Friday, February 24, 2017

1944 | LOREN MACIVER | JIMMY SAVO'S SHOES

1944 | Loren MacIver
Jimmy Savo's Shoes | Oil On Canvas

Source: MoMA


Although Savo was a popular and critically acclaimed performer in the decades between the two World Wars, it may well be that he will be best remembered as the subject of the poem in which E.E. Cummings described the "(childlost / so;ul / )foundclown"


so little he is
so.
Little
ness be

(ing)
comes ex
-pert-
Ly expand:grO

w
i
?n
g

Is poet iS
(childlost
so;ul
)foundclown a

-live a
,bird
!O
& j &

ji
&
jim,jimm
;jimmy

s:
A [end page 52]
V
o(

.
:
;
,

(Complete 471)


The radically different appearance of this poem may bewilder and confuse a reader not familiar with Cummings’ poetry. The poet’s intention, however, was not to baffle the reader but to communicate visually as well as verbally. This poem defies reading aloud. Much of its effect would be lost in the reading, for the appeal is greater to the eye than to the ear. It is what Cummings called a "poem-picture" and can perhaps be termed "visual poetry."  
Source: SPRING. The Journal Of The E.E. Cummings Society


(WHY DOES NOBODY TALK ABOUT) CLOWN SHOES?
TBAMFW # 20

SHOES & ART
1932 - 2009


1944 | Loren MacIver
Portrait Of Jimmy Savo

Source: Mutual Art


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

1936 - 2016 | KENZO, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS

There were slouchy camouflage pants, oversize barn jackets, and raw denim jackets that had a certain cool polish that was amplified by the metallic spiral-heeled shoes, an off-kilter twist on the classic disco sandal. 
Chioma Nnadi | October 2016, Paris
Vogue

2016 | Kenzo (S/S 2017)
1953 | André Perugia
Photograph: UP Photos
Source: Il Costume e la Moda


Humberto Leon and Carol Lim kept the shoe designs simple. Metallic rope crossed uppers were paired with unconventional metallic heels look like coiled spring, spiraled up in a cone shape, like the freshly curled hairstyle back in 70’s.
 

1936 | The corkscrew heel (bottom right and - reflected - top left)
All André Perugia models

Courtesy: Shoe Icons

CORKSCREW YOU

The heel shaped "like a freshly curled hairstyle back in 70's" was designed by André Perugia in 1936. The press photograph was a touch of genius much like Perugia's creations: the unknown photographer (ACME Agency) left the heel hidden in plain view.

In 1953 Perugia resurrected the corkscrew heel as part of a metal-shanked collection showcased at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Now, wait a second, 1936 - 2016 makes 80 years: hey Kenzo, you are celebrating the anniversary, aren't you?


ANDRE PERUGIA
BOTTIER
I N D E X


1936 | Model Mary Palermo shod in Perugias
ACME Press Photo
Courtesy Shoe Icons

FOOTNOTE

Apparently no one noticed, which says a lot about the current state of fashion journalism; no one but a nice little Pinterest board run by shoe designer Guillem Turró Casanovas.

Friday, February 17, 2017

1936 - 2017 | JANNIS KOUNELLIS | IN MEMORIAM

1975 | Jannis Kounellis
Artist's shoes with golden soles
Source: e-flux


Vivere in Italia é un mestiere.

To live in Italy is a job in itself.


Jannis Kounellis
2011 - PassepArtout/RAI




2015 | Jannis Kounellis
Untitled (Naples Subway Station)
Source/Photograph: Cinzia Toscano/Flickr

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

IS JUST A FOUR LETTER WORD

Seems like only yesterday
I left my mind behind
Down in the Gypsy Café
With a friend of a friend of mine
She sat with a baby heavy on her knee
Yet spoke of life most free from slavery
With eyes that showed no trace of misery
A phrase in connection first with she I heard
That love is just a four letter word
Bob Dylan
Love Is Just A Four Letter Word, 1964

It's been written that the song's title is taken off a line from Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof; it isn't.



1972 | André (France)
Shopwindow in Berlin

Saw it in books and read it on T.V.
it don’t mean nothing to me
little girl, I got a question
come on babe and teach me a lesson
What’s this sh*t called love?
well, I don’t know
what’s this sh*t called love?
I don’t know, baby, I don’t care
they got nothing that I wanna share
look at me and tell me you feel something
anything, it could be better than nothing
What’s this sh*t called love?
The Pagans
What's This Sh*t Called L*ve, 1978


1980's | Margaret Jerrold
Source: Shoe Icons

You spurn my natural emotions
You make me feel I'm dirt and I'm hurt
And if I start a commotion
I run the risk of losing you and that's worse
Ever fallen in love with someone
Ever fallen in love, in love with someone
Ever fallen in love, in love with someone
You shouldn't have fallen in love with?
Buzzcocks
Ever Fallen In Love, 1979



1991 | Christian Louboutin
Source: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

You woke me from a big sleep
You taught me how to think cheap
You woke me from a big sleep
When you kissed me... oooohh
On the cheek

