Anello & Davide was founded in 1922 by Anello and Davide Gandolfi. They supplied bespoke dance shoes to London theatres and went on to provide shoes for films from the 1930s onwards. From the 1960s onwards the performance footwear that Anello & Davide sold became fashionable street wear. One particularly successful woman's style was the
tap-dancer's shoe with a bar strap and ribbon bows. These shoes were able to be easily customised by the wearer. It was a mark of recognition for Anello & Davide's footwear when two of their designs were selected to complete two of the first three
Dress Of The Year ensembles. They provided black leather
kinky boots to accompany a
Mary Quant ensemble in 1963, and a pair of shoes for a
John Bates dress in 1965.
Notable clients Beatle boots originated at Anello & Davide in the early 1960s. When
the Beatles first saw
Chelsea boots with
Cuban heels worn by a London band playing in Hamburg they were told where they were purchased from. They visited and purchased their own and they later commissioned their own variation. This modified version of a Chelsea boot is now known as a Beatles boot. After their visits to the shop they realised that they could commission any variety of clothes or shoes by simply requesting or providing specific material. Anello & Davide footwear is frequently mentioned in passing in theatrical memoirs and biographies of the mid-20th century London scene. The Beatle boots had a particular mystique, with
Mark Feld (later Marc Bolan) purchasing his first pair from Anello & Davide after a London-wide search for the perfect footwear to complete his
Mod outfit. Barbara Orbison, the widow of the singer
Roy Orbison, remembered how when she met her future husband in 1968, his boots were always made by Anello & Davide. In addition to the Beatles, Anello & Davide list
Marilyn Monroe,
Peter Ustinov,
Orson Welles,
Margaret Rutherford,
Jane Fonda and
David Niven as having been amongst their celebrity customers. They have also provided footwear to stage musicals such as
Cats and
Mamma Mia and to films including the
Indiana Jones and
Star Wars franchises. Anello & Davide are occasionally credited as the shoemakers who made the
ruby slippers worn by
Judy Garland as
Dorothy Gale in
The Wizard of Oz. This is not the case, as surviving shoes for the 1939 film are clearly labelled as being from the Innes Shoe Company in Los Angeles. On their website, Anello & Davide simply state they have been "called upon to create unforgettable cinema icons—such as Dorothy's unforgettable red slippers
The Wizard of Oz." or at the very least, made replicas for stage productions.
Production It takes an average of six months to make each pair of custom shoes using a cast of the client's foot.
Royal warrants granted • 1997: Royal Warrant for the Queen Mother • 2001: Royal Warrant for Her Majesty the Queen. ==References==