Red Shoes

Last night was dinner with Mom. I called her and we went over what was on the menu for dinner. Guess what after she ran through the salad and soup choices and the entrée and the side dishes she finally came to desserts and Cherry pie was an option.

 I went for the pie. Great choice! It was wonderful. Cherry craving somewhat abated but I still want bourbon. I see an adventure in my future.

I am doing a series about red dresses (clothing) in art this week for the Artz Council and yesterday was a painting of Pope Clement XIII wearing red. While researching that I came across the Pope and the tradition of him wearing red shoes.The Virgin Mary has also been depicted wearing red shoes and I was curious. Here are some of the folk myths surrounding this.

Red shoes were customarily and exclusively worn by Byzantine Princesses and so Mary was painted wearing red shoes as a child entering the Temple.

Emperors or would be emperors in Constantinople and even Caliphs would wear red boots as a rebel signal they were bidding for the throne.

Red was a very expensive dye and only the wealthy and powerful could afford it.

Popes are former Cardinals and Cardinals dress in red which is symbolic “.....to be witness to the Gospel to the point of sacrificing their own life: this is the meaning of the red color in their clothes”, said the Pope.

Don’t you just love knowing why things are like they are?

Maybe they all just liked a bit of whimsy to accompany a very serious office job. I remember my niece wore red socks for an entire school year no matter what else she wore. I do not know why.  Remember the red cowboy boot phase? It started shortly after Footloose first came out.

I have wanted to change my style…. . Thinking red cowboy boots and Dale Evans style fringy skirts and shirts… yeeeehaww

Or not.