I don’t ever wanna sleep again
Now that I’ve found love
I don’t ever wanna sleep again
Now that I’ve found love …
The Only Ones
The Big Sleep, 1980 


Prada: top left, middle right, bottom left
Georgina Goodman: Leon Love Sandals: top center, middle left
Giorgio Properzi: bottom right

Saturday, February 11, 2017

1930 | RENÉ MAGRITTE | THE KEY TO DREAMS

1930 | René Magritte | La Lune/The Moon
Frim: The Key To Dreams series | Oil On Canvas | Detail
Private Collection


In the Key to Dreams series, Magritte returns to one traditional and stable way that words and images can share a frame, namely with the word as name or legend of what is also depicted in the fashion of vocabulary flash cards or early reading workbook sheets. Pierre Sterckx says they are images from the Petit Larousse. Not just an equivalence of word and thing, but an exact match is implied.
Source: University of Washington


RENÉ MAGRITTE
1935 | La Modèle Rouge | The Red Model
1935 | L'Amour Dèsarmè
1947 | Philosophy In The Boudoir

SHOES & ART
1932 - 2009



1930 | René Magritte
The Key To Dreams | Oil On Canvas
Private Collection













1930 | René Magritte | La Lune/The Moon
Frim: The Key To Dreams series | Oil On Canvas | Detail
Private Collection

1930 | René Magritte
The Key To Dreams | Oil On Canvas
Private Collection

Thursday, February 9, 2017

CA. 1934 | ANDRE PERUGIA'S PADOVA AT THE V&A | EVENING SHOES AND MATCHING HANDBAG


1934 | André Perugia | Patent detail
Patent filed January 29, 1934 | Granted March 13, 1934
Source: Google Patents

We're chasing this Perugia shoe for a while now and then a model, probably from the same collection, turned up unannounced at the renowned Victoria & Albert Museum of London. It's a pair of evening shoes in green silk crêpe with leather openwork, made under the label Padova.



Ca. 1934 | André Perugia's Padova
Evening shoes | Green Silk
Crêpe With Leather Openwork
Source: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London


We can't say it's a perfect match: the ankle-strap is slightly different, so are the small buckle and the vamp cutouts, but heel, instep and toe seem identical, so we say circa 1934 just to be on the safe side.



André Perugia's Padova
1934 | André Perugia Patent

Also, the Victoria & Albert museum keep a matching clutch bag that we can show thanks to V&A Assistant Curator Elisabeth Murray. She went the proverbial extra mile and sent us all the details shown here below.


Ca. 1934 | André Perugia's Padova hand bag
Green Silk
Crêpe With Leather Openwork
Courtesy Elisabeth Murray © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Ca. 1934 | André Perugia's Padova hand bag
Bottom left: closed/open small purse with mirror
Courtesy Elisabeth Murray © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Ca. 1934 | Padova, Paris
Left shoe, sole detail
Courtesy Elisabeth Murray © Victoria and Albert Museum, London


1934 | ANDRE PERUGIA

Padova Custom Shoe Shop Opening
At Saks Fith Avenue, New York

André Perugia Incognito
At the Metropolitan Museum Of Art

André Perugia
Bottier
I N D E X



1934 | André Perugia's PADOVA at Saks Fifth Avenue | ad detail
Source: The New York Sun


© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

1957 | ANDRE PERUGIA'S PARADOX FOR I.MILLER | THE OPEN/CLOSED LOOK

1957 | Andre Perugia
The Paradox For I.Miller | detail

The PARADOX by I. MILLER 
What is a fashionable paradox?
The shoe that’s both open and pointedly closed at the toe … a never-before silhouette created by André Perugia for I. Miller. Like eating-your-cake-and-having-it-too, Paradox blends the flattering open toe and elegant closed taper.

I. Miller advertisement
Arizona Republic - October 28, 1957


1957 | André Perugia | Detail
Patent filed March 11, 1957 - Granted September 8, 1958
Source: INPI (Institute National de la Propriété Industrielle - France)


Generally the barefoot shoes have the disadvantage that the foot slides easily forward so that the ends of the toe fingers protrude from the tip of the sole, which is very unsightly.

To this end, the present shoe is mainly characterized by an extension having a projecting part preferably profiled like the tip of a city shoe and of which the back part of it forms a rest for the toe fingers.


André Perugia
March 11, 1957
(From the patent paperwork)



Les chaussures féminines dites pieds nus présentent généralement l'inconvénient que le pied glisse facilment vers l'avant de telle sorte que les extréités des doigts de pied débordent par rapport au bout de la semelle, ce qui est fort disgracieux.

A cet effet, la présente chaussure est caractérisée principalement en ce qu'elle comporte, au-delà de l'emplacement qu'occupent normalement les extrémités des doigts de pied, un prolongement présentant une partie saillante préférablemnt profilée comme le bout d'une chaussure de vilel et dont la face postérieure forme butée pour les dits doights.


