Salvatore Ferragamo, renowned for its iconic shoes and rich history of Hollywood costume design, announces its collaboration with Oscar(R) winning costume designer Catherine Martin to create Nicole Kidman's shoe wardrobe for the upcoming film, Australia. Directed by Baz Lurhmann and scheduled for a November 2008 release, the creative collaboration between Ferragamo's designers and Ms. Martin has resulted in an exceptional collection of beautiful, original shoes. Drawing from period references and originals from the Salvatore Ferragamo archive, the design team created a wardrobe rich in historical content and detail, worthy of the House's tradition of Hollywood "Shoemaker to the Stars".

In the film, Ms. Kidman plays a 1940s aristocrat who embarks upon an epic journey. While trying to save her ranch, Faraway Downs, from a takeover plot, she joins forces with a rough-hewn stock- man (played by Hugh Jackman) to drive 2000 cattle across Australia, only to face the bombing of Darwin by the same Japanese forces who had months earlier attacked Pearl Harbour. From a classic wedge worn at social gatherings at Faraway Downs to a riding boot worn for a cattle drive across the unforgiving landscape of the Outback, to an evening sandal featured at the Governor's Ball in Darwin, Ferragamo's designers, overseen by Women's Accessories Director James Ferragamo, created a range of exceptional one-of-a-kind shoes for Ms. Kidman's character, Lady Sarah Ashley.

    "We are extremely proud and honored to work with the visionary filmmakers, director Baz Luhrmann and designer Catherine Martin. We were very confident that, through their passion and creativity, they would realize an unprecedented vision." states James Ferragamo. "My grandfather, Salvatore Ferragamo, began his career working in costume design for the
American Film Company, a precursor to Twentieth Century Fox, so it is only fitting that we carry on his name and our company's heritage by collaborating once again on a film from Fox."

    Ferragamo continues, "In fact, in The Covered Wagon (1923) one of the first films that my grandfather worked on, he created a pair of riding boots. These archival boots were referenced when creating the riding boots for Nicole Kidman's character."

    In conjunction with costume designer Catherine Martin, the Ferragamo design studio referenced many shoes from the archives, including some worn by aristocrats during the '30s and '40s, characters similar to Lady Sarah Ashley. The color palette and design details, while created to help realize the filmmakers' fantastical vision, were also authentic to the designer and the period. The deep Ferragamo red that features in the evening sandal worn by Kidman's character during the pivotal Governor's Ball scene was already something of a House signature in the '40s. And the ribbed wedge detail featured in the shoe worn by Lady Sarah Ashley at her homestead on Faraway Downs derives from a style created originally for Katherine Hepburn.

    Each of the exquisite models is created entirely by hand and will join fashion history with other famous designs by Salvatore Ferragamo. Ms. Kidman's glamorous evening sandal, in ruched deep red velvet with stingray accents, will be unveiled and offered for sale as a limited-edition style at Ferragamo stores worldwide in November 2008. Sold in distinctive and
collectible packaging and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity that tells the history and unique features of the piece, the limited edition shoe will return to the company's archives at the Salvatore Ferragamo museum at Palazzo Spini Feroni in Florence, Italy once it is sold out.

    A symbol of consolidated craftsmanship and creative innovation, Salvatore Ferragamo is one of the world's most important and best known 'Made in Italy' luxury brands. Originally founded in 1927, and achieving fame as the 'shoemaker to the stars' in Hollywood, Salvatore Ferragamo opened his 'Hollywood boot shop' and ultimately, famous names such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Sofia Loren became devoted customers. Palazzo Spini Feroni in Florence, Italy has housed the headquarters of Ferragamo since 1938, along with the flagship store. The Ferragamo museum, which comprises a collection of over 13,000 models of shoes created by Salvatore Ferragamo, is also located within the Palazzo.

    Ferragamo USA, Inc. is a fully owned subsidiary of Salvatore Ferragamo Italia, still owned and operated by the Ferragamo family. A leader in luxury fashion, Ferragamo is sold in North America at fine specialty and department stores as well as in its own retail stores. The Salvatore Ferragamo company has more than 500 branded stores worldwide.

    AUSTRALIA
    Action-Adventure-Romance
    Release: November 14
    Director: Baz Luhrmann
    Story by: Baz Luhrmann; Screenplay by Baz Luhrmann and Stuart Beattie
    Produced by: Baz Luhrmann
    Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown
   
AUSTRALIA is an epic and romantic action adventure, set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II. In it, an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) travels to the faraway continent, where she meets a rough-hewn local (Hugh Jackman) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world's most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to still face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor. With his new film, Luhrmann is painting on a vast canvas, creating a cinematic experience that brings together romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.

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