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Situated at the intersection of art and design, A STEP BEYOND explores the complex relationship between footwear, fashion, society, and culture for the past 100 years. Both functional and fanciful footwear emerge from a collaborative process of creativity and craftsmanship focused on manipulating the four defining elements of footwear: the upper (entire part of the shoe that covers the top of the foot), the insole, the outer-sole, and the heel. These essential components are shaped by the fashion and taste of the era. Footwear therefore reflects the imagination, innovation, and artistry of its time. There is a shoe on view for everyone who has ever been inspired by the imagination and artistry of the shoe designer.
A STEP BEYOND showcases contemporary footwear from a variety of perspectives, presented in seven distinct categories:
THE SHOE AS STRUCTURE, SCULPTURE, AND PERFORMANCE GEAR | Highlighting artists/designers who successfully merge functionality with freedom of expression and extend the shoe into other artistic realms
THE SHOE AS FUNCTIONAL FOOTWEAR | Encompassing custom designed and handcrafted shoes for private clients; luxury, limited-edition creations made for a privileged clientele; and mass-produced shoes for the consumer market
THE SHOE AS COMPOSITION | Focusing on the illustrated shoe as fashion’s most important accessory
THE SHOE AS COLLECTIBLE | Centering on the phenomenon of shoe collectors and their collections
THE SHOE AS FASHION MARKER | Charting fashion trends and key developments in 20th and 21st century design
THE SHOE BEYOND LITERAL OBJECT | Featuring the shoe as protagonist in individual artistic narratives
THE SHOE AS DESIGN CHALLENGE | Otis alumni and faculty rise to the challenge of creating footwear with flair
ELISABETH THORSEN
Elisabeth Thorsen is a Norwegian shoemaker and artist. She graduated from the Norwegian shoemaker school in 2008 and has been making art out of shoes ever since. She approaches her projects with a unique angle as she is making pieces of art, not merely functional footwear. Her shoes have an aesthetic expression, pleasing to the eye as well as challenging to fully grasp. Thorsen likes to craft her shoes experimenting with non-traditional material not commonly used for shoemaking. Recycled material such as furniture, pencils, carpets, drapes and other unusual materials as ice, sugar, and sports tape have all been included in her shoe sculptures. Her inspiration is from fairytales, nature, art and 70s movies. Thorsen also does performances both live and in video productions. In 2017, Thorsen designed and launched her own limited collection of Goodyear welted shoes made in Portugal. Many of the shoes are made with hand-woven vintage carpets and vegetable-tanned leather. The carpet shoes are unique items; no pair is completely the same. Some of the plain leather shoes are unique collaborative pieces where other artists have been invited to decorate them. On view is a selection of the artist’s work that spans all categories: handmade and unique shoe sculptures, Goodyear welted functional footwear made in Portugal, shoes made for performance, and collaborations with other artists.
Elisabeth Thorsen, L-R: Tsar Saltan, 2013, Handmade shoes, embossed leather, hand-carved wood soles and heels; Rosemaling, 2013, Handmade shoes, fresh water pearls, antique beads, gold thread.
Elisabeth Thorsen, Tsar Saltan, 2013, Handmade shoes, embossed leather, hand-carved wood soles and heels; Rosemaling, 2013, Handmade shoes, fresh water pearls, antique beads, gold thread.
Elisabeth Thorsen, Shizaru (4th Monkey Boot), 2018, Leather, hand-carved wood heels. Carving by Trude Johansen
Although the story of the three monkeys is well known, there is actually a fourth monkey that often gets eliminated.Mizaru is the monkey covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, hears no evil; Iwazaru, covering his mouth, speaks no evil. The original Hindu and Buddhist version has a fourth monkey: Shizaru, who symbolizes "do no evil", and covers his genitals.
Elisabeth Thorsen, Shizaru (4th Monkey Boot), 2018, Leather, hand-carved wood heels. Carving by Trude Johansen, Detail
Elisabeth Thorsen, Shizaru (4th Monkey Boot), 2018, Leather, hand-carved wood heels. Carving by Trude Johansen, Detail
Elisabeth Thorsen, In Your Face, 2018, Modified leather shoe, boxing gloves
Elisabeth Thorsen, L-R: Easy Ticket to Hoppa-Hage, 2017, Marblized vegetable-tanned leather, chalk heels; Polka, 2018, Goodyear welted shoes, vegetable-tanned leather, hand-painted and hand-stitched details, in collaboration with Mari Jaeger, designer; Print Me a Birdie, 2015, Embroidery and EVA materials, In collaboration with Jens Stegger Ledaal; Print from Print Me a Birdie shoes, 2015, Ink on paper.
Elisabeth Thorsen, L-R: Easy Ticket to Hoppa-Hage, 2017, Marblized vegetable-tanned leather, chalk heels, Detail
Elisabeth Thorsen, Polka, 2018, Goodyear welted shoes, vegetable-tanned leather, hand-painted and hand-stitched details, In collaboration with Mari Jaeger, designer
Elisabeth Thorsen, Print Me a Birdie, 2015, Embroidery and EVA materials, in collaboration with Jens Stegger Ledaal
Elisabeth Thorsen, Geode Shoe with Crystals, 2017, Clay with crystals
Elisabeth Thorsen, Geode Shoe with Crystals, 2017, Clay with crystals, Detail
Elisabeth Thorsen, Swept Under the Carpet, 2018, Handmade boots, carpet, and synthetic hair
Elisabeth Thorsen, Høy!, 2018, Photo documentation of artist performing in handcrafted boots and hoodie. Photographs in collaboration with Tonje Kornelie, Detail
Installation View
AMARA HARK-WEBER
The shoe can be an extension of body, vehicle, representation of personal identity, inhibitor to/enhancer of movement, metaphor, fetish form, or simply utilitarian object. Through sculptural footwear, I question our ideas of function and what we are willing to subject our bodies to. I utilize the shoe form to push at the boundaries of function, tradition, and expectation. Drawing on my background of historical research, yoga, photography, sound, graphic design and bookmaking, I create wearable shoe forms and document their use and/or associations. The work references the vocabulary of sculpture, fashion, performance, and video, but does not fall neatly into any of these realms. This cross-disciplinary approach allows me room for experimentation with material and technique. Beyond the conceptual underpinnings of my work, I am a highly skilled craftsperson practicing traditional shoemaking techniques. I am deeply engaged with this historical precedent, but use these processes to create forms that ask fundamental questions about movement and associated emotional reaction. My shoes alter the wearer’s relationship to the earth, gait, and pace, thereby calling attention to our own understanding of physical capabilities and limitations. My sculptural footwear is an exploration of human movement, building techniques, and visual metaphor. They are objects that come alive with personal narrative when worn, with the power to challenge the viewer’s ideas about form, function, body, and movement. Ill fitting or supportive, teetering or flat, silent or squeaky, restrictive or ergonomic, the forms surrounding our feet ask us to weigh nature against desire, and the outcome of this equation, when tipped even slightly toward one side or another, has the ability to impact every inch of our bodies and our understanding of ourselves. - - Amara Hark-Weber
Above: Amara Hark-Weber, L-R: Muscle Memory: Equilibrium, 2013, Cork, kidskin, thread; Muscle Memory: Opposition, 2013, Kidskin, thread, hardware; Muscle Memory: Regrounding, 2013, Basswood, kidskin.
Amara Hark-Weber: Muscle Memory Video Project
Memories are carried throughout our bodies. Inscribed on bones, stretched through tendons, embedded in muscle, our pasts are present in every movement we make. My work explores how experience and emotion can be recalled through physical sensation and movement. It is at once painful, humorous, poetic, and frightening. Seeing the shoes worn highlights specific aspects of human locomotion, questioning what we are willing to subject our bodies to, and how these specific sensations will be born by the wearer. To create the work, I used traditional shoe-making techniques to build sculptural forms that are recognizable as shoes, but challenge our definition of function. The objects are intended to be worn, but are not props for performance. They are simultaneously sculpture and study, with the wearing and subsequent physical alteration documented in video and photography. The work is presented together as object and experience. Muscle Memory is an exploration of long-term recovery. It details the emotions and sensation felt during this physically and mentally arduous process. It is an incomplete study, leaving the answer to the question ‘when is recovery complete?’ open. This is because recovery is never complete. One wound heals as another is opened, and our movement and memory are both affected again. We walk on, burying our secrets, joys, fears, and hopes deep in our bodies to be uncovered not. The shoes in this project reveal and recall my ongoing recovery, but worn by someone else, would fit neatly into their personal narrative. Muscle Memory is a project that bears the stamp of the wearer, whoever s/he may be. - - Amara Hark-Weber
Above: Amara Hark-Weber, Muscle Memory: Equilibrium, 2013, Cork, kidskin, thread
Amara Hark-Weber, Muscle Memory: Regrounding, 2013, Basswood, kidskin
Amara Hark-Weber, Muscle Memory: Protection, 2013, Basswood, thread, pigskin, fur
Amara Hark-Weber: Variations Collection
Stories compel us, frighten, inspire, and move us to action. They are the foundation of our understanding of ourselves and where we come from as both individuals and groups. The Variations Collection began as a technical exploration of two seemly disparate media: boot making and printing/binding. While disparate at first glance, they are actually quite related: each is about storytelling. What we wear, what we read, how we put ourselves together and the objects that we surround ourselves with are all a part of our own construction of personal narrative. In addition to the conceptual overlap, the materials from which these objects are made are quite similar. Historically, book and shoe leathers were tanned in the same places and same way, and many of the tools are identical. Both crafts are about covering something beautifully, but also taking into account a very specific physical function. In the case of a book: It must be engaged with by a human body, and spark interest in the mind. In the case of a boot: it must be engaged with by a human body and again spark interest in the mind. I began to see books and boots as almost identical in function, if not form.... - - Amara Hark-Weber
Above: Amara Hark-Weber, L-R: In Memory, 2015, Kidskin, handmade paper, wax, ink, steel shank; In Lightness of Being, 2015, Kidskin, cow, handmade paper, resin, thread, steel shank.
