...BAD NEWS...

So, I know I've been really really lazy... but I have excuses. I have recently joined the world of employment, and I've been working on some shoe designs for a friend with a label (more later).

And, the bad news... they've cancelled the shoe making course I was doing, which is the only real shoe making course in the state, and one of only two Australia-wide. It's a shame, and their reasoning - it's a hobby course only, no-one is taking it to a career level and all shoe design/making is being done off-shore. The worst thing they can do in such a situation? Shut down the only course that lets people learn these skills! A more reasonable solution would be to have a course that ran more than one day a week, turn it into a course where people can learn the skills they need to turn it into a career.

Anyway, like I said I'm working on some shoes for a friend's label and we're hoping to get samples made up soon...

...FIRST HEEL...

We finally get to make a heel! It's not the styliest of heels but a heel nonetheless.

I'll be posting showing each step of making these.

First we need to make a shell forme. This means cutting blue architectural trace to the general shape of the last (the foot shaped model we make the shoe around-you can see it drawn in the above pic.), wetting it, carefully wrapping it around the last and drying it with a heat gun (hence the small burn marks in the picture below). 

Then we draw the centre lines and design lines onto the shell forme both measuring and going by eye. We actually judge by eye more than I expected in shoe design... Unless the design is asymmetrical you only draw on the outside half. This design has the contrast detail that wraps around, so that needs to be drawn in.

When we've finished drawing we slice down the centre lines (effectively cutting the shell forme in half) and put a few notches around the toe. Flatten it out onto a piece of paper and we have a three dimensional form in 2D - this is what we make the patterns from. 

More to come soon...

...ZAHA & MELISSA...

We have been promised these shoes FOR EVER. A collaboration between architect, Zaha Hadid and Brazilian shoe label, Melissa. 

They were supposed to be released last year but when I spoke to a Melissa rep she said Zaha was perfecting them... over and over... and over.

They're finally available on the Melissa website in black, purple and silver - but at $365 they're a little pricey... especially if I can't try them on... and I haven't seen them at any of the Melissa stockists in Sydney.

I love the sweeping lines and irregular, asymmetrical forms (in both the shoes and Zaha's buildings...)

I love Melissa shoes - they are so comfortable and they smell like strawberries :)

I have a pair of these in green and a pair in black.

And I have these:

I think I'm going to buy these:

A collaboration between Vivienne Westwood and Melissa, they're much more affordable than the Zaha's at $185. Should I?

...I ♥ RICK...

I am still in love with these Rick Owens boots... Driving down Oxford St. in Paddington I swear I caught sight of a pair in a shop window. I definitely have to go confirm, but whatever they were they looked like they belong in my closet.

...PUMPS...

So it's been a while since I've posted anything... I'm a terrible blogger. I've been super busy helping my boyfriend with a new space he's opening (and which I'll post about later)

My boyfriend got these for me from a fashion show - they're hilarious, not sure how much wear I can get out of them though! Just really cheap shoes with gold chain, zipper and toy basketball stuck on the heel... apparently the stylist had a budget of $30/pair of shoes!

I wore them out the other night to a 90's hip hop night and I've never had so many comments on my shoes - goes to show what you can do on a low budget with a bit of imagination.

...A TRIBUTE TO THE TRIBUTES...

I'm still in love with the Yves Saint Laurent Tribute pumps... I was out the other day and spotted these knock-offs by Wittner. Actually, I'm not sure if these are actually called the Tribute pumps - I think that's only the peep-toe version... these, I think, are just the YSL Platform Pump. Whatever it's called, I love it.

At only $189- the Wittner Sassy heels are much more within my price range than the YSL version at US$795!

Now if I can only find a knockoff of the YSL boots that made it to my lust-have list in Feb I'll be happy...

...FIRST LASTING...

This is my first attempt at lasting a shoe (i.e. shaping it around the last). We didn't design this shoe, so again it's kinda ugly. Apologies for the shit photos, I'm housesitting and have no camera other than my mac...

The counter (the piece that stiffens the heel) is a bit dodge because our teachers don't give us access to anything even mildly expensive until we can actually make a shoe. So we used pieces of leather. We used pink floral fabric covered in Clag for the toe puff (the piece that puffs the toe between the lining and upper). 

In the last photo you can see the underside (it was just an exercise so there's no sole...) You have to put tacks all around the shoe (but they only stay in around the heel) and my thumbs are completely ruined from all the hammering and pulling and stretching and screw ups where I hit my thumb instead of the tack. Nevertheless I am loving that I just made a kind of shoe. 

I called my shoe Fred. My friend called his shoe Nancy. Everyone else in class thinks we're weird, but it makes sense because the lasts have really cheesy names. The shoe I'm working on at the moment is Margo.

...NEW TILLY ROSE BOOTS...

Just put these boots on lay-by... the photo doesn't do them justice at all and as soon as I pick them up I will take a better photo.

I've been looking for a pair of mid-calf, motorcycle-esque boots, and these are so comfortable! I'm now trying to convince myself that I do need another pair of black boots...

They're by Tilly Rose, an Australian label that I don't know too much about...

It was either the boots above, or these boots from Mimco (I can't find any bigger picture...). They grey was working for me, but they just weren't as comfortable as the Tilly Rose ones.

