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What tale do Margaret Atwood’s moccasins tell? Toronto shoe museum displays them and connects the dots

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One museum is celebrating the 150th year of Canada’s confederation with an exhibition of shoes. You heard right, footwear are on display from countrymen who’ve made an extraordinary contribution to film, music, science, art and athletics.

The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto on Thursday rolled out “Shining Stars: Canada’s Walk of Fame.” It includes “The Handmaid’s Tale” author Margaret Atwood’s beaded moccasins, which she bought in 1968. They are one of three pairs owned by Atwood, including a crocheted pair of peacock feather shoes, in the museum’s collection.

Other shoes in the show come from actress Catharine O’Hara and folk singer Gordon Lightfoot. The show will remain on display through Dec. 31.

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The museum, by the way, has 13,000 artifacts. Visitors can see footwear from ancient Egypt as well as Queen Victoria’s ballroom slippers and Elvis Presley’s blue loafers. It opened in 1995, based on the shoe collection of businesswoman Sonja Bata.

Other shows at the museum include “Traditional Arctic Footwear From the Bata Shoe Museum Collection” and “Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels.”

Info: Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor St. West, Toronto

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