Ever After

The Myth of Cinderella's Shoe

"The " shoe of the new movie by 20th Century Fox, inspired by the classic tale writte by Perrault, is made by Ferragamo's Florentine Craftsmen"

The" definitive shoe: not merely an object but a symbol. Its well-known owner was lost-and-then-found, after which everyone lived happily ever after. It's one of the best loved fairy tales of all time, and it has been told in various ways in literature, in theatre, in music, and in the cinema.

Today, Cinderella lives again in the 20th Century Fox remake, freely adapted from Perrault's version, in rennaissance costume... and shoes, with an exceptional female cast including Drew Barrymore as Cinderella, Angelica Huston as Stepmother, and Jeanne Moreau as narrator. Three splendid generations of actresses, representing the two sould of great cinema - American and European.

When the studio was considering who should create "the shoe," an object so steeped in legend, it turned to Salvatore Ferragamo. It did so because of Ferragamo's craftsmanship, its thriving Museum and historical archives, and certainly because of its creative tradition. This fulfills Salvatore's fondest wish - to create shoes so that "every woman may be shod like a princess, and a princess may be shod like a fairy queen."

Drew Barrymore, a child and grandchild of Art, as well as an emerging talent in American cinema, wore the slipper in the film. It was inspired by an 18th century shoe belonging to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence.

Made of satin covered with Indian muslin and woven with silver thread, is a magical combination of iridescent materials embellished with rich embroidery. Its transparent heel is made of hand-molded plexiglass with a "crystal" effect and is decorated with refined silver beading.

A few figures give an idea of the work involved to produce the slipper - all strictly hand-done by the Ferragamo Florentine craftsmen: 50 hours of labor, 200 silver pearls, 1000 tiny glass beads and meters and meters of silver thread. The upper was woven and embroidered by the expert hand of a "haute couture" embroiderer.

The shoe is actually a main character in the film, which evolves through an intriguing and romantic flashback, beginning with the story narrated by Jeanne Moreau in front of the "crucial" shoe, placed on a red velvet cushion.

A hundred years after the birth of Salvatore Ferragamo, the slipper signifies a great come back for the company in the world of Hollywood cinema: this is a deep-rooted link, which runs through time like an unbroken thread, from the origins of Ferragamo to the present.

On the 19th of September, concurrent with Florence's second biennial, dedicated this year to fashion and cinema, Ferragamo will host the international preview of the film.

The inaugural Biennial Ball, organized in part by 20th Century Fox, will be inspired by Cinderella and the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum. At the Museum, as part of the biennial program, Ferragamo will present an exhibition on the Cinderella myth: in literature, in theatre, in m usic, and in cinema, which will focus on fashion costume.

(taken from a Salvatore Ferragamo ad)

You are visitor since August 30, 1998