Amara Hark-Weber, L-R: Untitled, 2019, American alligator, calf, rubber, thread, hardware; Untitled, 2019, Calf, salmon, rubber, thread, steel shank; Untitled, 2019, Slunk, calf, thread, rubber, steel shank; Untitled, 2019, Stingray, calf, cow, elastic, thread, rubber, steel shank.
Amara Hark-Weber, Untitled, 2019, Stingray, calf, cow, elastic, thread, rubber, steel shank
GAZA BOWEN (1944-2005)
The works on display provide a focused look into the extraordinary life of Gaza Bowen. If anyone can claim the territory of “progenitor of sculptural shoes,” it is Bowen: she originated the concept of “narrative” footwear that combines humor, unusual materials, invention, attitude, and social commentary. Bowen was an expert shoemaker who first learned the craft in 1976 from a Colonial Williamsburg master cobbler. Pursuing perfection, she dedicated nearly twenty years to honing her construction skills and representing the shoe’s “cultural meaning and social significance” in both functional footwear and sculptural iterations. Whether depicting the shoe as a symbol of fashion enslavement, seduction and sex, or domestic un-bliss, Gaza grabbed our attention with masterful craftsmanship, wit, and stinging social critique. "There's more (to the shoes) for the person that cares to look. In that humor, I'm trying to make a statement about women and fashion, and women and household cleaning, and women as sex symbols." - - Gaza Bowen
Wall: Gaza Bowen, Tuff Scuffs Poster, 1991, Mixed media, Collection of Dennis Wheeler
Bowen made this poster that depicts Tuff Scuffs, from her Shoes for the Little Woman series, to sell at gallery and museum shows. The piece satirizes advertising aimed at women, touting the wonders of products that it promises will make housework fun. The point-of-purchase-style mount includes a picture of Bowen herself in the upper right corner. Dressed as a stereotypical 1950s housewife, and perched on her kitchen stepstool, she is both holding and wearing the Tuff Scuffs (although she never stood up in them because they would not support her weight). Tuff Scuffs was a satire, but just a year or two after Bowen finished it, similar products intended for use called “Sock Mops” were being hawked on QVC.
Pedestal: Gaza Bowen, L-R: Little Woman AM, 1995, Leather, rubber, foam, linoleum, plastic bottles, dish scrubbers; Little Woman PM, 1995, Leather, wood, rubber, drain chain, dish scrubber, refrigerator coil brush.
In the series, Shoes for the Little Woman, the shoes are fabricated mostly from cleaning products. They parody the stereotype of the happy housewife who enjoys housework, as portrayed in the “Tuff Scuffs” poster.
Gaza Bowen, L-R: Little Woman AM, 1995, Leather, rubber, foam, linoleum, plastic bottles, dish scrubbers; Little Woman PM, 1995, Leather, wood, rubber, drain chain, dish scrubber, refrigerator coil brush.
Gaza Bowen, L-R: Little Woman AM, 1995, Leather, rubber, foam, linoleum, plastic bottles, dish scrubbers
Gaza Bowen, Red Shoe Reader (#1 of edition of 25), 1992, Mixed media on paper; 2-halves of custom made high-heel
In this handmade accordion book, the artist unfolds the story of how women have been the victims of shoe design throughout history. From the ancient tradition of Chinese foot binding to the contemporary trend of stilettos and absurdly high heels, women have endured pain, immobility, and anatomical disfigurement to satisfy cultural and fashion conventions. Red Shoe Reader was first shown in Gaza Bowen: Shoe Show at Couturier Gallery, Los Angeles in 1992, alongside her sculptures from the series Shoes for the Little Woman.
Gaza Bowen, Red Shoe Reader (#1 of edition of 25), 1992, Mixed media on paper; 2-halves of custom made high-heel, Detail
Gaza Bowen, Red Shoe Reader (#1 of edition of 25), 1992, Mixed media on paper; 2-halves of custom made high-heel, Detail
In Shoes for the Angry Little Woman (1990) Gaza’s work evolved from sculptural shoes to freestanding sculpture: Knives form serrated heels, pet collars transform into ankle straps, and skewers and thorny rose branches encapsulate the stilettos – this is a stage set for domestic rebellion, a theme that Gaza would further investigate throughout the 1990s.
Gaza Bowen, Shoes for the Angry Little Woman, 1990, Knives, potato peelers, rhinestones, skewers, scouring pads, kidskin, wood, paint, embroidered cloth, rose twigs, nail polish
Shoes Are Not Accessories (ca. 1983) is illustrative of Gaza’s structural technique and aesthetic direction in wearable shoes: colorful and clever, Gaza used polychromatic geometric patterns and puns – the “cork heels” are an assemblage of individual corks – to enhance and transcend function.
Gaza Bowen, Shoes Are Not Accessories, ca. 1983, Leather, corks
Installation View
In 1919 a Vogue editorial declared, ''At the beginning of the War we were limited to the prescribed boot for walking ... now our choice of shoes has become more unlimited than ever, and the subject of footwear fascinating enough to talk about at length. Indeed, footwear has become a consuming topic in the arenas of fashion and lifestyle for the past 100 years. Showcased in the exhibition are design highlights, novelties, technologies, inspirations, and rarities in footwear that demonstrate the artistry of shoemakers from the year1900 onward. Each shoe on view is the product of an authentic artistic vision and considered point of view, whether created by an individual, luxury brand designer, or corporate team. From stiletto to sneaker to kidskin boots. the common goal is to produce a remarkable, never-before-seen shoe design that functions flawlessly. Included in this category are the following:
ELISABETH THORSEN, AMARA HARK-WEBER, WES SHUGART, and LISA SORRELL are bespoke shoe-and- bookmakers, designing and handcrafting made-to-measure footwear, one shoe and boot at a time.
PAUL KAUFMAN, tested shoe designer, has worked for international companies Dr. Martens, Na Na, Fornarina, Rocket Dog, Twin Star, and London Underground. Paul designs footwear that is fashionable and edgy and has recently established the eponymous shoe company pskaufman ...
UNITED NUDE, a global lifestyle brand co-founded by Rem D. Koolhaas combines fashion, architecture, and design to produce footwear with an ualternative attitude.
FUNCTIONAL FOOTWEAR: FUNCTIONAL FANTASIES IN UNITED NUDE “LIMITED EDITION” FOOTWEAR
Representing innovation at the intersection of fashion and architecture, UNITED NUDE was established in Amsterdam in 2003 by Rem D. Koolhaas (nephew and namesake of architect Rem Koolhaas), together with Galahad Clark (a seventh-generation shoemaker). The brand became an instant fixture in shoemaking history by giving birth to some of today’s most forward-thinking footwear designs. Each product holds a strong connection to architectural design and is an exploration of the possibilities offered by movement, color, and materials. Commencing with its inaugural Möbius shoe, the brand is guided in equal parts by pushing the boundaries of footwear design, and collaborating on limited edition releases with high profile talents from Iris Van Herpen to Zaha Hadid, Shaun Ross, and Issey Miyake.
UNITED NUDE, L-R: United Nude x Lady Gaga Fame Shoe, 2012, Leather Upper, 3D printed gold decoration; Zaha Hadid for United Nude, Flames Shoe, 2015, 3D printed shoes; Ben Van Berkel for United Nude, UNX2 Shoe, 2015, 3D printed shoes; Ross Lovegrove for United Nude, Ilabo Shoe, 2015, 3D printed shoes; Iris van Herpen x United Nude, Fang Shoe, 2014, Leather upper, carbon fiber heel; Iris van Herpen x United Nude, Thorn Shoe, 2012, Rubber upper, precious stone decoration; Zaha Hadid x United Nude, Nova Shoe, 2014, Rubber molded outside upper, inside leather upper.
