Our shoes tell tales. In their nicks and scuffs, their brilliance or blandness, their utility or their whimsy, they bear the imprint of where we’ve been, and reveal volumes about who we are – at least to those who care to look.
For this exclusive gallery, LIFE.com asked renowned photographer Craig Cutler to capture the souls of the sandals, sneakers, stilettos, and slippers of some of the most famous people to have walked the earth in the past 100 years.
Pictured: Elton John: Platform Boots, Circa 1974 -1976
The English musician wore these specially made silver boots bearing his initials during the period he formed his own label, Rocket Records, and publicly admitted that he was bisexual. He announced his retirement from performing in 1977. (It would prove to be temporary.)
