Free From Frostbite
BOOTIES FOR BEAUTIES
For the woman whose toes get too chilly traveling to and from a festive affair, Frattegiani of Rome designs a two-piece evening shoe that is fashionably bare, but equipped with its own toe protecting bootie. Meant for wear on the dance floor, the shoes are fashioned of gold calf and silver brocade. The shining bootie fits neatly inside the dainty high-heeled sandal.
Press And Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, New York)
December 21, 1949
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1949 | Frattegiani
The Origin Of The Spaghetti/Kimo Sandal
Source: Press And Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, New York) - December 21, 1949
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When Ferragamo patented the Spaghetti/Kimo sandal, Frattegiani sued him for plagiarism. We know how it ended, as the Ferragamo company still held the patent at the end of the 80s, but almost all the other details vanished over time; we just know two/three things:
1 - The Frattegiani model was called "Pinturicchio" after the Renaissance Italian painter, and for good reasons (see below)
2 - Frattegiani didn't know about the above picture published in the U.S. in 1949 (at the trial he brought a picture published by the Italian magazine "Bellezza" (1950).
3 - Besides local newspapers, a note about the trial was published on "Salvatore Ferragamo, The Art Of The shoe, 1927-1960", a book produced to accompany the exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from 31 October 1987 to 7 February 1988. A valuable note brought to public attention and quickly forgotten.
In other words, footwear history is being erased/rewritten by existing brands with short-term memory only. However, up until now and for what it's worth, the original Frattegiani bootie was never showed and it’s for everyone to see that Frattegiani was right; shame he had a second-rate lawyer.
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1951 | Ferragamo's Spaghetti original French ad
The Kimo sock is worn with the golden kidskin "Spaghetti" sandal
Source L'Officiel
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(NOT REALLY A ) FOOTNOTE
While André Perugia was the first to design the sock/shoe combo, we can't help to show the real origin of this concept.
Enter Renaissance painter Pinturicchio (Bernardino di Betto Betti) and his "Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini Introduces Eleonara of Portugal to Frederick III" (1502-1507). The detail here below is self-explanatory and also shows why Frattegiani called his creation "Pinturicchio". As for Ferragamo, well ...
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1502 - 1507 | Pinturicchio
Detail of "Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini Introduces Eleonara of Portugal to Frederick III"
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1502 - 1507 | Pinturicchio
"Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini Introduces Eleonara of Portugal to Frederick III"
Libreria Piccolomini (Siena Cathedral)
Source: Wikipedia
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