United Nude x Lady Gaga Fame Shoe, 2012, Leather Upper, 3D printed gold decoration, Detail
Zaha Hadid x United Nude, Nova Shoe, 2014, Rubber molded outside upper, inside leather upper
Zaha Hadid x United Nude, Nova Shoe, 2014, Rubber molded outside upper, inside leather upper, Detail
UNITED NUDE, L-R: Shaun Ross x United Nude SRXUN Boot, 2019, Leather upper, metal heel plate; United Nude Molten Calli Hi, 2019, Mesh upper, tpu heat transfer decoration; United Nude Eamz Pump, 2019, Leather upper, chromed aluminium heel.
UNITED NUDE, Möbius Shoe Design Process, 2003 - 2016, Leather upper, nylon fiber molded heel
Installation View
WES SHUGART and LISA SORRELL
Wes Shugart, L-R: Fighting Roosters, 2017, Leather, pigskin, kangaroo, kidskin; Family Portraits (Wes & Sandra), 2016, Pigskin, kangaroo leather; Tennessee Flag, 2018, Ostrich, kidskin, kangaroo leather; LW McGuffin design, 2019, Alligator, kangaroo leather.
Wes Shugart, LW McGuffin design, 2019, Alligator, kangaroo leather
Wes Shugart, Family Portraits (Wes & Sandra), 2016, Pigskin, kangaroo leather, Detail
Lisa Sorrell, A Satisfied Mind, 2007, American alligator foot, kangaroo boot tops with fully inlaid eagle design. Reproduction of a vintage design reimagined by the artist.
These boots won Best Artist in the Art to Wear category at a show in Amarillo, Texas, in 2005. A local news channel came out to interview Lisa about the win, but upon realizing that she was from Guthrie, Oklahoma, rather than Guthrie, Texas, decided to air other footage instead. Oh well, Lisa still has the ribbon and the win.
Lisa Sorrell, Cherokee Fiddle, 2015, American alligator, kangaroo
This design was inspired by a museum booklet featuring vintage Native American regalia collected from Native Americans that performed in traveling Wild West Shows. Native American gear and culture and cowboy gear and culture have influenced each other and occasionally merged, and this boot represents that mingling. It’s not unusual to see turquoise, feathers, and fringe in a cowboy bar, or cowboy boots and western saddles at a Native American event or rodeo.
Lisa Sorrell, Out Among the Stars, 2009, Kangaroo and alligator leather.
Original design by Lisa Sorrell, inspired by the controversial idea of Manifest Destiny. As the settlers moved West they altered the landscapes, destroyed ecosystems, and obliterated cultures, only to attempt to re-create the way of life they left behind.
PAUL KAUFMAN
As a creator, I’ve been very lucky to follow my passion, and shoes are one of the rare products that fuel all my interests: from sculpture, painting and architecture in the arts, to physics, chemistry and biomechanics in the sciences, and psychology, seduction and magic, and the business end – there is never a boring moment! I’ve always wanted to be the thorn that pokes the norm and pushes the limits of what is acceptable...not supposed to do that?... I’m there ...can’t be done?...let’s make it happen! Perfection doesn’t exist in nature and the beauty of that ignites my love for distressed objects. Seeing the truth of the materials and the making; the effect of the human hand is a beautiful thing. I enjoy the unexpected (pretty much the only constant you can count on, in the shoe business) and believe in evolution to achieve revolution. Hopefully, the design ideas on display give some insight into that. - - Paul Kaufman
Paul Kaufman, L-R: MY OH MY tall platform zippered boot, 2000, Woven brocade fabric, rubber outsole, Na Na; ALLEY tall boot, 2014, Leather, embroidery thread, metal branded rivets, recycled jet tire inner tube toplift; STRAND tall patchwork boot, 2008, London Underground, Leather, printed and distressed cotton knit, acrylic/wool sweater knit, custom-molded metal hardware, custom debossed, printed EVA;
Paul Kaufman, L-R: CROSSWALK tall lace-up boot, 2017, pskaufman...x Tripper Dungan (painter), Leather, leather paint, metal branded rivets, recycled truck tire inner tube, recycled truck tire sidewalls; CROSSWALK tall lace-up boot, 2017, pskaufman...x Jessicka Addams (painter), Leather, leather paint, metal branded rivets, recycled truck tire inner tube, recycled truck tire sidewalls.
Paul Kaufman, L-R: The WORM ankle strap slide, 1999, Fornarina, Leather, paint, molded polyurethane; PROLE platform sneaker, 1990, Na Na, Leather, cork, recycled scrap embedded EVA, molded pyramids toecap, molded rubber; CROSSWALK tall lace-up boot, 2016, Collaboration with Totally Blown pskaufman...x Lenni the Label (Australia), Leather, leather paint, bird shot, buck shot, shotgun, metal branded rivets, recycled truck tire sidewall, half-sole and toplift; FREEWAY chelsea boot, 2017 (originally design 1988) pskaufman...x Lenni the Label (Australia), Stretch velvet, embroidery thread, cork, leather, recycled jet tire , metal rivets.
Time Magazine Cover, 2019; Lil Nas X wearing Chelsea Boots by Paul Kaufman
JOSHUA WONG and GREGORY WEIR-QUITON
Andy Warhol glorified the shoe by using it as the sole seductive element of his still life drawings, devoting entire portfolios to illustrations of women's footwear. Warhol famously began his career as a commercial artist in New York City in the 1940s and self-published hand-colored prints of his campy and glamorous shoes. Widely distributed in fashion magazines such as Glamour and Vogue, Warhol's illustrations elevated the pump to an object of desire.
Joshua Wong and Gregory Weir-Quiton follow in Warhol's footsteps by featuring stylish, enticing shoes in their fashion illustrations and narrative stories. Wong combined his experience in design, fashion, and illustration by working as the head of shoe design for Ralph Lauren Womans Collection and Banana Republic. From this experience, Wong became a practiced visual storyteller. Ultimately he transformed his illustration and design skills into fashioning humorous narratives where shoes play the central characters.
In the 1980s, Weir-Quiton worked as a fashion illustrator for Bullocks Wilshire in the 1980s, where he honed his skills drawing shoes for advertisements. He would later refine these skills to create his more exuberant and personal fashion illustrations of the human figure accessorized.
Above: Reproductions of Warhol's original shoe drawings courtesy of Sotheby's photography.
JOSHUA WONG
Joshua Wong, Clockwise: City of Angels; Best in Shoes; Young Woman with her Shoes; Rodeo Drive. All 2020, Japanese Brush Pen on paper.
To memorialize cherished designer shoes, writer and shoe-lover Lucinda Smith commissioned Joshua Wong to create “shoe portraits” of four of her favorites from her collection, on view here with the shoe that inspired the drawing.
Clockwise:Prada (Ankle Strap), Prada (T-strap), Bottega Veneta, Dries Van Noten. All 2013, Watercolor, felt pen, and chalk on paper.
Dries Van Noten. All 2013, Watercolor, felt pen, and chalk on paper
Joshua Wong, Top row L-R: Perforated Pink Punk Espadrille With Matching Bag, Joshua Wong Private Label, 2019, Pen and ink, watercolor, chalk on paper; Pride Mule with Matching Bag, Joshua Wong Private Label, 2019, Pen and ink, watercolor, chalk on paper; Next Row: Peacock Shootie with Matching Purse, 2019, Felt marker, watercolor, on paper; Fendi, 2020, Felt marker, watercolor, on paper; Sophia Webster Open Toe Bootie, 2020, Felt marker, watercolor, on paper; Next Row: Pump with Snake with Matching Bag, Joshua Wong Private Label 2019, Pen and ink, watercolor, chalk on paper; Bottom Row: Peep Toe Sling Back with Swarovski Pattern, Joshua Wong Private Label 2019, Pen and ink, watercolor, chalk on paper; Giuseppe Zanotti, 2020, Felt marker, watercolor, on paper.
GREGORY WEIR-QUITON
Gregory Weir-Quiton, (Eight drawings) Untitled, Not dated, prismacolor pencil and watercolor on paper.
Gregory Weir-Quiton, Untitled, Not dated, prismacolor pencil and watercolor on paper
Gregory Weir-Quiton, Untitled, Not dated, prismacolor pencil and watercolor on paper
Gregory Weir-Quiton, Shoe illustrations for Bullocks Wilshire 1980–1989, Graphite on paper.
Gregory Weir-Quiton, Shoe illustrations for Bullocks Wilshire 1980–1989, Graphite on paper.
PAMELA WEIR-QUITON
The Search for the Perfect Pair
I would describe myself as a fashion victim since I was a teenager. My dream was to become a fashion designer. On the way to realizing this dream, I met Gregory Quiton in the fashion office of Bullocks department store in 1965. We started dating in 1966 while I was still an art student studying design. On Christmas day 1973 Gregory and I were married and we combined our last names into Weir-Quiton. Gregory was now a seasoned fashion illustrator and I was pursuing a career as an artist/designer of furniture and home accessories. My obsession with footwear began with a pair of bubblegum pink Capezio shoes, and reached its crescendo with the Christian Louboutin spiked black booties that the designer personally signed for me. It has been a 50-year love affair celebrating shoes as objects of design. Color, shape, texture, and pattern have been common threads in my acquiring process. Furthermore, I could not resist shoes with personality, a sense of humor, and energetic vibration. AND they had to be drop-dead fashion-forward and fabulous! - - Pamela Weir-Quiton
Andrea Pfister, Black Suede Boots with Polar Bear, Not dated, Suede, leather, Collection of Pamela Weir-Quiton.