André Perugia
11 Mars, 1957


1957 | André Perugia
Above: Patent drawing detail
Below: André Perugia | Blue Canard Satin

1957 | André Perugia
Perugia For I.Miller | detail
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Patent drawing detail
Source: INPI (Institute National de la Propriété Industrielle - France)



"André Perugia has just created a collection that responds to the avant-garde trends of tomorrow's fashion. It is the "French look" line with the curved profile, which without hindrance of the foot, presses lightly on the ground, gently sloping at the end of the shoe. The heel height refines the leg revealed by the very short skirt. More open shoes, or better, a small firm end that holds the foot and forms a base where the fingers rest in abandonment.

A line revolution highlighted by frequently mixed materials: kid and silk, varnished and reptile. Also fabrics take place in this collection: elastic fabric, silk, cotton and nylon blends, brocaded ribbons and a woven metal."


L'Art Et La Mode | 1958




“André Perugia vient de créer une collection qui répond aux tendances d’avant gard de la mode de demain. C’est la ligne “french look” au profil galbé, qui sans gêner le pied, appuie légèrement au sol, en pente douce, le bout du soulier. La hauteur du talon affine la jambe que découvre la jupe très courte. Plus de bouts ouverts, mais au contraire un petit bout plein qui retient le pied et forme un socle où les doigts reposent dans un abandon aisé.

A cette revolution de la ligne s’ajoute celle des matières fréquemment mélangées: chevreau et soie, verni et reptile. Le tissue intervient souvent dans cette collection, tissue elastique, soie, mélanges de coton et nylon, rubans brochés ainsi qu’un tissé de metal.”


L'Art Et La Mode | 1958



1957 | André Perugia
Pair of shoes auctioned for € 550 | June 2013
Source: Cornette De Saint Cyr, Paris

1957 | André Perugia for I.Miller
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gift Of I.Miller Inc.) - Dated Mid-Fifties

1957 | André Perugia
At Museo Rossimoda | Photograph: Dives-Gianfranco Brusegan - Dated 1952
Source: Scarpe! (Rizzoli, 2010)



ANDRE PERUGIA
BOTTIER




1957 | André Perugia
Patent filed March 11, 1957 - Granted September 8, 1958
Source: INPI (Institute National de la Propriété Industrielle - France)

Sunday, February 5, 2017

1870 | HENRI CHARLES GUERARD | LES BOTTINES

1870 - 1877 (Approximate) | Henri Charles Guérard
Les Bottines | Etching
Source: The New York Public Library


1888 | HENRI CHARLES GUERARD
THE ASSAULT OF THE SHOE

SHOES & ART
1832 - 2011

Friday, February 3, 2017

1929 | ANDRE PERUGIA | THE ARTICULATED WOODEN SOLE | PART 2


WOODEN SOLES FOR SHOES 
SHOES are not left behind in this hectic period of change. Monsieur Perugia who is the leader of shoe designers, has created something very ingenious when he gives as the wooden sole. Last season he showed the utility of wooden soles for golf or walking wear as they are rainproof as well as being much lighter than crepe rubber. Now we find the dressy type of shoe with half-inch soles of wood intersected by three grooves of aluminum running crosswise, thus giving even greater flexibility for walking or dancing. 
A typical Perugia model showing this idea is a red suede sandal made on the lines of a Greek sandal and with a scroll design of gold kid as decoration. The heel is of gold in a raised floral pattern and the same colouring is carried out round the edge of the sole, thus disguising its thickness. 
Christine | Post From Paris
Brisbane Courier | April 4, 1929

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

FRATELLI FABBRI | INDEX





FRATELLI FABBRI

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967


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



1966 | FRATELLI FABBRI | Bologna
Footwear Oscar winner
Source: Calzature Italiane di Lusso magazine

((( U P D A T E S )))

Year Unknown | Shoe & Cat
Photograph: Nina Leen
Source: Google Arts & Culture/LIFE Photo Collection


1951 | ANDRE PERUGIA FOR I. MILLER
IT'S A SHOE-IN

ANDREA PFISTER
I N D E X

1939 | 'THE' SANDAL OF THE AUTARCHIC ERA
AT THE MUSEO INTERNAZIONALE DELLA CALZATURA, VIGEVANO

1955 | ROGER VIVIER FOR DIOR/DELMAN
THE RHINESTONE BALL HEEL

1956 | ANDRE PERUGIA
THE CIRCLET BOOT FOR I.MILLER

1956 | I. MILLER IS THE TREND | ANDRE PERUGIA FOR I. MILLER
THE PATENTED CHANGEABLE HEEL

CAPOBIANCO
BOTTIER CREATEUR

SIMONE SIGNORET
SHOD IN CAPOBIANCO

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING #19
BACK TO THE BOOTS



Year Unknown | Shoe & Cat
Photograph: Nina Leen
Source: Google Arts & Culture/LIFE Photo Collection

Year Unknown | Shoe & Cat
Photograph: Nina Leen
Source: Google Arts & Culture/LIFE Photo Collection

Year Unknown | Shoe & Cat
Photograph: Nina Leen
Source: Google Arts & Culture/LIFE Photo Collection