Red and cream loafers designed by Pierre Cardin and worn by Fats Domino: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This pair of men's burgundy and tan leather loafers, left shoe (2013.59.3a) and right shoe (2013.59.3b), were worn by Fats Domino. The uppers of the shoes are made from leather, with the wingtip toe caps, heel counters, a panel over the tongue, and the trim around the foot opening all in burgundy. The rest of the uppers and the tongues are cream leather. A decorative design is punched into the burgundy leather at the center of each toe cap and along the edges of the wingtip and the counter. A piece of wide brown elastic is sewn behind each tongue for an adjustable fit. The shoes have leather soles and stacked wooden heels that are painted black with a black rubber heel cap. The Pierre Cardin logo and name are incised onto the heel caps. A square metal "p" logo is attached at the outer side of only the right heel. The insides of the shoes are lined in light brown leather, including the inner soles. A blue label with cream text having the "p" logo at the left reads: "pierre cardin / PARIS / MADE IN SPAIN". The style and size are stamped in black ink on the interior proper left side of each shoe.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: late 20th Century
• Designed by: Pierre Cardin, French, founded 1950
• Worn by: Fats Domino, American, 1928 - 2017
• Type: Loafers (TM)
• Medium: leather, wood, rubber, and elastic
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Left shoe (a)): 4 1/2 × 4 × 11 3/4 in. (11.4 × 10.2 × 29.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Right shoe (b)): 4 1/4 × 4 × 11 3/4 in. (10.8 × 10.2 × 29.8 cm)
• Place used: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.59.3ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Antoine "Fats" Domino
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.