Christian Louboutin, Kick Ass Black Suede Bootie w/ Black Studs, Not dated, Suede, leather, plastic. Collection of Pamela Weir-Quiton.
JEAN CONCOFF
More a wearer of shoes than a collector, Jean Concoff has assembled a fascinating collection of “interesting, not ordinary” shoes that she wears to accessorize her feet. Delivered directly from her closet, the selection on view adds context to the other congregations of shoes.
L-R: Converse All Star, No date, Textile, rubber, cracked gold detail; Maison Margiela: Tabi Toe, 1988, Leather, suede, rubber; Ann Demeulemeester, Clog to Bootie Conversion, No date, Leather; Visvim, Free International Labratory Handmade (upper), 2000, Suede upper, tennis shoe outer sole; Converse All Star, Chuck Taylor, No date; Textile, manmade outer-sole. Collection of Jean Concoff.
Ann Demeulemeester, Clog to Bootie Conversion, No date, Leather, Detail. Collection of Jean Concoff.
The Ann Demeulemeester clog is a unique example as it is the only one in the exhibition from this Belgium designer and the sole representative of a clog-to-ankle bootie conversion.
Installation View
TWIN DANIEL
It’s All About Style
A passionate sneaker collector, Twin Daniel bought his first pair of collectible sneakers when he was thirteen years old — a pair of cool Converse that he wanted but his mother couldn’t afford. He worked on a watermelon truck to earn the money to buy the first coveted Converse, and by the time he was sixteen years old, he owned fifteen pairs of sneakers. Daniel estimates he presently owns 400 – 500 pairs of collectible sneakers, primarily Converse and Nike Air Jordans, but also including a few Puma and Rebok classic sneakers. A big proponent of the Converse brand, Daniel explains, “Converse was the original basketball shoe. It was a comfortable sneaker then, and now it’s more comfortable because of the roundness of the toe. It comes in different colors, and I like what you can do with the shoe laces. I buy them for their style; not to jump around in.” Daniel may not have an exact count, but believes he may have the entire Nike Air Jordan line, and keeps them in their boxes - with the exception of his favorite, the Air Jordan 13, which he wears because “they look good with all kinds of different clothes I wear – Levis and khakis. They even look good with a suit. My clothes may not be designer, but I make sure my shoes are designer.” Daniel's sneaker collection complements his classic car, a 1963 Chevy Impala. He is a self-described street low-rider. The interior and exterior color scheme of his Impala is a mix of tan, brown, and gold. When he drives his car he wears matching clothes and sneakers, mixing up to five different colors. Although he doesn’t often participate in car shows, he says, “When you see me driving my car on the street, that’s like a show.” Daniel also collects other shoes that are not sneakers as well. “I own Stacy Adams shoes, ‘Biscuits’– the hard shoes that old guys used to wear back in the day. I’ve got those in every color.”
Top L-R: Nike: Air Jordan 2 Retro, 385475122, Style number, 1987, Original release, Tinker Hatfield, designer, Leather, rubber; Nike: Air Jordan 12 Retro, 130690014, Style number, 1996, Original release, Tinker Hatfield, designer, Leather, rubber; Bottom L-R: Nike: Air Jordan 12 Retro PRM, BV8016445, 1996, Original release, Tinker Hatfield, designer, Suede, leather, rubber; Nike: Air Jordan 6 Retro, 384664400, Style Number, 1991, Original release, Tinker Hatfield, designer, Suede, leather, rubber. Collection of Twin Daniel.
Top: Nike: Air Jordan 10 Retro, 310805062, Style number, 1994, Original release, Tinker Hatfield, designer, Leather, rubber; Bottom: Nike: Air Jordan 3 Retro SE, CK4344002, Style number, 1988, Original release, Tinker Hatfield, designer, Pony hair, leather, rubber. Collection of Twin Daniel.
MELISSA LEVENTON
35 Years of Collecting
My first acquisition was a lone pair of 1920s silver evening shoes, purchased for £6 at a thrift shop in Manchester, England when I was a graduate student. They were pretty, and they bore the label of a department store I often walked past on my way to and from class. That personal connection convinced me to buy the shoes, but it was years before I acquired others. In 1989, I was co-curating a museum exhibition of post-World War II fashion and needed shoes for the mannequins to wear, which we sourced from vintage clothing stores, flea markets, and thrift shops. The shopping kick-started my footwear education, and after the exhibition’s needs were satisfied I continued to shop for myself. Many of my first acquisitions were bought as a fun display for my home, but as my knowledge and taste developed, I began to buy better and more important pieces and kept them in storage. Now, I look for shoes that represent specific periods, show terrific design, or are by favored designers and makers. A personal connection is always a plus, and since I do not wear my collection, size is unimportant. Since 2000 I have taught fashion history and theory at California College of the Arts. It was natural to give my students the opportunity to study historic dress by using my shoes in the classroom. The pedagogical needs of my classes have also shaped my collecting. In particular, I strive to find shoes that revive aspects of earlier styles. Over the past twenty years my collection has evolved into a major teaching tool and I think and hope that my students benefit from it as much as I do. - - Melissa Leventon
Above: Five Iconic 20th Century Shoemakers, Historical Moments and Style Revivals, and Cool Heels displays
Collection of Melissa Leventon: Five Iconic 20th Century Shoe Designers and Historical Moments and Style Revivals
I teach the history of fashion to undergraduate design and fine art students, and I often try to illustrate for my students the recurring cycles of fashion revival by using my collection in class. I have thus focused some of my collecting to concentrate in this arena.
Five Iconic 20th Century Shoe Designers
Top riser, L-R:
Evening Pump, ca. 1958, Roger Vivier (1907-1998), for Christian Dior, French, Silk, leather
Roger Vivier, who opened his first Paris shop in 1937, also sold designs to couturiers and other shoemakers. He left France during World War II but returned post-war and reopened. In 1953, Vivier agreed to design and make a line of ready-to-wear shoes for Christian Dior. This decade- long arrangement produced shoes labeled, like this one, “Christian Dior crée par Roger Vivier” (Christian Dior created by Roger Vivier); Vivier was thus the first shoe designer to get equal billing with a couturier.
Pump,1967, Beth Levine (1914-2006) for Herbert Levine, American, Velvet, leather, vinylite, and rhinestones
Beth Levine was the designer behind Herbert Levine, Inc. (active 1948-1975), one of the few women to have a successful design career in the male-dominated shoe industry. A number of her 1950s and 1960s designs explore ways of making a shoe invisible; although this one is not as extreme as her “topless” shoe (a sole glued onto the foot), its clear quarters give the viewer the impression that it is a mule, not a loafer.
Evening Shoe, Ferragamo (active 1927-present), Italian, Late 1960s, Leather, silk
Salvatore Ferragamo got his start in California in the late ‘teens, making shoes for the movies. He moved his business back to Italy in 1927, and began experimenting with unusual shapes and materials in the 1930s. After his death in 1960, the company continued under family control with his daughter Fiamma as design director. This shoe, designed during her tenure, is essentially a loafer dressed up with an unusual heel and rich materials.
Sport Shoe, André Perugia (1893-1977), French, 1940, Leather, cotton
André Perugia opened his bespoke shoe boutique in 1921 while also designing shoes forprominent Paris couturiers and shoe manufacturers such as I. Miller and Rayne. His ready-to-wear Padova label was launched in 1933 and was sold in the U.S. through Saks Fifth Avenue. This sporty Padova shoe was advertised as a “panchromatic pantoufle” in the May 1, 1940 edition of Vogue magazine. I love Perugia’s work but I especially cherish these because they were given to me by the late Gaza Bowen, whose own work appears elsewhere in the exhibition.
[Behind Sport Shoe] Sandal, Early-mid 1950s, I. Miller (active ca. 1880-1980), American, “Lizagator” (snakeskin), leather
I. Miller, initially a shoe supplier to New York’s theater industry, expanded into fashion footwear, in 1929. The company augmented its in-house-designed shoes with designs purchased from notables André Perugia, David Evins, and others. Reptile shoes were popular in the 1950s and this sexy sandal, with its peek-a-boo mid-toe cutout, was made of “Lizagator,” I. Miller’s trademark name for “alligator-lizard,” which appears to have been snakeskin processed to resemble alligator. Lizagator shoes were more expensive than plain leather ones but cheaper than genuine alligator.
