2 July—Imelda Marcos turned 97 today. Remember her? She was glamorous First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, while her husband Ferdinand was president. He died in 1989, and now her only son, Bongbong, is president.

Ferdinand Marcos was initially elected democratically albeit corruptly (of course), and he stayed in power undemocratically and corruptly (of course). In other words, he was a dictator. In what he called “constitutional authoritarianism,” Marcos consolidated and fortified his power by bypassing—and even in one instance shutting down—the legislature and ruling by decree. True to form, he censored the media and had political rivals and uncooperative journalists jailed.

Donald Trump has expressed admiration—and likely envy—for Ferdinand Marcos as “a strong leader.” Of course.

Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos stole billions of dollars from the Filipino people, amassing a personal fortune estimated by some to have been as much as ten billion U.S. dollars by the time they were deposed in 1986. Trump, on the other hand . . .

Donald Trump has known Imelda Marcos since her appearance on the New York jet-set scene during her trial (and surprise acquittal) on federal racketeering charges. He must revere her for what’s known as her “edifice complex,” wherein as Philippine First Lady she ordered construction of many ostentatious (if not necessarily superfluous) architectural projects in short order and—of course—at public expense.

When Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown by the nonviolent People Power Revolution that brought Corazon Aquino to office in 1986, he, Imelda, and Bongbong and his sisters (great title for a movie) were flown by U.S. military transport at President Ronald Reagan’s behest to their abjectly luxurious exile in Hawaii. Imelda and the kids were allowed to return to the Philippines when Ferdinand died in 1991.

What, you must be wondering, about Imelda’s shoes? Well, Imelda Marcos is of course remembered mostly for her massive shoe collection, said, depending on the source, to have comprised between a paltry 1,000 and an impressive 3,000 pairs of the likes of high-heeled and overpriced (and typically undersized) Guccis, Chanels, Ferragamos, and Diors. In 1987, Imelda herself modestly claimed only 1,060 pairs. No surprise, by the way, that she also had some 400 Dr. Scholl’s inserts and foot powder. And even simple sneakers and flats. Really.

Through the decades, hundreds of Imelda’s shoes have been destroyed while in storage by flooding, mold, and bugs. There are only about 800 surviving pairs, many of them in a shoe museum in the Philippines.

And Imelda is said to be keeping her shoe collection current . . .