50'S | FROM THE VAULT | ITALIAN RELICS | CALZATURIFICIO FERRARI | PART 2

Calzaturificio Ferrari

Photo: P. Omodeo Salè

Calzaturificio Ferrari

Photo: P. Omodeo Salè

Calzaturificio Ferrari

Photo: P. Omodeo Salè

Calzaturificio Ferrari

Photo: P. Omodeo Salè

Calzaturificio Ferrari

Photo: P. Omodeo Salè

All the photographs: Pierluigi Omodeo Salè

From: "Calzatura - Documenti Di Fotografia Dagli Anni '50 Agli Anni '70"

Edited by Nella Zanotti - Diffusioni Grafiche, 1991

CALZATURIFICIO FERRARI
Part 1

2013 | EVERGREEN: THE FISH SHOE DESIGN

Ciclicamente qualcuno inventa la scarpa pesce spacciandola per novità. E ciclicamente qualcuno abbocca. Questa volta é toccato a Maria Teresa Veneziani (Corriere della Sera) che - osservando la nuova collezione del marchio Mario Valentino - ha scritto:

“Mario Valentino. L’inventore dello stiletto ha presentato il sandalo pesce, altissimo, con tanto di occhi”.

Maria Teresa Veneziani

Corriere della Sera - 21 settembre 2013

Every once in a while someone invents the fish-shoe. And all the time someone takes the bait. Enter journalist Maria Teresa Veneziani (Corriere della Sera daily): looking at the new Mario Valentino collection, she wrote:

Mario Valentino. Stiletto's inventor, showcased the fish-sandal, very high heel and eyes to boot. 

Maria Teresa Veneziani
Corriere della Sera - September, 21 2013

Mario Valentino
2013 | September, 20

Source: Corriere della Sera daily

Mario Valentino (l'uomo, non il marchio) aveva molti meriti, ma certamente non ha inventato lo stiletto, le cui origini vanno ricercate altrove. Come pure nulla ha inventato chi ha disegnato questa scarpa-pesce-2013 che palesemente si ispira al modello con cui André Perugia ha omaggiato il pittore George Braque: uno dei modelli più famosi della storia della calzatura.

Mario Valentino (the man, not the brand) had plenty of merits, but certainly did not invent the stiletto, whose origins are to be sought elsewhere. And the same goes to whoever designed this updated fish-shoe which is clearly inspired by the celebrated André Perugia model (homage to the painter George Braque): among the most famous designs in the footwear history.

1955 [NOT 1931] | André Perugia

Photo from: SHOES | Linda O'Keeffe

SOURCE: Workman Publishing, 1996

Mario Valentino SpA | SS 2014

Photograph by Francesco Trucchia

Source: Mario Valentino Facebook page

Mario Valentino, scomparso nel 1991, era un ammiratore di Perugia (diceva che disegnava gioielli più che scarpe) e molto probabilmente avrebbe apprezzato il tributo che la sua azienda ha offerto al bottier italo-francese, solo lo avrebbe fatto con più eleganza, citandolo espressamente.

The late Mario Valentino (he died in 1991) was a Perugia enthusiast ("He designed jewels not shoes" he said) and most likely he would have appreciated the tribute that his company has offered to the Italian-French bottier, only he would have done it with more flair and elegance.

F O O T N O T E

Fashion journalist Maria Teresa Veneziani (right) has other fish to fry

Source: Mario Valentino facebook page

UPDATE DECEMBER 2013/JANUARY 2014

2013 | Charlotte Olympia | London | S/S 2014
Catch Of The Day Platform Pump |
Hand Made In Italy (Same place as Valentino's??)
Available At Neiman Marcus € 931,54 ONLY

Year Unknown | From the archives of
Georgina Goodman
Source: Georgina Goodman

Everyone who know shoes knows this is not an original design yet it gave people an opportunity to wear a ode to such an iconic design. The proof I'm afraid is not on the internet.. the shoe was made a fair few years ago. It was not intended to rip off but celebrate.

