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Toronto shoemaker Master John made these men’s platform boots complete with 5 1/2-inch heels, appliquéd stars, and veritable landscape in leather. In the 1970s, some men followed the lead of rock stars in adopting lavish personal adornment and elevating shoes cultivating a persona at once dandyish and hyper-masculine. Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Photo credit: Image © 2015 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

Bata Shoe Museum kicks off ‘Men in Heels’ exhibition

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Toronto shoemaker Master John made these men’s platform boots complete with 5 1/2-inch heels, appliquéd stars, and veritable landscape in leather. In the 1970s, some men followed the lead of rock stars in adopting lavish personal adornment and elevating shoes cultivating a persona at once dandyish and hyper-masculine. Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Photo credit: Image © 2015 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada
Toronto shoemaker Master John made these men’s platform boots complete with 5 1/2-inch heels, appliquéd stars, and veritable landscape in leather. In the 1970s, some men followed the lead of rock stars in adopting lavish personal adornment and elevating shoes cultivating a persona at once dandyish and hyper-masculine. Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Photo credit: Image © 2015 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

TORONTO (AP) – The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada, is hosting a new exhibit opening May 8 called “Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels.”

The show looks at men’s footwear from the early 17th century to the present, including its history, variety, function and significance. The exhibit will be on view through June 2016.

The show also serves to celebrate the museum’s 20th anniversary.

Exhibits will range from military boots to cowboy and biker boots to footwear worn by John Lennon and Elton John, along with footwear from the musical Kinky Boots and current heeled fashions for men. Some early examples of men’s heeled footwear were heeled riding boots that helped men secure their feet in stirrups.

Details at http://www.batashoemuseum.ca.

Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-04-20-15 1253GMT

From dime novels and Wild West shows to Hollywood Westerns, the high-heeled cowboy symbolized unfettered freedoms and self-reliance in the 20th century. Although 19th century cowboys first splurged on ostentatious cowboy boots after reaching the railheads at the end of a long cattle drive, it took Hollywood and dude ranches for the cowboy boot with its pointy toe and low slung heel to finally take shape. This pair of Tony Lama boots reflects the fashion for finery from the use of lizard skin at the toe to the high-stacked leather heel. Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Photo credit: Image © 2015 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada (photo: Ron Wood)
From dime novels and Wild West shows to Hollywood Westerns, the high-heeled cowboy symbolized unfettered freedoms and self-reliance in the 20th century. Although 19th century cowboys first splurged on ostentatious cowboy boots after reaching the railheads at the end of a long cattle drive, it took Hollywood and dude ranches for the cowboy boot with its pointy toe and low slung heel to finally take shape. This pair of Tony Lama boots reflects the fashion for finery from the use of lizard skin at the toe to the high-stacked leather heel. Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Photo credit: Image © 2015 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada (photo: Ron Wood)