I also tried on these futuristic flats at Mimco. I need more flats in my wardrobe, kinda desperately! But these were very strangely designed - the top ankle strap sits right on top of your ankle bone and is hugely uncomfortable... so a no-go. In theory though, I like them a lot!

update: just want to add that I do think Mimco shoes (actually most things at Mimco) are ridiculously overpriced and the quality is not great (I got given a bangle not so long ago that broke after one wear!) but I know someone who works there and they get 70% off shoes which makes them pretty cheap (obviously no-one is spending $500 ^ on their shoes... why would you when you can get designer shoes for the same price?) Still didn't buy anything though...

...THE UNIVERSE OR THEMSELVES...

If you're interested, check out The Universe or Themselves

A blog of my writing...

The photo is from The Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania.

...SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT...

Same boot, different toe...I prefer the round toe

I'd like the platform and wedge of this boot to be light patent grey, and the upper, and piping to be white wetsuit material... I'm not exactly sure of the practicality of that...

...PARIS, TEXAS...

This is one of my favourite films of all time. Visually, Wim Wenders gets it close to perfect, and the sparseness of the film is incredible. Nastassja Kinski as Jane is simply beautiful - the shot of her in the backless mohair sweater, looking over her shoulder is my favourite image from any film. And the soundtrack is so hauntingly perfect too... I just love everything about this film...

...JUST ADD STUDS...

My friend at college jokingly says that if I'm not sure about something I just add studs... maybe it's true... I think these look a lot better though! 

I'm imagining the studded front part to be black elastic, the vamp, back and strip down the heel to be black leather, the wedge part of the heel and layered part at the front to be nude leather, with bronze studs.

...ELASTIC BOOTIES...

The fronts of these boots are elastic... The pale grey part of the heel and the pale grey top layer could be good in a really bright colour.

...I WANT A HOLGA...

I was at an exhibition last night, and a girl there had a Holga camera hanging around her neck that I think has sparked a bit of an obsession. I am so in love with the soft images the plastic lens produces, the 120 medium format film, the saturated colours you can capture, the coloured flash... actually I just kind of love everything about it. I think I'm going to have to buy one and play around with it.

This lomography website has so much wonderful information on it - I've just spent an hour looking through all the images - they also have a Holga starter pack for sale which looks pretty good... I love. I want.

...I ♥ HENRY DARGER...

Henry Darger is one of my favourite artists, and his story is as unlikely as his art.

His story is far too long to tell in full detail here, but very briefly: he was born in the 1890s, and and put in a catholic boy's home in 1900 when his father could no longer care for him. There, he was diagnosed by a doctor as "feeble" who said "Little Henry's heart is not in the right place".

When he was 16 he escaped the home, and walked from Lincoln back to Chicago, witnessing a tornado on the way - he walked over 100 miles. In Chicago he found work as a janitor in a hospital, and worked there until his retirement more than fifty years later, retiring only when forced by his employers.

He was intensely reclusive, and it was only after he passed away in 1973 that his landlords discovered his prolific work.

He had, over his lifetime, written the longest work of fiction on record - In the Realms of the Unreal (15,145 pages) - about the seven Vivian sisters - accompanied by three volumes containing several hundred illustrations. He had also written an autobiography of over 5,000 pages, a daily journal chronicling the daily weather for ten years, and a second work of fiction of over 10,000 pages. He is now one of the most recognised 'outsider artists', thanks to the efforts of his landlords.

The 2004 Documentary  In the Realms of the Unreal brings his work to life beautifully (and is, strangely, narrated by Dakota Fanning)

I'd love to know what other people think of Darger's work...

...A SHOE FOR THE HEEL...

A shoe for the spiked heel I sketched yesterday... The front is definitely a little inspired by the Rick Owens wedge boot

...MY FIRST (PROPER) SKETCHES...

Today we spent the morning class learning to sketch around a last (the foot model thing). My shoe sketches are usually a bit of a scribble, so it was interesting doing everything carefully and to the proper scale etc... I don't mind the studded wedge heel, but I'm not so sure about the toe shape... We are supposed to practice this week, so guess I'll have a lot more by the end of the week!

This is another heel I quickly sketched - It's inspired by the bracelet I bought the other day.

Vs.

...MY FIRST (UGLY) SHOES...

They might be hideous, but seeming as I didn't design them (it was a set design exercise - see previous post), and they're my first pair of shoes, I'm still proud of them!

 

They're a size 12.5, so there's no way I can actually wear them (not that I would want to...), but I got a pair of lasts (the foot shaped model you build shoes on) in my size for the next pair we're making.

I made every part of the shoe from scratch - there were no pre-made parts. We cut the insole and stretched leather around it, attached the straps, cut and sanded the sole to shape, made the heel, and put it all together.

Today we started work on pattern making, and we're making a closed in, flat court shoe (which are only marginally more attractive than the shoes in this post...) Pattern making is super interesting - even if you plan on getting shoes manufactured, rather than making them yourself, it shows you what's possible, and gives you a real understanding of the shoe.. I just wish my practical skills were a bit more advanced! I can't wait to start making shoes that I've designed...