This museum dedicated entirely to shoes is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Housed in an award-winning, five-story building by architect Raymond Moriyama, it provides a stylish backdrop for one of the world’s largest temples to footwear. This standout museum was built on the private collection of Sonja Bata, a shoe industry exec and world traveler who, over 50 years, amassed a fantastic treasure trove of shoes and related accessories. In addition to showcasing pieces from its nearly 15,000-item permanent collection, the museum also funds regular research projects and trips to explore global footwear traditions and the cultural, religious, class, and gender-related aspects of shoes—resulting in projects that have highlighted everything from the typology of Native footwear to the traditional dress of the Canadian Inuit. Don’t miss showstoppers like Marilyn Monroe’s red leather stilettos, John Lennon’s Chelsea boots, Queen Victoria’s silk slippers, Madonna’s platform Dolce & Gabbanas, Elton John’s silver and red high platform boots, and—delightfully—the Dalai Lama’s flip flops.
