Ruby Slippers

The shoes that made film history!

When we think of iconic shoes, namely in fiction, what comes immediately to mind for many of us are Cinderella’s glass slippers, isn’t that right? It’s natural since they’re a vital part of one of the most renowned fairy tales of all time, one of the reasons why we also on the EscapeShoes blog dedicated a post to them. However, there’s a specific pair of shoes that had a crucial role on cinema history. Even though Cinderella’s shoes were seen on the big screen on numerous occasions, these little red shoes are already iconic in the cinema world. Do you know what the shoes we’re talking about are? It’s obvious we’re referring to the ruby slippers from the film The Wizard of Oz, worn by protagonist Dorothy. Come with us to get to know some interesting fun facts about these red shoes on today’s post!

I believe that it’s not necessary to tell the film’s story, as the majority must have already seen it one time or another, or at least know what it’s about since it’s considered to be one of the best films ever. However, what perhaps many don’t know is that its story adapted from a book and, like many adaptations, certain changes were made to better adapt to the film, and one of the changes made in this film were regarding the slippers. The truth’s that on the original story the slippers are silver not ruby! And why this change? Well, it was so to better take advantage of the Technicolor process. Even though it wasn’t the first colour feature film, The Wizard of Oz brilliantly has some scenes in black and white and others in colour, namely the scenes in Oz, and thus the slippers stand out even more.

Another interesting fact is that, even though they’re supposedly made of rubies, while making the slippers that proved to be too heavy, so they ended up taking silk pumps and covering them with red sequins. Still, seems like these shoes weren’t necessarily the most comfortable in the world as, if you pay close attention to the film, you’ll be able to catch a scene in which Judy Garland, the actress that played Dorothy, is wearing black loafers but immediately after is already with her ruby slippers again. This tiny blunder’s already notorious in the cinema world.

During filming, many pairs were made and it’s not known for certain how many it might have been in total, and that time studios didn’t have the norm of logging in the films’ outfits and props, so it’s not exactly known what happened to the shoes after the film, but many stories have already come to light. Some were stolen and others were auctioned for thousands of dollars. Another pair’s on display in the National Museum of American History, where it’s been since it was donated anonymously in 1979, but due to its mysterious origin many doubt its authenticity. Even singer Lady Gaga has a pair of these ruby slippers!

These ruby slippers are all fine and well, but in the real world they shouldn’t be very practical. However, if you want to walk down the Yellow Brick Road with your very own pretty shoes, there are other alternatives in red perfect for you, such as these versatile Melissa Doll II flats or, since the sneaker trend’s on an all-time high lately, even the Fly London Sky Salo Red, for a truly comfortable outfit that better adapts to your day-to-day.

We still have many other options at the EscapeShoes online store, so come pay us a visit and choose the ideal pair that will make you feel like a true star!