The much-anticipated film “Wicked: For Good” will transport audiences back to the magical world of Oz when it hits theaters on Friday, and that means fans will see more of the beautiful, bejeweled silver shoes showcased in the first installation of the Broadway-to-screen adaptation helmed by Jon M. Chu.
Featured in the first chapter, the dazzling footwear from the mind of costume designer Paul Tazewell takes on greater significance in the follow-up film, playing a pivotal role in the intersecting lives of Nessarose (Marissa Bode), Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Dorothy Gale. Below, FN breaks down the journey of the shoes.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for “Wicked: For Good.”
A spiraling, bejeweled silver pump is featured in “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good.”
Teased as an important family heirloom in “Wicked,” the shoes were initially gifted to Nessa in the first film by her father; they previously belonged to her and Elphaba’s late mother. The show-stopping shoes are enchanted in the second film by Elphaba, granting Nessarose with the ability to fly. Tragedy strikes later when antagonist Madame Morrible creates a tornado that sucks up Dorothy’s house from Kansas, and the house fatally falls on Nessarose.
Glinda then gifts the magical shoes to Dorothy, instructing her to travel to Oz so she can return to Kansas. Realizing they’ve been given to Dorothy, Elphaba is furious and fights to get the silver shoes back. She never does reclaim this family heirloom.
Sequined ruby slippers are famously featured in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”
Everett Collection / Everett Col
But wait — silver shoes? The original “The Wizard of Oz” film from 1939 is famously known for its ruby red slippers, as seen on the feet of Judy Garland’s Dorothy Gale. The iconic pumps are known for protecting Dorothy from the Wicked Witch of the West and bringing her back home to Kansas with three clicks of her heels and the repetition of “There’s no place like home.” The shoes have secured an indelible place in Hollywood history.
With “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” bringing the magical slippers to the big screen in the 21st century, some might wonder why the shoes underwent a major color shift. But those more familiar with the lore of “The Wizard of Oz” might recall that the shoes are actually silver in the original 1900 book written by L. Frank Baum.
Red was chosen for the 1939 film so MGM could boast the wonders of Technicolor. The color change from ruby to silver also has a legal basis — MGM retains the rights to the ruby-red slippers, and the “Wicked” films are distributed by Universal Pictures.
For the “Wicked” iteration of the shoes, known as the jeweled shoes, costume designer Paul Tazewell worked with artisan Miodrag Guberinic to bring them to life. Tazewell went with a spiral design, extending a crucial motif seen elsewhere in the film and nodding to the pivotal tornado.
“They needed to resonate in an iconic way, like the ruby slipper,” Tazewell said in an interview with WWD in 2024. “I wanted for it to not just be another ruby slipper, but to be specific to the world we were creating.”
While the ruby slippers featured 2,300 sequins, the newer pumps were hand-jeweled with 1,165 Preciosa crystals. This was done after the shoes were 3D-printed by Gubernic, who is also behind the crown worn by Glinda.
Tazewell received the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for his work on “Wicked,” making him the first Black man to win the award.
