Classical AI Shoes

Ofri Cohen of Spotlight Time is very clever...she used the AI program Midjourney to create a marvelous collection of shoes that utilize a classical-Renaissance motif. The chunky soles or shafts of boots look like friezes of ancient Greek or Roman architecture. I would love a pair of the boots...any pair will do. I hope someone actually makes these soon (they could easily be 3D printed)!

https://www.instagram.com/spotlighttime/

BEAUTY: Shoes--Amber Ambrose Aurèle

Regular readers know that twice a year I post photos and thoughts about the men's clothing collections from several very unique fashion designers who show at Milan and Paris. So it is unusual for me to post about women's clothing. However, I just came across the work of Amber Ambrose Aurèle and it is stunning. Her shoe creations are incredible wearable works of sculpture. She is from The Netherlands and it only makes sense that one of her collections is an homage to the De Stijl school of art and architecture including the work of painter Piet Mondrian...

"A woman in heels is more dangerous than a loaded gun." – Amber Ambrose Aurèle

https://www.amberambroseaurele.com/

BEAUTY: Shoes--ROKER

Released for London Fashion Week, the relatively new shoe brand ROKER shows a tiny bit of what goes into a pair of their shoes in this revealing video. It is awe-inspiring to see actual artisans at work creating a pair of shoes, working with soles, cutting leather, trimming and fitting by hand. I want everyone to see just what kind of a thrilling, beautiful thing it is...

ROKER is a designer contemporary footwear brand with a bold vision--non-binary shoes subverting traditional styles and made using the hand crafted techniques seen here in this video. Since its beginning in 2016, ROKER has been combining modernity with timeless craftsmanship. ROKER sources fine leathers from Italy and manufactures all its products in London.

Most of their options are genderless...just take a look at these glorious heels for men. They can come in different leathers and colors as well. I would love a pair...

https://www.rokeratelier.com/

BEAUTY: Shoes--Miscellaneous Women's Footwear

I have never posted about women's fashion; only men's. But I must make an exception to post about the advancements--in engineering as well as style and imagination--of women's shoes. It seems that more and more designers are creating shoes that are not simply something pretty to go on feet. These are sculptures. These are statements of balance, geometry and craftsmanship.

We start with these incredible shoes from Balenciaga's current F/W '10-'11 collection. Designer for Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquière, says they were inspired by "Cosmonauts and seventies Formica. Packaging and food boxes. Synthetic foam and plywood. And a kind of rigidity." I think the cube heel, the color palette, the semi-precious minerals and the startling random shapes on the heel and sole make these shoes a work of art. They look like something Matthew Barney would make.

Next up are some shoes by the late--and very much missed--Alexander McQueen. Top left: his "Armadillo" or "hoof" shoe. Top right: his "Alien" shoe. Bottom left: a steam-punk shoe. Bottom right: inspired by traditional Japanese geta sandals.



John Galliano, who designs for Dior as well as his own house, made these amazing creations. The metallic raspberry "squiggle" shoe from S/S '09 is on the left and his "sleigh" shoe is on the right.


Now we come to an absolute feat of engineering: the cantilevered, heel-less platform boot by Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci.
And to celebrate it all, here is a humorous, Euro-retro-futuristic video for the sleek, electronic, funky song "Shoes" by Tiga.

"What's that sound?
I like that sound.
I love that sound."

"It's the sound of my shoes."

http://www.tiga.ca/