Imelda Marcos shoe museum reveals excess of a regime (2024)

As first lady of the Philippines for more than 20 years, Imelda Marcos was known for her extravagant and opulent lifestyle, including her special love for shoes.

The rule of her husband, former Philippines strongman Ferdinand Marcos, is largely remembered for its corruption and brutality.

As president from 1965 to 1986, Marcos ruled as dictator under martial law from 1972 until 1981 before being forced from office and fleeing the country in 1986.

When protestors stormed Malacanang Palace, it was famously discovered that more than 2,700 pairs of shoes had been left behind in Imelda's wardrobe.

She was later quoted as saying: "They went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes."

Thirty years later, hundreds of pairs of the first lady's obsession are to be found at the Shoe Museum in the northern city of Marikina.

It is a slice of the '70s, attracting locals and tourists alike at a time when new president, Rodrigo Duterte, is reviving the memory of Marcos to boost his own political authority.

Casting himself as a strongman leader in the Marcos mould, Mr Duterte wants to bury the disgraced dictator as a national hero and move his remains to the national Heroes' Cemetery in Manila.

The plan has revived pain and anger in torture victims and is being challenged in the Supreme Court.

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But in Marikina, the focus is on footwear — 800 pairs are on exhibit and venue manager Gina Romero said they came from a condominium in the prime business district of Makati where Mrs Marcos lived.

The shoes are a mix of local and imported brands — pairs by Ferragamo, Givenchy, Chanel, Christian Dior, Charles Jourdan and Bally, along with well-known local brands.

They come in high heels, flats, sandals, boots and slippers — many glittering with bling, all still in prime condition.

And the total cost? Museum staffer, Jimmy de la Rosa, said at the time, a pair of local shoes cost between $US6-11 while imported shoes cost up to $US100 or more a pair.

Mrs Marcos has a large shoe size compared with other Filipino women — her foot measuring 21.6 centimetres.

Shoe collection brings historical narrative to life

Among the hundreds on display, her favourite was a pair by Italian shoemaker Beltrami.

The black pumps, embedded with stones and gold sparkles, fitted her so well, Mrs Marcos ordered more pairs in the same style.

And it is this style that most visitors to the Shoe Museum come to see.

Monica, a 25 year-old Indonesian tourist, remembers stories her mother told her as a child about the Philippines' first lady who had so many shoes.

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This sparked Monica's curiosity and she promised herself that one day, she would see the famous shoes for herself.

Albert Mercado lived through martial law under the Marcos regime but the 66 year-old is forgiving.

He does not want to hold a grudge against the Marcos family and wants the Filipino people to heal from the wounds of the past — for him, it is the only way for the country to progress.

Cedric Morcoso, 21, is at the Shoe Museum with his girlfriend, Nina. Both are students, on a museum tour for their college course on tourism.

For them, details of the Marcos's rule is learned from history books and the stories of an older generation.

But the shoe collection brings the narrative to life, a bonus of their required museum project.

Some visitors cannot believe their eyes at the huge number of shoes that once belonged to just one person — Imelda Marcos.

Seeming to want to prove her love for shoes was reasonable, Mrs Marcos once said: "The most important time of my life, there was no shoes."

A common question answered by Museum staff is: "Are the shoes part of what was widely known as the Marcos's ill-gotten wealth?"

Ms Romero will not answer the question directly but said Mrs Marcos was often given shoes as gifts.

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During her husband's rule, local manufacturers would give Mrs Marcos 10 pairs of shoes a week.

And if a pair fitted her well, she would order the manufacturer to make her more and often a handbag to match.

Ms Romero said the shoe collection even interests anti-Marcos activists, who are keen to take a look, but reluctant to have their photos taken there, in case they are seen to be backing the Marcos legacy.

Many who come along express their horror at the show of excess and materialism, made evident by the hundreds of shoes on display.

It is a sentiment that resonates across the generations — during the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, activists and rebels were said to have been disgusted when they overran the Palace and found thousands of shoes in Mrs Marcos's closet.

And it was said that as she fled, Mrs Marcos grabbed her most comfortable shoes — a pair of espadrilles from Nordstrom.

Now, 30 years since they were forced from the Palace, much of the billions of dollars it is alleged the Marcos' stole from the Filipino people is yet to be recovered, despite the work of a full-time commission charged with recovering "all ill-gotten wealth".

Marcos died just three years later, in 1989, and Imelda returned to serve four terms in the House of Representatives as a congresswoman.

Now, she is often on the campaign trail on behalf of family members while the shoes that once made her famous as a first lady remain on display in sturdy closets in a museum.

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Imelda Marcos shoe museum reveals excess of a regime (2024)
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