The Spectator Shoe | Variations.
February 29, 2016 § 4 Comments
The Spectator Shoe: A two toned leather oxford born in the late 1800’s becoming popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Below a Spectator inspired shoe patent from 1939 by my grandfater, Ben Benjamin.
Hollywood, California, Shoppers, April, 1942. (Photo Courtesy Library of Congress)
Footwear News, 1972.
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Shoe Shaped Church | Taiwan.
January 17, 2016 § 2 Comments
I couldn’t resist posting. Making the rounds on social media this morning is a Giant, Shiny, Shoe – Shaped Church in Taiwan that was designed to attract female worshipers and tourists.
“In our planning, we want to make it a blissful, romantic avenue,” Pan Tsuei-ping, the administration’s recreation section manager, told the BBC.
But the inspiration behind the design — and, no, it’s not gender-normative commercialism — is anything but blissful. The BBC reports:
“The shoe was inspired by a local story. According to officials in the 1960s, a 24-year-old girl surnamed Wang from the impoverished region suffered from Blackfoot disease. Both of her legs had to be amputated, leading to the cancellation of her wedding. She remained unmarried and spent the rest of her life at a church.
“The high heel is intended to honour her memory.”
Just in case a giant high heel with a tragic back story isn’t enough to lure women to the new church, another local government official said the interior of the church, too, will cater to women’s apparently delicate inclinations. Quoted from — Taiwan Now Has A Giant, Shiny, Shoe-Shaped Church – NPR
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Salvatore Ferragamo Windows, Christmas 2015.
December 26, 2015 § 1 Comment
In 1955 my grandfather, Ben Benjamin, then the general manager for I. Miller shoes embarked on a European trip to help improve the production value of the I. Miller shoes being manufactured in Europe. In the letter below, written while they were in Italy, Salvatore Ferragmo’s sister, Rosina Ferragamo, is mentioned as worth seeing.
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My Favorite Shoe Bloggers Are At It Again, Check Out The Latest From TheHistorialist.
November 12, 2015 § Leave a comment
Customcraft Shoe Ad Reminiscent Of Salvatore Ferragamo Shoe.
July 3, 2015 § Leave a comment
In reverse.
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Rock ‘N’ Roll Project | Martin Scorsese
July 3, 2015 § 3 Comments
Walking down 48th Street and Lexington Avenue today I found myself wondering where I was as I passed by Colony Music. At first I thought maybe it had been reopened as a smaller version of itself until I realized I had walked into the middle of the set for Martin Scorsese’s new HBO show Rock ‘N’ Roll. Alas the PA who asked me to move along snapped me out of my fantasy flashback in time. They even dirtied up the streets and a couple of the drivers for the vintage cars were engaged in a real life drama as they verbally duked it out.
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Rainbows Everywhere.
June 29, 2015 § Leave a comment
The city is all about color right now. Leave it to Barneys to create the grooviest window displays and Gap has teamed up with Big Gay Ice Cream for 30 days of tees and ice cream. Loving The Pride.
Women's Footwear in America 