MEDI A COVERAGE 2014 I NTERNI
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FASHION FILE
Conceptual, artistic, of design and art, veritable stilts or flats, décolleté or laced, in crocodile leather or in new materials, yet always shoes: an object of invention and desire, now on display in Rotterdam
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BIG SHoeS, SHarP BRraIN The Kunsthal of Rotterdam (it.rotterdam.info) designed by Rem Koolhaas hosts, until 11 May, the exhibition S.H.O.E.S., on feminine footwear – especially that of the world of design – from 1900 to the present, including the projects of the nephew of the curator of the 14th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice, Rem D. Koolhaas. The former is also an architect, who worked in his starchitect uncle’s studio and then, in 2003, founded the brand United
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Nude (www.unitednude.com), making footwear-sculpture created by renowned international product and fashion designers. The title of the exhibition, S.H.O.E.S., stands for Sexy Heels or Easy Sandals: at the Kunsthal (www. kunsthal.nl), visitors can see over 500 types of footwear, including items created by historic stylists and international manufacturers – such as Salvatore Ferragamo, André Perugia, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin – as well as true one-offs of shoe design, taken from famous collections, like the surreal Hommage à Braque (1931) by André Perugia, arriving directly from the Musée Internationale de la Chaussure of Romans-sur-Isere (France), and the
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first sandal with plateau, made by Ferragamo (1938) for the actress Judy Garland; there are also creations by Roger Vivier, considered the inventor of spike heels (1954) and made famous by Catherine Deneuve in the film Belle de Jour. From Dutch collections, the show features the transparent décolletés of Beth & Herbert Levine (1960), belonging to the Modemuseum Hasselt, and the very colorful spike heels by Charles Jourdan from the Leather and Show Museum of Waalwijk. In short, footwear as a work of art or design, as well as a crafted product at the highest level, an object of seduction but also a status symbol, as demonstrated by the exhibition’s long time span, ranging from Victorian-era boots to incredible creations for Lady Gaga. (Olivia Cremascoli)
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1. Daphne Guinness, heiress and icon of international style, with the evening escarpins by Nina Ricci. 2. Court Shoes by Vivienne Westwood, 1999. 3. Lo Res Pump, Nude Rubber, by United Nude. 4. Jan Taminiau footwear, 2013, by Rene van den Berg. 5. Lever by Jimmy Choo, Cruise Collection 2007. 6. Fox hunting (2013) by Elisabeth Thorsen, made with remnants of needlepoint curtains; the heels are made from old skateboards.