“Pleasure and Pain” versus happy FEIT
Have you ever noticed in the seasonal sales that when you are looking for that incredible pair of to-die-for mid heel Chloe sandals that you saw at the start of the season and did not succumb to, that there is never any sign of these gorgeous creations but instead what fills the wracks are mile upon mile of staggeringly high ‘skyscraper’ heels usually in gaudy metallic shades.
Since having a kid and, in the dizzy whirl of running my business I’ve found little room for high heels as they really slow you down especially if they are 12cm. It’s simply not ‘practical’. Is that a bad word?
Although mankind developed shoes to protect our feet, there seems to be such a long history of shoes for women that were deeply uncomfortable and painful to wear, dating back to the days of Imperial china 10th and 11th Centuries. This seems to be the starting discussion point of a new exhibition that takes us through the wonderful history of shoe design from ancient Egypt through to contemporary makers due to open 13th June.
In the 21st Century however, the real ‘pain’ in the title of the new exhibition: Shoes ‘Pleasure and Pain’ opening tomorrow at the V&A might be referring to exactly that moment when you really wish you’d popped your Raf Simons Adidas Stans in your handbag to change into, rather than suffering all day your Christian Louboutins.
The ‘pleasure’ of course is more the idea of shoes and the fancy of where they might take you- there’s a surge of inexplicable desire to own them. As a complete shoe fiend, I know what that feels like. Every pair has a life of their own and a story to tell. Right now, the more extreme they are the better and designers have risen to that challenge.
As LCM opens, and mens shoes are on my mind, I thought I’d share this wonderful discovery: the ultimate unisex cool flats for women. I discovered then when my friend and I stumbled into a make shift store in New York last fall on the Bowery. She’d heard of the brand before and being a shoe designer herself she dragged me into the store to find we were infact witnessing the opening of the store that very moment, the lights were being turned on and the cash desk opened.
The shoe store was the very first FEIT stand alone store in the USA (FEIT was founded by Australian brothers Tull & Josh Price in 2005.) Once I had a look at the compact but such beautifully crafted collection and tuned over a shoe gently in my hands, I fell in love. The stunning, hand finished soft leather sneakers are in the league of a luxury saddlery maker.
The owner was there and discussed all the wonderful detail of the brand their concept. They started in 2005 and have grown on line with what they can produce to the artisan high standard they adhere to – which means they are still very much under the radar but don’t seem to mind. It’s the quality that counts. What also admired is that they are in no hurry- in this age of quick results they are happy to win fans gradually and build the business at a pace that suits them.
We departed happily that day with our purchases and to know we were the first customers of the NY store. So (even though I have also found my perfect stiletto’s too ) I shall for London Men’s Fashion Week be donning my new perfect luxury flats that indeed give me the pleasure without the pain.