Visitors to the Liberace Museum can now see an exhibit of the entertainer's Fabulous Footwear for the next three months.
The exhibit features a dozen shoes, from red sequin sneakers to white leather boots with a cutaway candelabrum-detail.
Liberace actually wore each pair, according to Tanya Combs, manager of museum operations.
"Some of them (the shoes) were worn on the inside where they pushed the pedals," Combs said. "We repaired some of them to put them on display."
Combs said the museum, located at 1775 E. Tropicana Ave., already had the footwear in its possession, along with matching costumes.
"We thought we should do an exhibit of shoes because they are so much fun," she said.
The Fabulous Footwear exhibit opened Sept. 10.
According to Combs, the museum changes out each exhibit, including the display of full costumes, every few months for preservation purposes.
"We try to keep the most spectacular costumes out," she said.
When the items are taken down, they are stored flat in an acid-free box. The challenge of preserving the items, Combs said, is in the delicate sequins, stones and beads, as well as the sheer weight of many of Liberace's elaborate costumes.
Each pair of shoes holds a unique story. A pair of pink loafers with intricate beadwork on the front was designed in 1967, before Liberace's regular costumes included the elaborate capes he was later known for. Liberace wore them during live performances and for his television series in 1969.
He wore a pair of sequined Keds -- or Vans-style sneaker -- with a red sequined sweat suit for a skit on the "Mike Douglas Show" in 1966.
A pair of red, white and blue oxford shoes topped off a pair of beaded hot pants and a baton, resembling a drum major. Liberace debuted that costume at Caesars Palace in 1972.
The collection also includes a pair of blue fabric knee-high boots topped with tan mink fur. Costume designer Michael Travis and fur designer Anna Nateece collaborated in 1974 to create the boots, a partnership that lasted until Liberace's death in 1987.
Most of the shoes have at least a 2-inch-thick heel. Combs said this is because the heels would help balance the weight of the costumes with which they were paired. Some of the costumes weighed more than 100 pounds, and Liberace stood 5 feet 10 inches tall, she said.
Combs speculated as to how Liberace might have carried such a load.
"We know Liberace loved to entertain," she said. "He loved it so much that he could do things most people couldn't."
Combs said there is no exact price on any of the shoes. Although Combs said many of the items have a value for insurance purposes, for the most part, "They are priceless."
"There's not only the cost of the designer, but Liberace owned these. How much would a fan pay?" she asked.
Liberace wore the costumes not to be flamboyant, Combs said, but because he knew fans loved the elaborate clothes. In short, she said, he had a formula that worked.
"People come in here with entertaining stories," she said. "It's so obvious that he enjoyed entertaining, and it showed through his costumes."
In addition to the new exhibit, executive director Darin Hollingsworth said one of his major goals was to attract more locals to the museum.
"They can realize one of the treasures that are in their own backyards. This is a uniquely Vegas experience," Hollingsworth said. "What people can enjoy here is everything from the extravagance of the bling to the joy of his music. Along the way, they are helping support all of the arts."
In May, the Liberace Museum began offering free admission to Nevada residents on the second Sunday of each month. On those days, the museum invites special guests or features exhibits.
Regular admission is $12.50 for adults and $8.50 for senior citizens and students with ID. Members of the Liberace Museum always get in free.
"My focal point, in addition to attracting locals, is helping people to know how Liberace was involved with the scholarship program. (The Liberace Foundation) has distributed over $5 million to students in the creative arts. We are one of the largest such foundations in the country," he said.
This year, the Liberace Museum celebrates its 30th anniversary. The 2006 Liberace Piano Competition will act as the highlight of events on Oct. 15. Unlike previous competitions, which were play-alike contests, this competition will feature classical performance and showmanship categories.
The competition will be divided into amateur and professional experience, and there is no age limit.
Hollingsworth said he wanted a more legitimized competition that could reflect Liberace's 17 years of classical training on the piano.
"Showmanship will be much like what the play-alike has been. They play on his rhinestone piano. It's a lot of fun for people because it's the last piano he played in public performance," he said.
Players in the classical competition will get to play on a loaned Bosendorfer piano, known for its nine additional sub-bass notes that give it a full octave more than other concert pianos.
Musicians will compete for a cash award and trophy.
The competition will feature several guest judges, including Jack Gaughan, the musical director and conductor for "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular"; Evangelina Duke Todd, the regional manager for Bosendorfer Pianos of Las Vegas; David Osborne, featured pianist at Caesars' Café Lago; Anna Nateece, Liberace's fur designer; and Harold Weller, founder and music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
Tickets to the event are $10. In addition, all Nevada residents will receive free admission to the museum on that day.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
