Twenty designers have agreed to re-create Dorothy’s  ruby slips to commemorate the 70th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” next year. The shoes will be auctioned in the Fall of 2009 and the proceeds will benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. From the New York Times, here are some of the sketches:

One of Betsey Johnson’s sketches.

 

A Jimmy Choo sketch.

Also according to the NYT,  “The Wizard of Oz” is Betsey Johnson’s favorite movie for fashion inspiration: “She once designed a collection that included the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy (played by her daughter, Lulu) leading a rented Toto for the occasion.”

Until they’re auctioned, the shoes will be featured at Saks Fifth Avenue and in Bryant Park in New York during the September fashion shows, and at Art Basel Miami Beach in December and elsewhere next year. Watch out for big names  like Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, and Manolo Blahnik.

Personally, I hope they don’t forget those endearing white socklets she was wearing with the slippers in the movie. Without them, the shoes just don’t look right (i.e., Dorothy-ready)!