Ferragamo
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SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
Salvatore Ferragamo luxury shoes for men are the most beautiful men's shoes in the world. They combine an aerodynamic design with expert craftsmanship and marvelous materials. Amazingly, Ferragamo shoes are also very comfortable. There is a secret to that. The Salvatore Ferragamo Company now features many other fashionable products including clothes, bags, belts, watches, wallets, ties, scarves, eyewear, perfumes, and shoes for ladies.
FERRAGAMO SHOES
Salvatore Ferragamo was born near Naples, Italy in 1898. One of 14 children born to parents who were poor farmers, he made his first pair of shoes when he was nine years old for his sisters to have something nice to wear to their first communion. He had found his calling.
Ferragamo studied shoemaking and by the time he was 14, had opened his own shoe shop with eventually six employees working for him. In 1914, Ferragamo moved to America. His brother helped him get a job in a shoe factory in Boston, but he was disillusioned by assembly line shoemaking. He firmly believed shoes should be handmade. He moved to Hollywood and opened an atelier to create custom shoes from his original designs.
It was not long before Salvatore Ferragamo was discovered by Hollywood starlets. He made shoes for Sophia Loren, Greta Garbo, Betty Davis, Ingrid Bergman, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe (and Eva Peron). Ferragamo became famous as the "shoemaker to the stars" and designed the famous ruby red shoes worn by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
He was dissatisfied with the comfort of shoes and so studied
human anatomy at the University of Southern California to learn about the
weight distribution on the bones of the foot.
In the artist's own words, "I
discovered that the weight of the body when we are standing erect drops
straight down on
the arch of the foot. I constructed my revolutionary lasts [the solid form
around which a shoe is molded], which supporting the arch, make the foot act
like an inverted pendulum."
This may have been his greatest contribution to footwear: the secret of
how to make a beautiful shoe with a comfortable fit; the perfect combination of
form and function.
FERRAGAMO
In 1927, Ferragamo moved back to Italy, where he founded his eponymous shoe company in Florence. By the 1950s Salvatore Ferragamo had 700 employees who produced one shoe each per day, entirely by hand. He invented the invisible sandal in 1947 and the stiletto heel in 1955, both classics in women's footwear; but his most famous invention is perhaps the "Cage Heel".
Before he died in 1960, Salvatore Ferragamo was the most
influential shoemaker in human history.
He said he was inspired by architecture and art. Ferragamo
was a visionary artist who created over 20,000 models of shoes and held 350
patents. In the words of the artist,
"Normally I do not institute new
fashions.
There are a number of dress and shoe designers who struggle to be different for
the sake of being different, meaning that they want to impose a startling new fashion
line upon the woman. But if designers
must wait for their customers to become conscious of new styles who, then,
determines fashion? The answer is: new
fashion begins in the mind of the designer.
He must not stifle all his ideas merely because the world is not yet ready
for them. I have no season."
The Salvatore Ferragamo Company has 450 stores in 55 countries. Let us take a look at the products.
FERRAGAMO
I have also published a Hub about Giorgio Armani; and a Hub about My Home: the oldest house in Orlando.
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Comments
jiberish— Thank you very much! Hey, you are my first visitor. I sure appreciate your kind comments. Your Hubs are excellent. :-)
Cool hub Ya'acoov
Never had a pair, but probably could not afford them, nice story.
I have always bought Red Wings for work boots, paid $215 for a pair 10 years ago, wore them everyday for 14 hours driving truck and still have them, same original boot laces are still on them too LOL =)
In driving truck for 20 years, I bought a total of 3 pairs of boots.
The pair for $215 averaged out to be $21 a year for boots, while guys buy a pair for $60 every year saying they cannot afford Red Wings LOL.
The other 2 pair lasted 5 years each and cost $110
quietnessandtrust— You have made wise choices in boots my friend. I was reading the other day that during the 1930s in the Great Depression, glamorous films hit their peak, which seems paradoxical. The writer concluded that people used fantasy to briefly escape their circumstances. Maybe this Hub can serve a purpose such as that. :D
Thanks for coming to visit.
Thank you James for a very interesting and tasteful hub on Ferragamo shoes, thank for sharing it with us. God Bless. creativeone59
creativeone59— You are most welcome, dear. Thank you for tuning in and letting me know that you did. I appreciate your support.
Thank, James, for such interesting and inside information. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Hello, James,
Thank you for this wonderful hub.
Ferragamo happens to be my most favorite shoemaker.
Firstly, I did not know he made men's shoes [smiles]
A graceful and well written tribute to Salvatore.
Melinda
James I liked this hub although I think the shoes might be out of my price range. That doesn't mean I don't like to look. Thanks.
My absolute favorite subject. I don't have a pair but I have tried some on. Great Hub!
Hello, hello— You are welcome. Thank you for informing me that you enjoyed it. :)
msorensson— You are most welcome, Melinda. Oh yes, he makes men's shoes, including all of my dress shoes. They are beautiful! Thanks for your comments.
Pamela99— It's OK to look. They are a bit pricey. My dad teases me about my shoes. "All you need are some Florsheims like me, son." Thanks for coming by.
Tammy Lochmann— Alright! Your favorite subject! I'm glad I got lucky on this one. Thank you!
Perhaps if "Shoeless" Joe Jackson had known him, we wouldn't remember Joe Jackson at all!
John B— I see you haven't lost your wicked sense of humor. :D
Great and very interesting information. Thank you
Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart.