Historical Moments and Style Revivals
L-R:
Single-Strap Shoe (Mary Jane), 1963-65, Roger Vivier (1907-1998), French Silk, leather
The narrow, rounded toe, straps, and side openings of the 1920s and 1930s here are paired with a stacked leather heel and a gray and white silk houndstooth upper. Both the shoe styles and the silhouette and short dresses of the 1920s were reinvented in the 1960s.
T-Strap Shoe, Late 1920s-early 1930s, Holly-Vogue, American, Leather, suede, cotton
Straps—single, double, T, Y, and others, dominated shoe design of the 1920s and early 1930s and have also recurred in shoe design regularly since then.
Mule, Ferragamo (active 1927-present), 1997, Italian, Suede
This shoe first appeared in Ferragamo’s line in 1954-55 under the name “Pantia.” The company, which has maintained its design archive, reissued it in 1997 with slight modifications and different colors—so it is essentially a revival of itself.
Single-Strap Shoe (Mary Jane), Early-mid 2000s, Alexander McQueen (house founded 1992), English, Suede, patent leather
McQueen’s recent iteration of a classic 1920s shoe pairs an Art Deco-style black-and-white upper with an extra-wide instep strap and a contemporary straight stiletto heel.
D’Orsay Pump, ca. 2012, KORS Michael Kors (line active 2004-present), American, Patent leather, metal
Since the 1970s Western fashion has been in a near-continuous cycle of revival and the styles, of the1940s have reappeared several times. This modern version of the cutout wedge used in, the Ted Saval sandal highlights the heel opening with gold metal.
Sandal, ca. 1948, Ted Saval (1890-1958), American, Suede, metal
Shoe designers in the 1940s often used cutouts to lighten the heavy wedge heels and platform soles of the era. Here, Ted Saval, a Los-Angeles-based designer, also used what look like snaps as decorative devices on the vamp strap, echoing the make-do mindset of the World War II years.
Oxford, mid-late 1940s, Barratt’s (active 1903-2013), British, Leather and imitation leather
I often buy shoes that illuminate specific moments in history. These, purchased in London, were made under the World War II British “Utility” clothing rationing scheme (in force 1941- 1949). The Utility regulations rationed the type and amount of material that could be used in clothes and accessories and restricted manufacturers’ profits to prevent price gouging. Clothing that conformed to the scheme was labeled “CC41” (the CC stood for “Civilian Clothing”). This is well-worn and has been resoled and re-heeled, attesting to both the good quality of its materials used and the need to make clothes last as long as possible during the war.
Collection of Melissa Leventon: Cool Heels
Heels can be artful, astonishing, ingenious, or amusing, complementing beautiful or daring uppers and enlivening more ordinary ones. I am especially drawn to shoes with heels that are clever or make me smile.
L-R:
Pump, 1993-1998, Roger Vivier (1907-1998), French, Leather, metal
First designed by Roger Vivier in 1962 for Christian Dior, this iconic curved stiletto, called the comma or virgule, is now a staple of Vivier’s line. The comma’s backward curve makes the shoe appear unstable, but that is an illusion; the heel supports the body’s weight at an ideal point along the foot.
Sandal, Early 1970s, Designer unknown, American, Leather, wood
This is a 1970s revival of a platform sole with a rounded, pierced wedge heel that was used by shoemakers in the late 1930s and 1940s. Compared to the earlier version, this shoe boasts a higher platform and rounder and more defined O-shaped heel.
Mule, ca. 1989, Yves Saint Laurent (house active 1962-present), French, Silk, leather, plastic
The ball heel was another Roger Vivier innovation, although others designers have since created their own versions. Here the positioning of the elongated upper perched atop the orb suggests cantilevered construction, and gives the mule a lovely side-on silhouette.
Pump, Late 1980s, Christine Ahrens (active mid-1980s-present), English, Leather, metal
I found this shoe’s visual pun irresistible; it literally puts a spring in your step. A number of designers have played with this idea—this is one of three pairs of shoes in my collection that have heels with springs—but this minimal, Punkish version is, to me, the most effective.
D’Orsay Pump, 2007, Chanel (house active 1913-present), French, Silk, leather, metal, resin
The two-tone shoe featuring an upper with a contrasting toe cap, has been a trademark Chanel design since the 1950s. The matchstick heel offers an unexpected jolt of amusement to this elegant classic.
Pump, Late 1980s, Bottega Veneta (active 1966-present), Italian, Satin, leather, plastic
Cone heels were a hallmark of 1980s footwear design and this shoe takes the style to its extreme. What attracted me was the designer’s deft combination of the different geometries of the heel and upper, and the way they were echoed in the trim.
Pump, 2012, Yves Saint Laurent (house active 1962-present), French, Snakeskin, leather, synthetic materials
Shoe designers use many decorative devices to attract attention to the heel and materials that reflect light, such as these mirror-like inserts, are a popular option.
Single-Strap Shoe (Mary Jane), Prada (line active 1979-present), Italian, 1997, Patent leather
This heel reminded me of a miniature architectural pier or column.
Collection of Melissa Leventon: Shoe Stories
We often imbue our clothing with meaning that transcends its functionality. When and how we obtain a garment, or when and where we wore it, can greatly influence how we feel about it. I find it is the same with my collection, although since I do not wear my shoes, my tales are more often about acquisition. Here are a few of the pieces in my collection along with their stories.
(Clockwise from top)
Sandals, 2003, Christian Dior (active 1947-present), French, Silk, leather, metal
These were on sale at the best shoe store in Charleston, SC. I was there for a conference and I passed the store every day as I walked between the hotel and the conference center and I always stopped and gazed into the window. There were several tempting pairs but I could only afford one. Eventually, I made my choice and went into the store. It took the salesman who waited on me a few minutes to understand why I did not care what size the shoes were, but at last he grasped what I wanted and why. He disappeared into the stockroom for a very long time. When he finally emerged, he said he had taken extra time to look through every one of the boxes until he found a pair that had never been tried on.
Double-Strap Evening Shoes (Mary Janes), Early 1920s, Bourne & Hollingsworth (retailer, active 1894-1983), British, Metallic brocade, leather, rhinestones
I bought these in Manchester while I was a graduate student living in the UK in the early 1980s. They were my first pair of collectible shoes.They have a London label, which is one of the things that attracted me to them: I walked past Bourne & Hollingsworth, where they were originally sold, almost daily on my way from class to the library and I felt they somehow reflected my experience in those years.
Booties, 1974-75, Apple Cobbler (Mickey McGowan, active 1969-1979), American, Mixed media
For 25 years I have been working and writing on the history of the artwear movement in northern California and elsewhere. There were only a few people in this community making shoes, Gaza Bowen being one and Apple Cobbler, a.k.a. Mickey McGowan, another. I had long wanted a pair of Apple Cobbler shoes, but they were not easy to come by. Then, a few years ago a friend invited me to her home to help her sort through shoes she was intending to give away—including these. She had commissioned them from Mickey in the mid-1970s to commemorate a trip to Guatemala and she supplied him with the Guatemalan textiles and the purple velveteen. Sadly, the shoes never fitted her properly and she rarely wore them, but had not been able to bring herself to get rid of them. I offered to buy them, and she accepted.
Evening Pumps (pair), 1994, Manolo Blahnik (b. 1942), Spanish, Leather, silk, synthetics
These came from the 1994 closing-down sale at I. Magnin, a much-loved San Francisco department store founded in 1877. I visited the five-week-long sale several times. These were by themselves up on the top floor with the store fittings. They were shockingly inexpensive and after I agreed to buy them I found out why: they had been used in the Magnin shoe salon’s spring promotion and the staff there had glued the flowers onto a pair of otherwise plain gold kid Manolo pumps. I loved the story as well as the look of the flowers, so I did not mind.
“Mojito” Shoe, 2012, Julian Hakes (active 2008-present), British, Carbon fiber, rubber, leather
I had seen a pair of these in a shop in the U.S. and thought they looked amazing. However, they were pricey. At the time, I was traveling often to Thailand and to my delight, these turned up at a shoe store there—on sale! I snapped up a pair immediately. I had hoped perhaps to be able to wear them once or twice before I put them into the collection but the line was not made in my size.
Collection of Melissa Leventon: Shoe Stories
“Brinco” Running Shoes (pair), 2005, Jude Werthein (b. 1967), Argentine, Mixed media
Brinco (“jump” in Spanish) refers to the migrants who cross the border from Tijuana to San Diego. The artist, founder of El Centro de Investigaciones Artisticas in Buenos Aires, created them for an exhibition at Insite_05 in San Diego. She wanted to spotlight the contrast between the free movement of goods between the U.S. and Mexico and the restrictions imposed on the movement of people; the inexpensively made-in-China shoes also underscore the exploitation of cheap, non-American labor in the global fashion industry. The shoes are practical, incorporating a map of a popular route from Tijuana to San Diego, a compass, a flashlight, and hidden pockets for money and medicine. The toe cap is an eagle and the backstay features a portrait of Santo Toribio Romo, patron saint of Mexican migrants. A San Diego boutique sold 200 pairs as limited-edition artworks and hundreds of pairs were given away free to migrants in Tijuana. Although I was unable to visit the exhibition, the boutique was willing to ship the shoes within California so I was able to acquire a pair.
