ShoeStory
André Perugia and Bob Inc.
An interesting example of cooperation of high class custom shoemaker and world-class shoe designer. Unfortunately, too often designers's name stays in the manufacturer's or retailer's shadow, but sometimes quite by chance this mystery is solved.
Celluloid heels
Wooden celluloid covered heels, decorated with rhinestones. How were they made? When was celluloid invented? A story of early man-made plastics and their use in shoes.
Wedgwood jasperware and Edward Rayne
Wedgwood is an acclaimed quintessence of style and quality worldwide. Articles with Wedgwood name are the pride of museums and private collections, they adorn the tables of the high and mighties as well as common devotees of good taste and high quality.
Dating the shoes
The hobby of collecting is generally described as consisting of seeking, locating, acquiring, organising, cataloguing, displaying, storing and maintaining whatever objects are of interest to the collector. None of these stages is intriguing enough without the cognition of the object, which the collector is trying to gather and the rule is that the knowledge of the item comes long before the collector gets hold of the object of his quest. Collecting shoes, however, suggest the topic so wide-ranging and diverse in origin and design, that in many cases makes it is nearly impossible to know the item before it adds up to your collection.
Tricks of the eye. High without heels.
To a wide extent of this term “heel-less” footwear endeavours to achieve the same effect without the heel. Technically I would divide this style of footwear into two types: proper “heel-less” and “cantilever”. The former is essentially a wedge with a tapered heel part slightly extending backward under the foot arch. The balance is gained by high instep, but leads to the smaller footprint.
Stiletto heels banned!?
Restrictions for certain types of clothes are not rare in the history of fashion. Numerous sumptuary laws were imposing limitations on use of some types of expensive fabrics, number of fur coats per person, length of shoe toes and heel height or application of jewelry in costume. The reason behind these restrictive regulations might have been economic or religious or ethical.