I had to laugh at Quietnessandtrust's comments ... both Red Wings and Ferragamos have much in common: Indestructable, three to four time the cost of their competitors and made for those who get quality over price.
Being in the Architectural / Construction biz, I have had ample opportunity to know both quite well (there's some dichotomy for you).
Although, truth be told, I was especially fond of my two pairs of Ballys, which, after being resoled several times, finally gave out after 10 years of wear. Always amazed me that a pair of dress shoes could be more comfortable than my tennis shoes. Go figure.
Jimmy Choo for the blokes :)
Gabriella D'Anton— Nice name. Thank you very much for visiting and commenting. And you are welcome.
ArchDynamics— I resole my shoes, too. I am incredulous at those who don't. You know I love it when you come by and leave your keen insights!
merseyblue— Gotcha! Well, thanks for visiting. I always enjoy the face of a pretty girl. :)
King James:
And you are very, very welcome, fashion plate friend-of-mine.
But, I must confess - it's purely motivated by selfishness ... nothing makes me feel better than seeing a good friend successful in his endeavors.
So, to make myself feel good, I visit every post of yours in order to (hopefully) contribute to your success. And, of course, add my 2¢'s worth!
Note the < ¢ > symbol (inside joke).
Love this article. You always write about such a wide range of topics, definitely makes for interesting reading.
ArchDynamics— I've only mastered one of the symbols you gave me. It may be time to make it two.
Two cents is about right. :) So, you are able to make us both happy at the same time! That is the best of outcomes.
Carol Podolak— It's great to hear from you, my friend. I hope all is wonderful in your world. With your glow and positive attitude, the sky's the limit. I appreciate you letting me know you were here and that you enjoy my articles. Makes a man feel good.
Works of art, indeed - wish I could afford a pair for my collection!
Lily Rose— Works of Art. You said it. I've heard they have them on ebay for low prices. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Great Hub, James. I enjoyed the writing and the shoes. I enjoyed it so much I would like to try on a pair of Ferrigamo shoes. I admit one word I had to google to learn: eponym (eponymous) or that for which something is named. You have a prodigious vocabulary and I always learn something from you. Don White
dusanotes— Thank you, Don. Do you wear size 13?
I am pleased that you enjoyed this article. It was fun to put together. I admire the designs and the man's story. Rags to riches! The American Dream.
One of my favorite pair of Ferragamo shoes looked a lot like those vintage ones in the photo. They were so comfortable and like you, I had them resoled and wore them often.
Interesting history about Ferragamo. Thanks!
hi, I agree, the shoes are nice and durable too, make a handsome men and beautiful women look more classy. It is also worth the price!
Thanks for this one, nice presentation of shoes,I might buy myself one this holiday,
have a good day, Maita
Peggy W— You are lucky you have a pair like that. It is gratifying to see you have been here and enjoyed my article. You are welcome.
prettydarkhorse— You are welcome. I would buy two if I were you. They look so much better if they are on both feet. :D
I'm just kidding. I like to have fun. Thank you for visiting and leaving your comments, Maita.
Now you got my attention. Ferragamo happens to be one of my favorite shoe designer. Although I have scaled back this year and will not purchase any shoes I happen to own many pairs. I guess I was fortunate to be able to afford them. However, as brilliant as the design may be the prices are getting out of hand these days and I wonder who really will be able to afford them in the future.
Roman! My good friend. I am glad I finally got your attention. I will not be purchasing any shoes this year, either. Luckily, my ten pair of Ferragamos last a lifetime. :)
Maybe they will go on sale. Thank you, brother, for visiting and commenting.
James, Ferragamo was truly a wonderful artist! I always did wonder who made the Ruby Slippers, those are awesome shoes!
I love the men's shoes shown. I can not wear heals anymore thanks to ankle injuries :( but my husband sure can wear the men's and he would look sharp in them!
Kebennett1— Yes, he was indeed. I think anybody would look sharp in those shoes, sister. Thanks for coming!
LOL, you made me smile on tha comment,, laugh afterwards, haha
prettydarkhorse— I am glad you did. :D
Hello again James
You are so good at doing research and, obviously you enjoy fashion and appreciate high quality, so maybe will be nice if you could write about other great masters. I will be looking forward for such articles
Gabriella D'Anton— Hello! Thank you for coming. I see that you work in an exclusive zip code. That must be exciting. I'll come over tonight and read your Gucci article.
Thank you for your kind compliments. I will take your advice and look forward to hearing from you again in the future.
you are so funny, James; you are right, there are a lot of Ferragamo shose walking the streets of this "exclusive zip code". My Gucci article is mostly about the selling "Gucci philosophy", (I attended an intensive cours of this technique offered in Milan in 1979 - never used it myself, but I learned how not to become a victime.
I am sure you could write an interesting article about Gucci fashion. By the way, how do I make sure I know when you post a new article? (still new at Hubs and not too smart with computers either). Thank you
Gabriella—if I may call you Gabriella—such a lovely name. I hear you. I'm no computer wiz myself. If you sign up to be my fan, you will receive an email from HubPages when I publish something new. (If your account is set up for email notification that is, which I think is the default.) I have a very nice Gucci watch. A lot of their women's fashions are gorgeous.
You are welcome.
jiberish says:
3 weeks ago
You have the most interesting Hubs. I always look forward to reading everything you publish. :)