“Mojito” Shoe, 2012, Julian Hakes (active 2008-present), British, Carbon fiber, rubber, leather, Detail
Collection of Melissa Leventon: Decades
This timeline of shoes represents key developments, designers, and trends in footwear since 1900. Melissa Leventon, costume and textile curator and historian, provided the descriptive text and all the shoes on view in the timeline are borrowed from her private collection.
1900 - 1918
At the start of the 20th century, women's shoes still had the pointed toes and curved Louis heels that had come into fashion in the 1880s. Evening and formal daytime shoes might be decorated with bead or thread embroidery, often tone-on-tone as seen here, but many shoes were plain, or more simply ornamented with clips, buckles, or bows at the throat. Lace-up and buttoned boots were also popular, as they bridged the gap between women's ankles and their rising hemlines.
L-R:
Boots ca. 1917, Rosenthal’s (retailer), American, Leather
Barrette Shoe, ca. 1910-15, Carson Pirie Scott (retailer), American, Leather, steel beads
Pump ca. 1900 Laird, Schober & Co (active 1869-ca. 1965) American Leather, silk, steel and glass bead embroidery
Pump 1900-1910 Sommer & Kaufman (retailer), American Leather, steel beads
Post War: 1918 - 1929
The 1920s was the first great age of 20th-century shoe design, as the era's fashion for shorter skirts meant that for the first time, women's shoes could reliably be seen. Luxurious materials, such as satin and velvet, were popular and straps and cutaway effects abounded, as did decorative effects such as contrasting colors and textures, metallic leathers, and embroidery.
L-R:
Evening shoes, mid-late 1920s, Designer/maker unknown, Velvet, leather, steel beads
Evening shoes, Late 1910s-early 1920s, Laird, Schober & Co. (active 1869-ca. 1965), American, Silk, leather
T-Strap Evening Sandals, ca. 1930, John Irving (retailer), American, Leather
1930s
With the onset of the Depression in 1929, the exuberance of 120s shoe surfaces gradually gave way to elegance and sobriety. The toe became shorter and rounder; heels were higher, straighter, and thicker; and restrained decoration like punch work, and topstitching was favored. The influence of Art Deco can often be seen in the shoes of this decade and high-heeled oxfords were especially popular.
L-R:
White Suede Oxford, mid-1930s, Designer/maker unknown, Leather
Oxford, Mid-late 1930s, Designer/maker unknown, American, Suede
Evening Pump, Early 1930s, F. Pinet (active ca. 1855-1940), French, Satin, leather
Pump, mid-1930s, Hellstern & Sons, (active ca. 1872-ca. 1970), French, Leather, snakeskin, metal
1940s
Wedge heels and open-toe (also known as peep-toe) shoes are strongly associated with the 1940s, although both debuted in the 1930s. The first half of the 40s saw leather and skilled labor shortages, and clothes rationing, which sharply restricted shoe style changes and production levels. Post-war, the industry ramped up again, leather was once again available, and styles began to move beyond heavy wartime modes.
L-R:
Peep-toe D’Orsay Pump,1947-48, French Room at Chandler’s (retailer), American, Suede, leather
Peep-toe Pump, ca. 1947-48, Bullocks (retailer), American, Suede
Peep-toe Pumps, Early 1940s, Frank Werner Co. (retailer), American, Suede, lucite
1950s
The rounded toes fashionable at the beginning of this decade gradually narrowed to sharp points; heels were whittled down to stilettos by mid-decade. Slingbacks (open-back shoes with a strap around the ankle) were especially popular eveningwear in this decade. 1950s design and manufacture innovations include the Spring-o-lator, a high-heeled mule (backless shoe) whose sock lining featured a wide piece of elastic that made the shoe cling to the foot.
L-R:
Sandal ca. 1956, Beth Levine (1914-2006) for Herbert Levine, American, Suede, bead embroidery
Spring-o-lator Mule ca. 1954, Ferncraft, American, Leather, fabric, elastic
Evening Shoe, early 1950s, Arthur Bender (active ca. 1948-1958), California , Leather, plastic, rhinestones
“Elsie” Pump 1945-47, Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960), Italian, Suede
1960s
In 1960, stiletto heels and long, pointed toes were in style, but by mid-decade, heels were low and wide, toes were rounded or squared off, and boots were tall, short, and calf-high; plain or embroidered; of vinyl, cloth, or leather-had become fashionable for the first time in more than forty years. Beth Levine, designer for Herbert Levine, is credited with kicking off the craze for high-fashion boots; others swiftly followed suit.
L-R:
Embroidered Boots, ca. 1970, Designer/maker unknown, Vinyl, synthetics
Booties, Mid-1960s, Ruvals by Rudi Gernreich (1922-1985), Austrian-American, Leather
Boots, ca. 1966, Tony the Shoemaker for Herbert Levine (line active1963-1975), American, Leather
Pumps, ca. 1960, Rainbow, Synthetic materials
Kabuki Shoes
Beth Levine, the innovator behind the Herbert Levine label, was one of the best and most influential shoe designers of the 20th century. The Kabuki shoe, inspired by Japanese wooden-soled geta, was among her most famous creations. The first Kabuki shoe was designed in 1959 and the style was produced for at least seven years thereafter in a wide range of colors and materials. Its rigid, cantilevered sole is curved to allow wearers to roll their feet forward when walking.
Kabuki Shoes, ca. 1964, Designed by Beth Levine (1914-2006) for Saks Fifth Avenue, Leather, silk, wood
1970s
The 1970s were characterized by revivals of fashions of several earlier 20th century decades. Thus, the platform soles, wedge heels, and open toes fashionable in the 140s reappeared in the early 1970s, though the 70s versions were often wildly embellished. Heels were high, straight, and chunky, and the shoes looked large and substantial overall.
L-R:
Single-Strap Shoe (Mary Jane), early-mid 1970s, Shoe Biz at I. Magnin (retailer), American, Suede
Peep-toe D'Orsay Pump, early-mid 1970s, The Chelsea Cobbler (active 1967-1993), British, Suede
Pump, early-mid 1970s, Terry de Havilland (1938-2019), Snakeskin, British
1980s
Shoes in this decade were decorative but lighter and more delicate than the styles of the 1970s. An almond-shaped toe - narrow but rounded at the tip - was most often paired with a mid-height, triangular or cone-shaped heel that was popularized by French designer Maud Frizon.
L-R:
Pump, late 1980s, Margaret Jerrold, (active 1954-late 1980s), Satin, leather
Single-Strap Shoe (Mary Jane), Mid-late 1980s, Romeo Gigli (b. 1949), Italian, Suede
Pump, Early 1980s, Maud Frizon (b. 1941), French, Suede, leather
Evening Pump, ca. 1985, Tokio Kumagai (1947-1987), Japanese, Leather, synthetic gauze
High-heeled Sneakers
The first high-heeled, high-top "sneaker" for women was probably the rubber-soled canvas sport shoe with a Louis heel, introduced in 1917 by the U.S. Rubber Co. under the Keds label. Although the idea of high-heeled sneakers returned in the late 1970s with Asian-made wedge heel versions, it was Norma Kamali's 1983 daringly low-cut version that put them back on the fashion map.
L-R:
High-heeled Sneaker, mid-late 1970s, U.S. Shoes, Cotton, rubber
High-heeled Sneaker, 1983, Norma Kamali, Suede
High-heeled Sneaker, ca. 2008, Splash, Canvas, rubber
1990s
The almond toes and modest heels of the 1980s continued into the early 1990s but those styles were soon replaced by several different coexisting revival trends that might be mixed and matched in a single shoe: the early 20th-century Louis heel, often in exaggerated form; the platforms and tall heels of the 1970s; the stiletto and pointed toes of the 1950s and 1960s; and the wide, squared-off toes of the later 1960s.
L-R:
Oxford, Mid-1990s, Michel Perry (active 1987-present), French, Leather
Oxford, ca. 1998, Stephane Kelian (active 1978-present), French, Leather
Loafer, Mid-1990s, Robert Clergerie (active 1981-present), French, Leather
Pump, ca. 1999, Guiseppe Zanotti (active 1981-present), Italian, Leather, patent leather
Pump, Early-mid 1990s, Chanel (house active 1913-present), French, Suede, leather
Mule, Early 1990s, Manolo Blahnik (active 1970-present), Spanish, Suede, leather, faux pearls
2000s
As was also true of the 1990s, the 2000s saw a variety of shoe styles, many of them revived from earlier decades. Mules, a venerable style that had previously had a fashion moment in the 1950s, were a favorite in both the 1990s and 2000s. By the end of the decade, sky-high heels had emerged as the latest fashion trend.
