Nicole Kidman’s Lady Sarah Ashley needed a darn sturdy pair of boots to wear in the cattle drive that is a key plot mover in Baz Luhrmann’s new film “Australia.” They also needed to be authentic.
So Italian leather goods manufacturer Salvatore Ferragamo created her footwear, using actual shoe designs and craftsman lasts from the 1930s.
That made fitting trickier. For example, no zippers were allowed.
“In the ’30s, zippers were not employed in shoemaking; in order to achieve a snug fit and respect this technical detail, we had to employ corseting detail on the boot’s upper,” says James Ferragamo, women’s leather product director, in an e-mail to the AP.
“Interestingly, this corseting is quite relevant today where we see it often used in current fashion. But we also have the advent of zippers, which a modern riding boot would likely employ.”
The styles in the movie–riding boots,a spectator pump and a strappy evening sandal–are actually not that far off from popular designs today.
But women now would want a slimmer heel and longer silhouette than the one on the blue-and-white “Australia” spectator, and they like a more revealing toe vamp.
Ferragamo is selling a contemporary version of the Lady Ashley sandal that also shows off more skin, but it does have the same touches of ruched velvet, stingray accents and a lacquered heel.
