Wednesday, March 25, 2009

...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...

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

...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...













Tuesday, March 17, 2009

...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.

Monday, March 16, 2009

...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.


Thursday, March 12, 2009

...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.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

...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...

Monday, March 2, 2009

...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.