For the new film Australia Nicole Kidman has a fabulous wardrobe designed for her character Lady Sarah Ashley, a 1940s British aristocrat who embarks upon an epic journey. Salvatore Ferragamo did the shoes for the film and they are just lovely. From riding boots to evening wear, the shoes are all of the period.
"We are extremely proud and honored to work with the visionary filmmakers, director Baz Luhrmann and designer Catherine Martin. We were very confident that, through their passion and creativity, they would realize an unprecedented vision." states James Ferragamo. "My grandfather, Salvatore Ferragamo, began his career working in costume design for the American Film Company, a precursor to Twentieth Century Fox, so it is only fitting that we carry on his name and our company's heritage by collaborating once again on a film from Fox."
Ferragamo continues, "In fact, in The Covered Wagon (1923) one of the first films that my grandfather worked on, he created a pair of riding boots. These archival boots were referenced when creating the riding boots for Nicole Kidman's character."
In conjunction with costume designer Catherine Martin, the Ferragamo design studio referenced many shoes from the archives, including some worn by aristocrats during the '30s and '40s, characters similar to Lady Sarah Ashley. The color palette and design details, while created to help realize the filmmakers' fantastical vision, were also authentic to the designer and the period. The deep Ferragamo red that features in the evening sandal worn by Kidman's character during the pivotal Governor's Ball scene was already something of a House signature in the '40s. And the ribbed wedge detail featured in the shoe worn by Lady Sarah Ashley at her homestead on Faraway Downs derives from a style created originally for Katherine Hepburn.
All the shoes were made by hand, including this lovely
evening sandal, in ruched deep red velvet with stingray accents. The sandal will be sold as a limited edition at Ferragamo stores worldwide. The shoes come in distinctive and collectible packaging and are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity that tells the history and unique features of the shoes.
Of course now when we see Australia, we'll probably spend most of the film looking at Nicole's shoes.
