DON’T MISS!: MADE FOR WALKING
Good news for foot fetishists! No need to wait until next month’s opening of the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” for your fix.
The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology has stepped into the breach with the new exhibit “Boots: The Height of Fashion.” It showcases 20 eye-popping pairs of the footwear that has empowered — and, yep, in some cases, crippled — generations of women.
Curated by a team of FIT grad students, it examines how boots have become “powerful expressions of sexuality, rebellion and status.”
We’re not talking rubber galoshes or, as the Brits call them, “wellies,” but ankle-skimming booties, towering platforms and red-soled traffic-stoppers.
Beginning with tightly fitted, curved-heel walking boots from the Victorian era, the display features the iconic “mod” designs of the 1960s and drool-worthy submissions from Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin. No licking allowed.
Through April 6 at Seventh Avenue and 27th Street; 212-217-4558, fitnyc.edu. Free.
— Jane Ridley
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WING IT ON!: FOR THE BIRDS
Hunting John James Audubon’s iconic original avian watercolors could be as challenging as bird hunting itself. The 180-year-old paintings, on display at the New-York Historical Society starting today, only come out of hibernation for three months at a time.
“They’re highly fragile,” explains curator Roberta Olson, who also wrote the book “Audubon’s Aviary,” on which this exhibit, “Audubon’s Aviary: Part I of the Complete Flock,” is based. “We know that these are national treasures.’’
The show will highlight every original watercolor which Audubon included in his book “The Birds of America,” which began publication, in parts, in 1827.
Audubon, says curator Olson, is “the American Leonardo” and “the Lewis and Clark of American ornithology!”
Through May 19 at 170 Central Park West; 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
— Tim Donnelly
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WATCH IT!: DRIVIN’ MOVIE
Walter Hill’s “The Driver’’ didn’t seem like anything special back in 1978 — The Post’s Archer Winsten complained about “all that conspicuous waste of gasoline, rubber and stars.’’ But its reputation has grown so much over the years that the overpraised 2011 hit “Drive’’ was an homage. That one cast Ryan Gosling as a version of Ryan O’Neal’s taciturn, expert getaway driver in the earlier film — which, truth be told, has better stunt driving than “Drive.’’ An archival 35mm print is being shown tomorrow at 2 and 7 p.m. as part of the BAM Rose Theater’s tribute to O’Neal’s co-star Isabelle Adjani. Lafayette Avenue and Ashland Place, Fort Greene. Info: bam.org
— Lou Lumenick
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BRUSH UP!: MAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
While Capital One wants to know what’s in your wallet, cult favorite beauty brand Make Up For Ever wants to know what’s in your makeup bag — and teach you how to use it.
At a beauty-trailer pop-up in Manhattan, the cosmetics-challenged can book a 30-minute spot and bring in their very own bag of tricks for a free tutorial with an expert, regardless of whether you pack CoverGirl, Chanel or Duane Reade.
“Most women own tons of makeup they don’t use or know how to use,” says Simone Ciafardini, Make Up For Ever’s vice president of education and artistry. “We want to teach them how to use it or overhaul color or shades that are wrong.” No appointment? Pop by for five minutes and learn how to get the perfect red lip or foundation.
Tomorrow at Gansevoort Plaza, noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday at Union Square’s North Plaza, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For appointments and info, go to makeupbagremix.com.
— Kirsten Fleming
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GET A LISTEN!: SMASH NOTES
She does a marvelous Marilyn on “Smash,” but Megan Hilty’s live show lets her be much more than Monroe — Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, even Frank Sinatra. “We did this show at the Kennedy Center in November, and it went so well!” Hilty says, as her Jack Russell terriers bark in the background. “It’s all the songs we know and love!” Tonight, at Carnegie Hall, she’ll be backed by the New York Pops. What can we expect from her “Smash” alter ego this season? “Change!” she promises. “When we last met Ivy, she was in a really dark place . . .” Kind of like the ratings for “Smash”? “I learned something a long time ago,” Hilty says. “As an actress, there’s very little I actually have control over. All I can do is show up and do my best.” We bet she will. 8 p.m., Seventh Avenue at 57th Street; 212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org.
— Barbara Hoffman