Copying in fashion is rife but the intention of Georgina Goodman is not to produce copies but either celebrate the best and push design further but of course inspiration comes from a vast history of design. 

Laura Gostling
At Georgina Goodman

The One And ONLY Fish Shoe (& The First Clones)

ANDRE PERUGIA
TRIBUTE TO GEORGES BRAQUE | 1955 [NOT 1931]

1969 | VACCARI | BOLOGNA | PART 3/3

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

History Of The
SHOE FACTORY VACCARI
BOLOGNA

VACCARI
Index

ONE SIZE FITS ALL

1971 | riri
Photograph by Kurt Staub | Design by Ruedi Külling

1973 | Detail
From a Patek Philippe ad
Photograph by Heinz Müller

1982 | ITS-ARTEA (Industria Tessuti Speciali)
Synthetic materials
San Lorenzo di Parabiago, Milan

REBOOTED | MONKEY BOOTS VERSUS DR. MARTENS | TBAMFW 5.2

“Monkey Boots were popular in the late ‘70s with those who couldn’t afford Doc Martens. Not many places sell them but now we’re promoting them they’ll be all the rage.” 

Joe Strimmer, Punks Not Dad's guitarist

(Wales Online - July 2012)

Punks Not Dad | Monkey Boots
2012 - X Fist Records

On my first day I turned up in my monkey boots. Remember monkey boots, like Docs for midgets? In my junior school they thought my money boots were fine; in the secondary school there was a bunch of girls who wanted to beat me up for wearing them. Monkey boots, monkey boots, Robson's a monkey wearing monkey boots. I didn't know how to fight or anything then, good job I could run.

Andrew Davis
From: B. Monkey (Vintage, 1992)

The Loop | Monkey Boots CD EP
2013 - Havy Soul Records

Saints & Sinners | Skinhead Times
2012 - KB Records |  Czech Republic

No, get yourself a pair of the new smart, showy eleven-hole Doc Marten Astronauts, or even the cutesy Monkey boot. They looked great: shiny black, brown or Ox-blood with yellow laces. The only trouble with Monkey boots was that they came in small sizes also so all sorts could wear them, but I loved them, bought a pair in Ox-blood - what a name, even the polish sounded hard.

Chris Brown
From Booted And Suited (John Blake Publishing, 2009)

London | Reboot
2012 - Bin Liner Records
Photograph by Corbin Adler

Dr. Martens
The History in Pictures

Dr. Martens
& Agnostic Front

These Boots Are Made For Walking
Shoes On Record Jackets

F O O T N O T E

Peter Bowles
U.K. actor as featured on Monkey Boots video

Punks Not Dad | Monkey Boots
THE VIDEO

MARY POPPINS/MARY POPPS | SANT'ELPIDIO A MARE (MARCHE REGION) | HISTORY OF | PART 1

1970s | Maurizio Mandozzi design for the shoe factory Mary Poppins

Courtesy: Maurizio Mandozzi 

Eravamo certi che il MET di New York si sbagliasse pensando che il calzaturificio Mary Poppins fosse americano (ora corretto). Per contro, noi avevamo il sospetto che Mary Popps e Mary Poppins fossero due nomi per lo stesso calzaturificio, ma quasi tutto il resto ci era sconosciuto salvo che proprio il MET ne conservasse un modello e il Virtual Shoe Museum russo un'altro.

Tra gli elementi caratterizzanti: plateau e tacchi altissimi, in crèpe o rivestiti in pelle a strati di diversi colori o in camoscio, spesso evidenziati da curve inedite; punte rotonde, decorazioni geometriche e pelli in colori accesi o con laminature dorate o argentate.

We were sure that the NY's Metropolitan was mistaken about the shoe factory Mary Poppins being American (now amended). We thought Mary Popps and Mary Poppins were actually two names for the same shoe factory, but almost everything else was lost and unknown to us save for a model at the MET and another one at Russia's Virtual Shoe Museum.

Among the main Mary Pops/Mary Poppins features were plateau and high heels, in crepe or covered by leather layers in different colors or  by suede, often highlighted by unusual curves, geometric decorations and bright colors with gold or silver laminations.

