Louise Mitchell was a curator of decorative arts and design at the Powerhouse Museum from 1984 to 2007 and is now a freelance curator. She has curated many exhibitions and contributed to a variety of publications including Christian Dior: The Magic of Fashion, 1994 and The Cutting Edge: Fashion from Japan, 2005.Lindie Ward began her career as a fashion designer in London and Montreal and later specialized in historical costume for the theatre. Lindie works as an assistant curator of decorative arts and design at the Powerhouse Museum and frequently advises museums and galleries on the display methods for historical costume. Christina Sumner is a principal curator at the Powerhouse Museum. Her specialist field is traditional textiles and textiles technology. She has curated numerous exhibitions at the Museum and co-authored their associated publications including Arts of Southeast Asia, 2001 and Bright Flowers: Textiles and Ceramics of Central Asia, 2004.

The Sponsor; The Director; Foreword, June Swann; Introduction, Louise Mitchell; The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Louise Mitchell; The twentieth century, Louise Mitchell; The Australian shoe industry, Lindie Ward; Joseph Box's 'exotic' shoes, Louise Mitchell with Christina Sumner; Listing of Illustrated Shoes; Credits; Further reading; About the authors