Shoemaker of Dreams

Book excerpt: In this exciting volume, Salvatore Ferragamo traces his life’s adventures from his origins as a village shoemaker to founding what would become a major global fashion brand. “Ladies and gentlemen, the least important part of this book is the life story of an Italian shoemaker. We can all write our autobiography, and if I dwell on the details of my career it is only because it makes it easier to explain my calling: the work that became my life’s fundamental vocation. Life has taught me that Nature gives us perfect feet. If they get damaged, it is because our shoes are defective. However, it is not necessary to undergo such torture, not even in the name of vanity. We can all walk happily wearing comfortable, refined, splendid shoes. This is my whole life’s work: learning to make perfect shoes, refusing to put my name on those that aren’t.” —Salvatore Ferragamo This is a new, completely updated edition of the autobiography of a man who made Italian fashion great throughout the world. Among the many vicissitudes of his adventurous life, the book features a magnificent series of encounters with and anecdotes about the most extraordinary Hollywood stars, such as Rudolph Valentino, Mary and Lottie Pickford, Pola Negri, Joan Crawford, and Greta Garbo. His loyal customers also included Marilyn Monroe, Douglas Fairbanks, Sophia Loren, Anna Magnani, Audrey Hepburn, and Paulette Goddard.