Shoes

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Throughout the history of Western fashion, the most common choice of babies' footwear has been booties, as they provide superior warmth and comfort for the foot and stay on better than open shoes. Fashion, however, has repeatedly offered alternatives to this most practicable style. This pristine pair of dressy infant's shoes is designed in the more mature style of the bar or strap shoe, which would later become immortalized as the Mary Jane style. The copious lace and ribbon trimming is a particularly appealing element which adds interest and serves to highlight the precious and delicate nature of the baby herself.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art