I can't help but think of Carrie Bradshaw and Imelda Marcos when I first heard of this exhibition. How can one approach such a theme without mentioning one or both of these characters?

Considering this sentiment, "Shoes: Pleasure and Pain," an extensive exhibition organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum and is currently on view at The Peabody Essex Museum, did not exactly disappoint. At the very least, it featured the legendary Manolo Blahnik patent leather Mary Janes that Ms Bradshaw described in an episode in season 4 of SATC, as "an urban shoe myth."

There was no mention of Ms Marcos either, but there was Lillian Montalto, a local resident and real estate mogul, whose shoe collection of 1500 pairs (mostly) from Valentino and every shoe brand that matters, was ingeniously transported into the museum, through a photo mural of her closet as the backdrop to a selection of shoes from her collection.

From 18th century to present day pieces, the exhibition boasts of over 300 pairs, many of them from contemporary labels and designers like Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Jimmy Choo. Nearly half of the pieces were from The Peabody Essex Museum, while the majority were from the V&A Museum in London.

Below are some of the featured pieces from the show. I could't possibly have taken more photos as the whole exhibition was such an eye candy so I had to stop, as I can't waste my limited viewing time just clicking on the shutter button. One can never have enough time when looking at shoes, as many of us just can't have enough of them.

Click on the photos below for a full screen view

Manolo Blahnik, "Borlak," 2014

Photos © 2017 Arturo Veloira