L-R:
Mule, ca. 2012, Prada (line active 1979-present), Italian, Leather
Mule, ca. 2010, Prada (attributed, line active 1979-present), Italian, Feathers, leather
“Trash” Mule, 1999, Christian Louboutin (b. 1963),French, Mixed media
2010s
Styles from many past eras also reappeared in new guises in the 2010s, often with exaggerated proportions. Heels seemed impossibly high, designers experimented with new materials and techniques such as 3-D printing, and shoes that barely seemed wearable were featured in publications and exhibitions. The towering heelless shoe, which gives the foot a hoof-like appearance, debuted around 2007 but did not gain critical mass until around 2010.
L-R:
Single-Strap shoe (Mary Jane), ca. 2016, Marc Jacobs (b. 1963), American, Collection of Melissa Leventon
“Nightwalk” Single-Strap Shoe (Mary Jane), 2011, Jeffrey Campbell (active ca. 2000-present), American, Leather, synthetic materials
D’Orsay Pump, ca. 2010, Prada (line active 1979-present), Italia, Patent leather
Boot, ca. 2012, Alexander Wang (b. 1983), American, Mixed media
HELEN CHUNG
Helen Chung is a multidisciplinary artist who worked in her early career as a high-end shoe and accessory designer. She lives and works in Los Angeles as a fine artist, well versed in a wide range of mediums including painting and photography. Drawing on popular culture, literature, and her former experience in accessory design, the artist attempts to “debunk social and cultural myths surrounding the notions of possession, desire, objectification, commodity, and commerce.” The artist adds, “The two bodies of work on exhibit are displayed in a boutique style with shoes and bags, except the items displayed are only containers of such objects. The boxes and the deconstructed shopping bags engage in a dialogue between intuition and intention, outlining two different processes: one planned with specific outcome, the other, a spontaneous process allowing whim and chance. The work ironically challenges the fixed notion of containers, as merely an external protection or subordinate transporting aid, not quite qualifying as an entity in itself.” By focusing on the container, and the concept of containment, Chung maintains the integrity of the shoebox and the shopping bag by not adding anything or taking anything away.
Wall: Helen Chung, Repeated 4 Shoebox Patterns, Variation 1, 2019, Digital drawing on vinyl
Helen Chung, Top L-R: Yellow Dress, 2017, Paper bag, paint, resin; Prada Blue Stripes, 2015, Paper bag, paint, resin; Baby Gucci, 2017, Paper bag, paint, resin.
Bottom L-R: Stephane Kelian, 2015, Paper, paint, resin; Gucci Black and Yellow, 2015, Paper bag, paint, resin; Mondadori, 2018, Paper, paint, resin.
Helen Chung, L-R: Oxfords; Pumps 3; Pumps 1; Pumps 2. All 2015, Butterboard, glue, vinyl adhesive.
Helen Chung, Ankle Boots, 2015, Butterboard, glue, vinyl adhesive
Helen Chung, Prada Blue Stripes, 2015, Paper bag, paint, resin
Helen Chung, Gucci Black and Yellow, 2015, Paper bag, paint, resin
PHYLLIS GREEN
Phyllis Green, Standing On A Lotus, 2016, Steel, wood, fabric
Los Angeles-based artist Phyllis Green is primarily an object maker who represents the body. Her art practice integrates gender politics and the sphere of craft. Most recently, her focus is on the contrast between the material world and the immaterial world of belief. In Standing on a Lotus the artist gives agency to the concept of spiritual fulfillment, explaining: ''In India, the lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. Virtually every god and goddess of Hinduism is depicted on a lotus and often holding a lotus flower. Standing on a lotus represents an individual's attaining enlightenment or the self-realization that is the goal of life. Standing on a Lotus is part of a group of work I began in 2015 to express my interest in Vedic philosophy. Central to this philosophy is a description of the path to enlightenment. Many of the sculptures in this body of work are realized as vehicles for conveyance, with wheels flxed to the metal armatures. Six slippers of burlap and fleece top the burlap lotus flower. Since the path to enlightenment, in my experience, is not always smooth, Standing on a Lotus also includes kneepads and elbow pads for protection during inevitable stumbles, and a staff to help propel the spiritual aspirant forward.
Phyllis Green, Standing On A Lotus, 2016, Steel, wood, fabric, Detail
Installation View
ALEX BECERRA (BFA '11)
Custom Pointy Boots, 2019, Found cowboy boots, rubber hose, mixed media, and artist-designed pedestal
Custom Pointy Boots and the performance Taco-Belt in which the boots were worn, are explained by the artist: This artwork was initially conceived as a performance that dealt with Mexican-American stereotypes that I have felt directly, or family members have dealt with. The idea was to do wordplay on the fast food chain Taco Bell as a starting point for misunderstanding. I lumped together all the stereotypes I could think of that could be presented simultaneously during the performance, which consists of me slinging various tacos from my tool holster. I would dress up as a stereotypical cowboy that was a walking taquero, landscaper, construction man, tribalero etc. The most visually striking feature of this performance was my homemade 25-feet long Custom Pointy Boots that I fashioned out of garden hoses and my pair of cowboy boots. These customized boots in certain regions in Mexico are known as Botas Picudas which are part of a youth movement associated with the electronic music known as Tribal, hence the name Tribalero. Typically fashioned with rubber from garden hoses to extend the point on a cowboy boot, this footwear, at the time of the performance, was very popular with the youth culture in Monterrey, Mexico. In my Custom Pointy Boots I went to the extreme and exaggerated the style to make 25-feet long points as to attract all the women. It’s said that the men in the club wearing the ‘pointiest and longest boots’ are more attractive to women as a dance partner. This performance is an ‘In Your Face’ confrontation with the white American idea of what being Mexican is all about.
Alex Becerra, L-R: NIKE Waffle Racer, 2019, Oil on linen; NIKE Waffle Racer ‘17 PRM, 2019, New shoes with original box; Self Portrait with Huaraches, 2019, Oil on canvas; Huaraches, 2013, Hand woven acrylic paint.
The painting and object combination of huaraches references the artist’s Mexican-American heritage. Becerra constructed traditional Mexican huaraches out of sheets of dried acrylic paint that were cut and woven by hand, to mimic the authentic leather sandals. Through painting and object making, Becerra has said he is paying homageto the footwear traditionally worn in rural settings by Mexican laborers or in urban environments as Gang-style street wear when the sandals are worn with white tube socks.
Alex Becerra, Untitled, 2019, Squid ink and crayon on paper
PATSY PITTS (BFA '18)
L-R: The Antidote Shoes, 2019, Leather, laser-cut wood, Companion Shoebox with original drawings; Buffoonery, 2019, Ceramic, glaze, Companion Shoebox with original drawings.
African-American artist Patsy Pitts sees shoes as important symbols in the Black community as they can be interpreted as markers of racial tensions and discrimination. In her experience, shoes are invested with a convoluted history of both change and progression, and have a subversive layer of meaning. Above all other interests, the artist's attention has been centered on the symbolic nature of oversized, clumsy clown shoes. Pitts explains: Buffoonery is a ceramic piece I sculpted to represent the dual personality role played by Black clowns. Essentially, there are three categories of clowns: the tramp, whitefaced circus clown, and the Harlequin. These clowns have a common trait of buffoonery in their performances to incite laughter from the audience. In the case of the Black clown, I perceive the relationship to buffoonery as far more sinister. While performing, the black clown must hide his intellect and engage an audience through foolish, dancing caricature and slapstick. The Black clown plays the buffoon center-stage in front of an audience, and must do the same backstage to the white producer. Should there be another category that addresses only Black clowns that perform the role of minstrels, tap dancers, and circus clowns? I think so. Perhaps if we can identify this genre we can destroy it...
The artist intends these shoes to represent empathy for the cruelties inflicted upon enslaved Africans who were forced to survive the long journey to America aboard a slaver's ship in the Middle Passage - chained together and subjected to inhuman conditions.
Patsy Pitts, The Antidote Shoes, 2019, Leather, laser-cut wood, companion shoebox with original drawings, Detail
Patsy Pitts, The Antidote Shoes, 2019, Leather, laser-cut wood, companion shoebox with original drawings, Detail
Patsy Pitts, Buffoonery, 2019, Ceramic, glaze, companion shoebox with original drawings, Detail
David Leitch, Ménage, 2019, Wood and mixed media
The frame is a window of opportunity. I originally conceived of a charm bracelet that evolved into a set of three shoes on a tether. The three shoes represent two women and a man. The women are style-hounds and the man is a beach dude. The tether defines the stage for the passion play. - - David Leitch
Installation View
At Otis College of Art and Design students are given the opportunity to learn shoe design and making in their design studio classes and in focused labs. If students discover that shoe design is their passion, they can continue their pursuit through senior year and incorporate footwear projects as part of their senior design thesis. To learn how to design and create footwear, students research shoe structure, create patterns, learn industrial sewing and textile skills, and study methods that adhere to professional footwear standards. Throughout the design and making process, students interpret fashion culture to arrive at their creative design style and refine their innovative approach to wearable footwear. In advanced courses, students can move beyond the functional into the territory of imagination, creating sculptural works that expand the possibilities of shoes as narrative elements and cultural symbols. On view is a selection of functional and fanciful footwear by Otis faculty and alumni.