1970s | Maurizio Mandozzi design for the shoe factory Mary Poppins

Courtesy: Maurizio Mandozzi 

Oggi sappiamo che quei modelli erano tutti riconducibili alla mano di Maurizio Mandozzi, un designer di Sant'Elpidio a Mare (Marche), grazie alle preziose informazioni forniteci da sua figlia, Valentina Mandozzi, che ringraziamo molto per la collaborazione.

Questo è quanto Valentina ci ha raccontato:

"Il Calzaturificio fu fondato a Sant'Elpidio a Mare con il nome di Mary Poppins nel 1963, da mio zio, Marcello Mandozzi, e Raffaele Giardini e col contributo di mio padre Maurizio Vittorio Mandozzi.  

Nacque come calzaturificio di articoli da bambina, un settore che a quel tempo utilizzava delle forme molto femminili e vicine allo stile da donna. Mio padre, Maurizio Mandozzi, all'epoca poco più che ventenne, disegnava tutte le collezioni per il Mary Poppins e collaborava anche con numerosi altri calzaturifici locali. A sua volta aveva imparato il mestiere dal padre Costantino, che era anche stato uno dei primissimi stilisti e modellisti della zona e fu anche nominato Cavaliere del Lavoro."

Today we discover that all those models were designed by Maurizio Mandozzi, a designer from Sant' Elpidio a Mare (Marche region), thanks to the priceless information provided by his daughter, Valentina Mandozzi.

This is what Valentina told us:

“The shoe factory Mary Poppins was founded in Sant 'Elpidio a Mare in 1963, by my uncle, Marcello Mandozzi, and Raffaele Giardini, with the contribution of my father Maurizio Vittorio Mandozzi. 

It started with the production of shoes for young girls, a sector using a very feminine style, close to women footwear. My father, Maurizio Mandozzi, then in his early twenties, used to design all the collections for Mary Poppins, while he was freelancing with many local shoe factories. He had learned his trade from his father Costantino, who had been one of the first stylists and designers in that area also honored as Cavaliere del Lavoro (Note: an award given by the Italian President to those who have made a major contribution to the country's economy)."

ca. 1973 | Maurizio Mandozzi design for the shoe factory Mary Poppins

Courtesy: Maurizio Mandozzi

Mary Poppins/Mary Popps
Part 2

Mary Poppins
1971

ca. 1973 | Maurizio Mandozzi design for the shoe factory Mary Poppins

Courtesy: Maurizio Mandozzi

CA. 1973 Mary Poppins sandal at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

FOOTNOTE

It's always nice to match a drawing with the actual shoe. As for the date, we now stick with the museum (ca. 1973) as we weren't able to match another pair in a magazine of the time. Also nice to note that the same sandal is featured in two books:

- HIGH STYLE
Masterworks From The Brooklin Museum Costume Collection At The MET
1993 | Published by The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, NY

- 100 SHOES
2011 | Published by Yale University Press & MET, NY

Both books erroneously mark Mary Poppins as an American brand, while the MET website is now amended after we sent them the information.

Mary Poppins as seen in 100 SHOES
2011 | Published by Yale University Press & MET, NY

1969 | FOOTWEAR OSCAR AWARD | GIULIANO GOBBI

1969 | Giuliano Gobbi Ad

“Creare come se si dovesse vivere eternamente, vivere come se si dovesse morire domani”

[Giuliano Gobbi]

Anticipando il linguaggio inutilmente pomposo del marketing moderno, il designer Giuliano Gobbi dava sfogo al proprio ego con un motto che, pensando a Julius Evola, mischiava James Dean con il Mahatma Gandhi. L’anno era il 1969 e l’Accademia della calzatura torinese gli assegnava l’Oscar per la modelleria femminile mentre diversi calzaturifici si contendevano le sue creazioni . 

