Brooklyn show looks at mystique of ‘killer heels’

In this Sept. 4, 2014 photo, a pair of 2008 Miu Miu shoes is placed next to a cup from the 1790s for their similar design elements at an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. "Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe" highlights shoes from the 1600s to the present and is open from Sept. 10 through Feb. 15. (AP Photo/Rachelle Blidner) In this Sept. 4, 2014 photo, a pair of 2008 Miu Miu shoes is placed next to a cup from the 1790s for their similar design elements at an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. "Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe" highlights shoes from the 1600s to the present and is open from Sept. 10 through Feb. 15. (AP Photo/Rachelle Blidner)

By Associated Press September 8, 2014 3 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – It may be Fashion Week in Manhattan, but ‘Killer Heels’ are coming to Brooklyn.

A new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum looks at the elevated shoe as a design object, from platform shoes dating to about 1600 to a contemporary – and lethal – 8-inch dagger stiletto.

“Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe” opens Wednesday and runs through February 15, after which it will travel around the U.S.

Iterations of the elevated heel – a signifier of sexiness, femininity, glamour and status through the ages – fill display cases: Some with triangle- and ball-shaped heels, others with twisted, trapezoidal and even furry heels. There’s even a gravity-defying skyscraper platform embraced by Lady Gaga.

By and large, design trumps comfort in these 218 creations.