Paying Homage to Imelda's Shoes

When I was informed by a friend that Marikina City was just about an hour's drive away from where I live in Taguig, I decided that I will make time to visit the ever famous Marikina City Footwear Museum. Its where hundreds of pairs of shoes belonging to former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos are housed. Many of these shoes were found in the presidential palace when Imelda and her husband, President Ferdinand Marcos, fled the Philippines in 1986.

Marikina itself is well-known as the shoe capital of Philippines. So, its only apt that the Footwear Museum is situated here. The entrance to the museum looked rather small and the building itself looked rather old and dreary. But the moment you step into the museum, I must say I was taken aback with the number of shoes all beautifully placed on display inside glass cabinets. Hundreds of shoes of various colours, all size eight-and-a-half, though I think her favourite ones were those in silver and gold as there were many of them in the collection. From black leather boots to silk brocade stilletos, you can find them all here. Obviously she was one for fame for most of the shoes were made by world-class designers such as Ferragamo, Givenchy, Chanel, Charles Jourdan, Bally and Christian Dior. Former President Fidel Ramos had also contributed some pairs of his shoes towards the exhibition.

The two-storey building gives quite an interesting tour of Imelda's life, interest and fashion sense. If you are in Manila, and you have nothing lined up for your weekend, just take a drive to Marikina City to visit the Footwear Museum. The entrance is cheap, I think less than 50 Pesos but keep your cameras away as you are not allowed to take any photos inside the museum.