“Give a girl the right shoe and she can conquer the world.”

Marilyn Monroe

Shoes! You can never have too many – just ask Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines, who had over 1,060 pairs. These days that number doesn’t sound so shocking. There’s a love affair with shoes that borders on fetish. Why are shoes so important?

“Shoes are like the foundations. If the foundations aren’t right, the building won’t stand upright, and if a woman’s balance isn’t right, nothing else is.”

Jimmy Choo

Sure, shoes provide the base for our mobility. They protect our feet. That’s the boring, practical explanation. Red carpet footwear is about art. The right shoe can entice, and the red carpet is a place where the most intriguing shoes are seen. Make that almost seen. Given the gravitas of an awards red carpet, where gowns are architectural constructs that kiss the carpet perfectly, the shoe is seldom on display. But pull back the skirt and what’s hidden will surprise, as demonstrated by Olivia Wilde at the 68th Golden Globes, when she paired a Christian Louboutin booty beneath a fairy tale Marchesa gown.

“You put high heels on and you change”

Manolo Blahnik

Beneath those skirts are intrigues that wrap the ankle, reveal the toe, elongate the leg, and encase the foot in beaded, satined splendor.

Bruno Magli’s shoes have clad the feet of some of the biggest stars going back eight decades – Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds among many others – proving that the link between actor and shoes has been a long seduction. It's actually common for houses of that caliber to work directly with stars and their stylist to provide unique choices. For men the options are expanding, too: the classic oxford pairs a sophisticated brogue-ing with a slightly pointed toe to give it a fashion forward flair, making it a perfect shoe for evening suits, while the timeless classic, Maioco, is paired with both the tuxedo and the more form fitting modern suit. Men may add tassels, buckles and texture. Women’s shoes are about straps and shapes, men’s shoes elongate, emulating projectiles and sheaths.