"As long as the leather was good, New Englanders would hold onto their shoes," she added. The opening reception is in the Randall Gallery, located at 9 Market Square, on Feb. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m.

A running shoe and apparel company recently launched a cutting-edge, laceless, robot-made racing sneaker; Olympians wore them in Paris, and soon, for a crisp $450, you will be able to don them, too.