Nato nel distretto calzaturiero di Stra, aveva da tempo adottato come suo territorio di elezione Montevarchi, dove morì nel 2004. Alle spalle l’esperienza con Christian Dior e Ferragamo, Giuliano Gobbi decise di presentarsi puntando sulla propria immagine (piuttosto che sui propri modelli) frequentemente bene in vista nelle pagine pubblicitarie. Uno dei rari casi italiani di designer nel settore calzaturiero - o meglio "tecnico modellista", come si definiva allora - che riuscì a rendere famoso il proprio nome e a lasciare una traccia di sé.

“Create as if you were to live forever. Live as if you were to die tomorrow”

[Giuliano Gobbi]

Predating modern baloney marketing lingo, designer Giuliano Gobbi's motto mix Mahatma Gandhi, James Dean and Julius Evola. It was back in 1969 and while he was in high demand among shoe factories, the Footwear Academy in Turin awarded him for his women footwear models. 

He was born in the import shoe production area of Stra (Venice), then moved to Montevarchi (Arezzo , Tuscany), where he died in 2004. After working for Christian Dior and Ferragamo, he decided to promote himself not only with his designs, but with his own image. You may not know him, but he is not forgotten.

1969 | Shoes by Calzaturificio Toma

Design by Giuliano Gobbi

1969 | Giuliano Gobbi ad

1969 | Shoes by Tuscan's shoe factory

Design by Giuliano Gobbi

1969 | Giuliano Gobbi 

Footwear Oscar Winner collection

1969 | Giuliano Gobbi
The awarded collection | Detail

1969 | Shoes by Calzaturificio Toma

Design by Giuliano Gobbi

1969 | Giuliano Gobbi (right)
Awarded by Agostino Puccio as the best designer for women's footwear

Turin - Footwear Academy

Giuliano Gobbi
Shoes at Spinelli's Private Museum | Torrita di Siena, Tuscany

ITALIAN
FOOTWEAR
OSCAR
T h e H i s t o r y
OSCAR
ITALIANI
DELLA CALZATURA

1935 | RENÉ MAGRITTE & FRIENDS | LE MODÈLE ROUGE/THE RED MODEL

1935 René Magritte | Le Modèle Rouge/The Red Model

Source: Musée National d'Art Moderne | Centre Georges Pompidou | Paris

1945 | Enrico Donati | Shoes (private collection)

and Breton's "Le Surréalisme et la Peinture" of the same year

SOURCE: TOUT FAIT | The Marcel Duchamp Studies Online Journal

1945 | Enrico Donati | Shoes

SOURCE: Chroniques Du Tsunami Financier

Enrico Donati was a close friend of Marcel Duchamp's, as well as a fellow surrealist painter.
Kim Whinna | Tout Fait

1969 | Clive Barker | Homage To Magritte

Screenprint On Paper

Source: TATE

VV.AA. Oddities Volume One

Bootleg

Oddities is a series that explore the obscure and sometimes rare 45's issues in the UK in the mid to late sixties.

1971 | Drawing by Joe Garnett

for FOOTPRINT (A&M Records)

Back cover of

Gary Wright - Footprint 

(A&M Records, 1971)

Source: Discogs

Joe Garnett is an american illustrator well known for iconic drawings such as Doors' Full Circle And Deep Purple's Stormbringer.

Terry Edwards & The Scapegoats - Boots Off!! 12"

(Wiiija Records, 1997)

Terry Edwards is a multi-instrumentalist English musician who released many works under his own name. He is a former member of the Gallon Drunk and collaborated with artists as diverse as P.J. Harvey, Tom Waits, Jesus & Mary Chain, Faust and SNUFF.

1986 | Pierre Cardin

Source: Shoes: Fashion And Fantasy - Colin McDowell (1989)

1989 | Manolo Blahnik | Siamese Shoes

Source: Shoes: Fashion And Fantasy - Colin McDowell (1989)

2009 | Comme Des Garcons

2013 | Cèline

SHOES & ART
1 8 3 2 - 2 0 0 9

Magritte Interpretations on

Flickrhivemind

1969 | VACCARI | BOLOGNA | PART 2/3

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

1969 | Vaccari

Bologna

History Of The
SHOE FACTORY VACCARI
BOLOGNA

VACCARI
Index