The Bata Shoe Museum

To add a little variety to my travel schedule I spent this past week in Toronto, Canada. I've been to Canada a few times before, but this time I actually managed to do a tiny bit of non work related adventuring so I braved the public transit system and made my way over to The Bata Shoe Museum.  Hannah recommended this the first time I traveled to Toronto and although that didn't work out I kept thinking of it when I had Toronto on my itinerary so this time I found out that they are open late on Thursdays and I made my way over there.  The museum itself really isn't that big with only four exhibits total, but the building is a fun shape and is meant to resemble a shoe box with the lid askew.  On a regular basis they have a historical exhibit of footwear through history which is interesting and informational, but one of their current exhibits is The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits.  This was particularly fun because the shoes in the Twenties were really spectacular and the exhibit included clips of dancing in these amazing shoes that made me tired just to watch them.  The shoes in the twenties had such great lines, and colors, yet many had practical straps and heels of moderate height and width.  In particular, the collection included two really awesome pairs, one a black and gold starburst pair:

(from The Bata Shoe Museum website)

 and a black pair with rhinestone heel:

(from their brochure)

I have to admit that if they'd been selling modern reproductions I might have come home with a pair. 

One of their other fun exhibits included pairs of shoes donated by JUNO award winners.

 The showcase included this fun pair of beat up Harley Davidson boots worn by Nickleback. 

There was also a pair of amazing thigh high boots worn by Nelly Furtado in another case that I couldn't get a decent picture of.  Overall an excellent way to spend a couple of hours after work.