Joan Crawford's Amazing Shoe Collection

Joan Crawford may be known for her acting career, scandal and controversy but a recently unearthed photo also shows she was quite a show afionaco and had an extensive shoe collection. In the photo, the flapper fashion icon stands before a closet crammed from floor-to-ceiling with stylish footwear.  ShoesTV is taking a look at the Hollywood icon famous for inspiring the book "Mommie Dearest."

Crawford gazes lovingly at her vast collection of shoes.

Like some of today’s hot stars, Crawford struggled with scandal in the midst of a successful acting career. She divorced three husbands, allegedly dabbled in extramarital affairs, and earned the label “box office poison” after her popularity temporarily dipped in 1938.

After Crawford died, her disinherited daughter Christina published a bestselling tell-all called "Mommie Dearest", which claimed the actress was an abusive alcoholic. Crawford’s high-profile friends were torn over the memoir. While some vehemently denied the allegations, others claimed they had witnessed abuse.

Whatever the controversy over her character, however, Crawford’s role as a fashionista remains undisputed.  She became one of the most famous flappers in Hollywood, such that writer F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Joan Crawford is doubtless the best example of the flapper, the girl you see in smart night clubs, gowned to the apex of sophistication, toying iced glasses with a remote, faintly bitter expression, dancing deliciously, laughing a great deal, with wide, hurt eyes.”  

Joan Crawford exhibited the classic flapper bob. 

Crawford openly discussed the effort she put into her appearance, even offering grooming advice in a memoir she published. Crawford allegedly exhibited obsessive compulsive behavior when it came to her own hygiene.  "I never go out unless I look like the movie star Joan Crawford,” Crawford explained. “If you want to see the girl next door, go next door."

Whether a bad parent or just quirky about cleaning, we have to admire Crawford's sense of style. In the published photo we’re seeing plenty of drool-worthy shoes. We hope disinherited Christina and her younger sisters Cindy and Cathy were able to snag a few pairs.

PHOTOS COURTESY: mothgirlwings.tumblr.com, stylelist.com