PARIS — Historic department store Printemps is taking a stroll through the history of the shoe, with its latest exhibition, “Pas à Pas: La chaussure sous tous ses angles.”

Under its historic stained-glass dome, it has brought together more than 200 historical and contemporary shoes, from museum pieces and fashion-house creations to private collections and Printemps archives.

The free exhibition is organized into 11 sections exploring the shoe as a functional object, a fashion accessory and a source of desire.

New Printemps chief executive officer Rémy Baume joked that when he took the job in June, he knew he had “big shoes to fill.” It was fitting, then, that the first exhibition under his tenure features more than 200 pairs of footwear.

“Printemps is reaffirming its cultural ambition with this exhibition, which sits at the intersection of art, heritage and fashion,” Baume said in opening remarks. “For us at Printemps, it is a place of discovery, inspiration and culture for our customers. And through this exhibition, we want to offer our visitors an experience that nourishes their eye, awakens their curiosity and, of course, opens up new perspectives.”

The exhibition follows exhibits devoted to the handbag last year, and the jacket in 2024. It was brought together by general curator Sylvie Marot and scientific curator Marlène Van de Casteele.

For Baume, the curators succeeded in making an everyday object seem less, well, pedestrian.

“It is obviously much more than a fashion accessory. It has accompanied each of our steps forever. It protects us, it supports us, it reveals us, and it tells the story of an era as much as it tells our own story. It reflects the evolution of society, aesthetic aspirations and technical innovations, from our relationship with the body to freedom and movement,” he added.

Putting together the exhibition was less straightforward than mounting a conventional museum show. Van de Casteele said the team started without a collection of its own and without an acquisitions budget. Public museums were approached, but administrative lead times and conservation requirements made some loans difficult. The curators instead drew on specialist museums, private collectors, fashion houses, as well as Printemps’ own archives.

Among the lenders is the Shoes or No Shoes Museum in Kruisem, Belgium, and the Musée des Métiers de la Chaussure in Sèvremoine, France.

Private shoe designer and collector Olivier Jault also lent around 20 pieces, including a heel-less ankle boot by Jean Paul Gaultier from the spring 2012 collection, as well as a 2009 Maison Margiela shoe.

The exhibition also includes work by major fashion houses and designers including Alaïa, Balenciaga, Dior, Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Maison Margiela, Moschino, Puma, Rabanne, Roger Vivier and Vivienne Westwood.

Many of the pieces have never been displayed alongside one another before.

“What is important is to create a dialogue between pieces not of the same period, not on the same story, and when you put together, you create a confrontation or a dialogue, and it’s quite like a duet actually,” Marot said, noting the juxtaposition of modern high heels and Chinese lotus shoes, for example.

“It’s important for us to explain the context — not only the technique. It’s social, it’s a question of power, a question of modernity, of femininity,” she said.

For the third consecutive year, the department store has partnered with the fashion school ESMOD, asking students to reinterpret a Saison 1865 loafer for the Printemps Prize. It went to Camille Laveran for her two-tone “Double Billie” loafer, which will be produced for spring 2027 and sold at Printemps.

ESMOD vice president of development and brand image Véronique Beaumont said the partnership is part of the school’s efforts to strengthen ties with the industry as well as highlight its own heritage. She also noted that the crowd for the exhibits has grown at each edition.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 28.