Titanic at the Franklin

Boy, it’s been cold around here lately!  You know where else it was really cold?  In the north Atlantic, just shy of 101 years ago, when the luxury ship RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.  (Actually, that sounds way colder.)  Some of the objects that went down with the ship have surfaced at the Franklin Institute in their new special exhibit, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. 

While I don’t think any shoes survived to make it on display, I give you some modern interpretations of women’s shoes found in this 1913 ad—likely styles wealthy women wore on the Titanic!  (Why wealthy women?  Those $10 shoes in the ad equal a $232 pair of shoes today.  I tried to keep the prices of these pairs similar, ‘cuz I am a NERD.)

Inspired by the purple and gold brocade slipper, the Goodie by Badgley Mischka is a purple satin peep-toe with a 4.25-inch heel, three-quarter-inch platform, and oval rhinestone feature reminiscent of the slipper’s rhinestone buckle.  Also available in navy and crimson; your choice for $245 from Shoes.com. 

Inspired by the two-tone walking boot, the Amelia by Miz Mooz is a tall black boot (with a 15.25-inch shaft) buttoned up the side Victorian-style with eleven buttons.  (There’s a zipper up the other side, of course, so you don’t have to deal with all the buttons.  The ladies in the ad didn’t want to deal with “the inconvenience of side buttons” then; you don’t have to deal with them now either.)  It has a 2.75-inch stacked Louis heel and is also available in burgundy, dark brown, olive, and camel.  Your choice for $170 at Infinity Shoes.

Inspired by the satin dancing slipper, I give you the E30130 by Giuseppe Zanotti.  The upper is purple suede delicately arranged in half-moons, held together by purple lacing.  There’s a zipper up the back to let you in, and a four-inch heel and half-inch platform complete the look.  Find them at Zappos Couture for $1,150.

Inspired by the Russia riding boot, the Calabria by Mercanti Fiorentini has a beautiful chocolate leather upper with perforated detailing around the toe and ankle, a 15-inch shaft (with a 13.5-inch circumference) lined in leather, and a one-inch block heel.  Yours for $300 from DSW.

Hey, if you’re going to go down, go down in style, right?  J

Check out the exhibit at the Franklin between now and April 7.  Daytime tickets are $29 for adults, but if you go Thursday through Saturday after 5:00 PM they’re only $19.50.  Sweet!