This is a pair of low heel closed shoe made from red velvet with bead embroidery and secured using a strap. Colourful sprays of flowers in orange and red form the main decorative motifs all round the piece. The beads used are possibly coloured seed or Rocaille beads, which were imported from cities in Europe such as Birmingham, Geneva, Venice and Lyon. Such beads were usually made of glass, faceted and compressed from both ends. From oral history accounts, the beads were purchased locally from peddlers such as the “klengtong” man or from specialised shops. This piece was possibly a pair of wedding shoes worn with the full wedding costume during the traditional 12 day Peranakan wedding. The ceremonial robe for the bride included a T-shaped garment reaching slightly below the knees and a skirt made into two pieces, a front panel and a back panel joined together at the waist by strings. The bride also wore a broad, circular collar made up of three or four layers of head panels arranged in concentric panels.
