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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Shoe News: Designers Revamp Dorothy's Ruby Slippers

Get Me Those Slippers!

If when you were a little girl you wanted ruby slippers like the ones Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz, raise your hand. You may be able to bid on a pair very soon. Seventy years after the original Swarovski-studded ones sent the Wicked Witch into a tizzy, Warner Bros Consumer Products and Crystallized Swarovski Elements are paying homage by inviting boldface names in the shoe industry to create their own renditions.

According to tipsters at WSAToday, The Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Collection will be designed by such notables as (in alphabetical order) A. Testoni, Abaete, Alberta Ferretti, Betsey Johnson (sketch pictured), Botkier, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jimmy Choo (sketch pictured), L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, Lisa Pliner, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Roger Vivier, Sergio Rossi, Stuart Weitzman, Tibi and Tuleh. They've been given full creative license and all the Swarovski crystals they need to create a shoe any modern-day Dorothy would be proud to wear. The collection will eventually be auctioned off, and proceeds will go to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Collection will be officially unveiled on Sept 4 at an in-store gala benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and its annual Kids for Kids Family Carnival in the Saks Fifth Avenue windows and 10022-SHOE and will be displayed there for one week. That event will kick off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NY, and as of Sept. 5th the collection will also be on display at an installation at the Bryant Park Tents. The Collection will also be shown during Miami Art Week, which coincides with Art Basel Miami Beach from Dec. 4-8. Additional viewings are also planned throughout next year before the Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Collection is auctioned at a gala event next fall.

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