Get to know the hilarious true story of King Louis XIV of France and his famous high-heeled shoes! King Louie was a very BIG king in all ways but one: He was five-feet-four-inches short. So Louie and his royal cobbler cooked up the perfect high-heeled solution to help Louie appear taller. But after an embarrassing tumble (on the dance floor, no less!) Louie learned that his subjects were loyal no matter how big—or how shrimpy—their beloved Louie might have been. Readers young and old will relate to this silly and sweet story of King Louie XIV—a man who had it all, but still felt small.
Young readers will learn the hilarious true story of King Louis XIV of France and his famous high-heeled shoes in this picture book that includes 14 historical facts about the king at the end. Full color.
But all the kids are wearing them! Any child who has ever craved something out of reach will relate to this warm, refreshingly realistic story. Features an audio read-along. "I have dreams about those shoes. Black high-tops. Two white stripes." All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But Jeremy’s grandma tells him they don’t have room for "want," just "need," and what Jeremy needs are new boots for winter. When Jeremy’s shoes fall apart at school, and the guidance counselor gives him a hand-me-down pair, the boy is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has -- warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend -- are worth more than the things he wants.
Ever wondered what a boot inspired by a Beatles lyric looks like? What is a "Hug My Leg" shoe? And how about lace-ups inspired by 18th-century snuff boxes? From stilettos to loafers, wedges to jelly shoes, platforms to sandals, Nina Chakrabarti once again dazzles us with her creative flair and inspires us to look at footwear with fresh eyes. Vintage favorites are shown alongside Vietnamese slippers, Romany boots, and Louis heels, with famous designer pieces such as Vivienne Westwood's Rocking Horse golf shoe, Maison Martin Margiela's split-toe Tabi boot, and Camille Unglik's metallic Luna sandal.
Take a walk in someone else's shoes in this fascinating examination of shoes and feet around the world! This one-of-a-kind A-Z reference work contains over 150 fascinating entries and intriguing sidebars that look at feet and adornment of feet across the many cultures of the world throughout time. A wide range of international and multicultural topics are covered, including foot binding, fetishes, diseases of the foot, customs and beliefs related to the foot, shoe construction, myths and folktales featuring feet or shoes, the history of footwear, iconic brands and types of shoes, important celebrities associated with shoes, and the types of footwear worn around the world. This exhaustive compilation is ideal for students and general readers interested in the human body, fashion, and medicine, and even scholars looking for more in-depth coverage on the social and cultural uses of the body will find it as a useful starting point in their research. Cross-references, suggestions for further reading, and a full bibliography of print and electronic resources are valuable tools for all readers. Students can use this reference work to draw cross-cultural comparisons, as well as study the evolution of footwear in terms of social, religious, and ethnic parameters. Aside from iconic American brands and types of shoes, this volume will also look at how feet are treated and viewed around the globe: removing shoes upon entering a house, washing feet for religious purposes, giving feet the spa treatment, and covering feet up for social customs. Perfect for undergraduate and high school students studying anthropology and world culture.
What makes fashionistas willing to pay a small fortune for a particular designer accessory -- a luxe handbag, for example? Why is it that people all over the world share the conviction that a special occasion only becomes really special when a champagne cork pops -- and even more special when that cork comes from a bottle of Dom Pérignon? Why are diamonds the status symbol gemstone, instantly signifying wealth, power, and even emotional commitment? One of the foremost authorities on seventeenth-century French culture provides the answer to these and other fascinating questions in her account of how, at one glittering moment in history, the French under Louis XIV set the standards of sophistication, style, and glamour that still rule our lives today. Joan DeJean explains how a handsome and charismatic young king with a great sense of style and an even greater sense of history decided to make both himself and his country legendary. When the reign of Louis XIV began, his nation had no particular association with elegance, yet by its end, the French had become accepted all over the world as the arbiters in matters of taste and style and had established a dominance in the luxury trade that continues to this day. DeJean takes us back to the birth of haute cuisine, the first appearance of celebrity hairdressers, chic cafes, nightlife, and fashion in elegant dress that extended well beyond the limited confines of court circles. And Paris was the magical center -- the destination of travelers all across Europe. As the author observes, without the Sun King's program for redefining France as the land of luxury and glamour, there might never have been a Stork Club, a Bergdorf Goodman, a Chez Panisse, or a Cristophe of Beverly Hills -- and President Clinton would never have dreamed of holding Air Force One on the tarmac of LAX for an hour while Cristophe worked his styling genius on the president's hair. Written with wit, dash, and élan by an author who knows this astonishing true story better than virtually anyone, The Essence of Style will delight fans of history and everybody who wonders about the elusive definition of good taste.
Probably no American journalist, man or woman, has had a more extraordinary career than Grace Halsell. Before President Lyndon Johnson personally hired her to work in the White House, Halsell had, over a period of two decades, written her way around the world - Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Orient, and the Americas. Born on the windswept plains of West Texas, Halsell was encouraged from the age of five by her pioneer father, who had led cattle drives on the Chisolm Trail, "to travel, to get the benefit" of knowing other peoples. She began her travels at the age of twenty, going first to Mexico and then touring the British Isles by bicycle. Halsell studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and lived in London, Tokyo, Berlin, and Seoul. In Hong Kong, where she lived on a fishing junk with a Chineses family of nineteen, she wrote a column for the Tiger Standard; in Tokyo, where she slept on tatami mats, ate raw fish and took scalding ofuro baths, she was a columnist for the Japan Times. Moving to South America, she traveled on a tug for 2,000 miles down the Amazon and crossed the Andes by jeep. In Lima, she became a columnist for the Spanish-langauge daily, La Prensa. Halsell has seen the Big Buddha, the Taj Mahal, the pyramids and the Machu Micchu, has interviewed presidents, movie stars, kinds, and prime ministers. Her newspaper dispatches for the New York Herald Tribune, the New York Post, and the Christian Science Monitor have datelined war zones in Korea, Vietnam, and Bosnia, as well as Russia, China, Macedonia, and Albania.
Beauty can truly be pain. Fascinating text and amazing photographs explore many extreme trends, including lip plates, lead makeup, and foot bindingeven the hazards of some modern day fashions. Readers will be amazed at how far people are willing to go to be considered fashionable.
Foot pain is something with which most Americans suffer, and yet most ignore or have simply surrendered to it. In Put Your Best Feet Forward, experienced Structural Reflexologist Geraldine Villeneuve outlines not just the types of foot pain and their sources, but also how this pain can manifest itself throughout the body. From depression, to lower back pain, to common foot problems themselves, freeing our feet from the shoes that bind them can be the answer for which we’re searching. Villeneuve educates readers on the importance of foot health for that of the body and mind and empowers them to take their health and vitality into their own hands. Put Your Best Feet Forward is for anyone interested in improving health, youth, and vigor. Readers will find themselves saying “Ahhh...” in relief!
