Street View 218: In Bowie's shoes

Street View is a fashion series in which Isa Giallorenzo spotlights some of the coolest styles seen in Chicago.

Isa Giallorenzo

I’ll be honest: I’ve never been a huge David Bowie fan. That said, “David Bowie Is,” opening today at the Museum of Contemporary Art, gave me a new appreciation for the Thin White Duke. As Abraham Ritchie, MCA’s the social media manager put it: “David Bowie showed [that] you can be yourself or whoever else you want to be.” Through his stage persona Bowie paved the way for a bunch of other artists and fans to let their freak flags fly. Now it’s almost a prerequisite for a pop star to be a weirdo—but in the 60s? Not so much. What strikes me as being the most important aspect of his work is how it flouted gender boundaries. He definitely rocked both sides of the male-female spectrum, which exhibit-goers can see in the very entertaining video “Boys Keep Swinging.” He even tackled one of the biggest challenges of lady life: uncomfortable footwear. Without further ado, imagine what he had on his mind by looking at what he put on his feet. More shoes after the jump, and many more glitzy outfits at the MCA Chicago.