Above: L-R:
Steve Evans (BFA '18): Prototype Shoes, Polaris/Kochab is a convertible dress shoe able to adapt to the environment by changing one or two inner sock sleeves. Steve Evans, Kochab, 2018, Synthetic leather, mesh, 3D printed tpu sole; Pherkad, 2018, Synthetic leather, mesh, eva sole
Chaz Inouye (BFA '17): Prototype Shoes, Wayer footwear that encourages biking through the technology of an interface between outer-sole and magnetic foot pedal. Chaz Inouye, Wayer Footwear, Strigo Boot, 2017, Leather
Alexandra Felix (BFA '17): Prototype Shoes, Inspired by the crafts practiced in the town of San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca, Mexico, the Antonino Loafers are a representation of traditional embroidering techniques and material exploration. Alexandra Felix, Antoninos Loafers, 2017, Vachetta leather
Jacob Kim (BFA '18): Prototype Shoes, Eco-friendly shoes made of sustainable Tencel fabric, composed of wood pulp, and 100% biodegradable neoprene. Jacob Kim, S.S.H.U.Es, Sustainable Shoes for Helping, Underdeveloped Environments, 2018, 3D Printed PLA, natural rubber, neoprene
Anna Miller (BFA '17): An art shoe developed from a story and sketch of an older woman sitting in a coffee shop whose life is unraveling, one straw at a time. Anna Miller, Louise, 2015, Raffia straw
L-R:
Karen Regoli
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Product Design. A pair of elegant cowboy boots and pumps made by traditional handcrafting techniques and inlays.
Karen Regoli, Black Pumps #7, Summer 2017, Leather; Karen Regoli, Red Tulips #5, Summer 2015, Leather.
Chaz Inouye (BFA '17)
Prototype Shoes, Wayer footwear that encourages biking through the technology of an interface between outer-sole and magnetic foot pedal.
Chaz Inouye (BFA '18), Wayer Footwear, Peregrine Flat, 2017, Leather
Rebecca Reisman (BFA '09)
As a professional designer for Global Brands Group (the USimply Vera" line) and Esquire Footwear (Mattel and Hasbro line of children's shoes) Rebecca originates fashionable and wearable product lines for adults and children for the mass market.
Foreground L-R:
Rebecca Reisman for New Power/Barbie for Mattel/Esquire Footwear, Hot Pink Glitter Lowtop - Style Name: Nova, 2018, Hot pink chunky PU fabric, navy smooth PU, navy faux fur, navy velvet, TPR
Rebecca Reisman for LXJ/Barbie for Mattel/Esquire Footwear, Mauve Western Boot - Style Name: Imogen, 2018, Mauve chunky glitter fabric, mauve velvet, TPR
Rebecca Reisman for New Power/Barbie for Mattel/Esquire Footwear, Black Velvet Moto Boot - Style Name: Cosima, 2018, Black velvet, black sugar glitter fabric, faux fur, TPR
Rebecca Reisman for New Power/Barbie for Mattel/Esquire Footwear, Black Glitter Ballet Flat - Style Name: Keela, 2019, Black Sugar glitter fabric, black patent PU, hot pink faux fur, TPR
Rebecca Reisman for Shiyi-Donguan China/Simply Vera Vera Wang for Kohl’s/Global Brands Group, Black Peep Toe Platform, 2014, Black grainy PU, black elastic gore, cork, black grainy PU, TPR
Rebecca Reisman, Black Glitter and Hair Calf Open Shootie, 2012, Black chunky glitter fabric, black hair calf leather, black smooth leather, horse belly leather
Rebecca Reisman for Shiyi-Donguan China/Simply Vera Vera Wang for Kohl’s/Global Brands Group, Black Stretch Shootie - Style Name: Avelyn, 2014, Black microsuede, black elastic, TPR
Rebecca Reisman (BFA '09)
Foreground L-R:
Rebecca Reisman for Shiyi-Donguan China/Simply Vera Vera Wang for Kohl’s/Global Brands Group, Black Peep Toe Platform, 2014, Black grainy PU, black elastic gore, cork, black grainy PU, TPR
Rebecca Reisman, Black Glitter and Hair Calf Open Shootie, 2012, Black chunky glitter fabric, black hair calf leather, black smooth leather, horse belly leather
Rebecca Reisman for Shiyi-Donguan China/Simply Vera Vera Wang for Kohl’s/Global Brands Group, Black Stretch Shootie - Style Name: Avelyn, 2014, Black microsuede, black elastic, TPRPED 2
Rebecca Reisman, Gold and White Peep Toe Bootie, 2012, Upper materials: white patent leather, gold grainy leather, horse belly leather
Rebecca Reisman for LXJ/Barbie for Mattel/Esquire Footwear, Gold Glitter Mod Boot - Style Name: Noemi, 2018, Gold chunky glitter fabric, silver metallic PU, TPR
Rebecca Reisman, Gold Fringe Bootie, 2011, Upper materials: gold grainy leather, horse belly leather
Allison Zahorik
As Senior Director of Color, Materials and Trends at Skechers, Allison oversees the material direction and color combinations for the Women's Sport line, including the new sneaker originals, the D'lites.
Allison Zahorik for SKECHERS, L-R:
Made to Shine, D’Lites Design Line, 2017, Mesh fabric, sequins, fabric, glitter finish, rubber traction outsole
Sparkling Zone, D’Lites Design Line. 2018, Hand-beaded bow, metallic textile, leather and synthetic nubuck, natural rubber look traction outsole
Cheetah Queen, D’Lites Design Line, 2019, Leather, fabric, textured embroidery, metal and rhinestone accents, natural, gum-rubber look flexible traction outsole
Captain’s View, D’Lites Design Line: Premium Heritage, 2019, Kidskin leather, cowhide suede, brocade elements, metallic cord, natural gum, rubber outsole
Glamorous View, D’Lites Design Line: Premium Heritage, 2019, Reptile textured leather, satin finish fabric, gold foil suede, embroidery, sequins, rhinestones, pigskin leather, rubber outsole
Planet BT21, Collaboration with BT21, 2019, Leather, suede, woven athletic mesh fabric, Sherpa fabric, stitching accents, flexible rubber traction outsole
Animated Outlook, Collaboration with LINE FRIENDS, 2019, Leather, soft mesh fabric, lenticular images, embroidery, flexible rubber traction outsole
Jungle Fashion, D’Lites Design Line, “Pony Hair” upper, patent leather, fabric, flexible rubber traction outsole
Art Show, D’Lites Design Line, Leather upper, hand-painted splatter details, action and synthetic leather, mesh fabric, rubber traction outsole
Luis Ramirez (BFA '17)
Cast aluminum shoe sculpture that responds to the streamline profiles and aerodynamics of the Art Deco era.
Motorpeds, 2016, Cast aluminum
February 8, 2020
A Step Beyond: Contemporary Footwear, Functional to Fanciful
Guest curated by Jo Lauria
Contemporary footwear intersects gender and fashion in continually new and creative ways. In design and fabrication, both functional and fanciful footwear emerge from a collaborative process of creativity and craftsmanship. The exhibition presents a chronology of fashionable shoes over the past 100 years as well as focusing on footwear from a variety of perspectives, including custom or limited-edition shoes handcrafted for private clients, and shoes mass-produced for the consumer market. In addition, a section of the exhibition features artists and illustrators who use the shoe as a protagonist in their individual artistic narratives.
Artists, designers, and collectors in the Exhibition:
Alex Becerra, Gaza Bowen, Helen Chung, Jean Concoff, Twin Daniel, Steven Evans, Alexandra Felix, Phyllis Green, Amara Hark-Weber, Chaz Inouye, Paul Kaufman, Jacob Kim, David Leitch, Melissa Leventon, Anna Miller, Patsy Pitts, Luis Ramirez, Karen Regoli, Rebecca Reisman, Wes Shugart, Lucinda Smith, Lisa Sorrell, Elisabeth Thorsen, UNITED NUDE, Gregory Weir-Quiton, Pamela Weir-Quiton, Joshua Wong, and Allison Zahorik.
Related Events
Opening Reception for A Step Beyond: Contemporary Footwear, Functional to Fanciful | Sat Feb 8, 4–6pm | Ben Maltz Gallery | Free
A Flair for Design: Lisa Sorrell | Sat Feb 29, 4pm | Craft in America Center | Free
About the Exhibition
Lisa Sorrell: A Flair for Design - Craft in America Lecture
Bootmaker Lisa Sorrell, whose work is featured in A Step Beyond: Contemporary Footwear - Functional to Fanciful, speaks about her life and work at the Craft in America Center
https://www.craftinamerica.org/talk/lisa-sorrell