the 20th century to today. Since shoes have been around for centuries, there are interesting bits of history and trivia about other shoes in the past as well. Rather you are into the the high fashion and luxury of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes or the comfort and earthiness of Birkenstocks, you will find informative and entertaining stories about them. In addition, although the focus of the book is on women's shoes, there are tidbits about men's shoes as well. I highly recommend this book.

When I saw there was a book about women and their shoes, I knew I wanted to read it. This book is about much more than that, though, telling the history of twentieth century western culture through footwear.

Those of us who never had to live through war rationing don't usually give a lot of thought to supply and demand, but this book highlights how such things can dictate fashion when it tells the story of Salvatore Ferragamo and his invention of the wedgie. I also never knew how important Ferragamo was to the very industry of shoemaking itself until I read this book. In addition, we learn how social and political statements have been and continue to be made through footwear that reflects the times.

This book is far more than a woman's ode to shoes, and it thoughtfully explores their effect on both sexes through changing times. From high heels to Mary Janes to high-top sneakers, Women from the Ankle Down is an excellent history lesson from a very unique perspective.

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