Bata Shoe Museum - It's all about shoes (and socks)

I thought that Bata Shoe Museum is only for kids considering the name, silly me but the museum is named after the founder Sonja Bata who first began collecting footwear since the1940's. Just a block west of St. George subway station, this museum with a unique architecture houses a world-class collection of 13,000 artifacts spanning 4,500 years of history and exhibits the cultural, historical and sociological value of footwear.


I'm so glad we got the free Museum and Arts Pass from the library, the visit to this museum is worthwhile. Paying patrons will not be stripped off their wallets because it's only $10 per adult and family pass cost only $30, it's actually value for money. We learned so much from the history of footwear from around the world and seeing the shoes (and socks) of historical figures and well-known personalities gives you a sense of achievement.

We enjoyed trying on the different shoes. I liked this clogs and the red shoes which makes me feel like a princess - so dainty.

The kids asked about the big shoes and the weird ones like the chopines and the pointed metal footwear which looked like a deadly weapon. I love the shoes from the Baroque era and the tall platform shoes used by the upper class of 1800s in bathing to go to the heated tubs - surreal. I wondered why didn't the exhibit included any shoes from the collection of Imelda Marcos. Maybe the Philippines need to put up it's own Imelda Marcos Shoe Museum exhibiting the more than 3000 pairs LOL!