My wonderful friend/client Deborah Irmas came over with her mother this summer to order a pair of shoes for her birthday, and of course she had an idea for something for herself -- Shocking Pink Patent Leather!
When Deborah mentioned the patent to me on the phone, I
visited a supplier who "happened to have" fantastic patent leather
colors (silly me, I didn't know it is a grand trend!) which I had swatched, and
the pink was perfect for Deb. We
chose a style with a strong slightly asymmetrical shape that I had designed to
showcase a very wild pattern, which interestingly showcased the simpler
material perfectly, and I was very eager to see how it worked out -- since
every material behaves totally differently for every use.
I always like to be open to new
incarnations for my work, particularly now that I am changing my business to
include models for production in various leather textures.
I have focused on my particular way of using textiles for shoes for
many years, and it is intriguing and challenging to work in leather
again. Happily in the years since I have used it, thanks to brilliant
Italian techniques, leather colors and textures have virtually
exploded.
Having made shoes to order for a number of years now, seeing the final product is quite a thrill, and can be a total surprise. It is next to impossible to visualize the marriage between my original design with the new materials colors and textures chosen with a particular client, in addition to the expression of the silhouette in a different proportion, which often includes a new heel shape. Since I am spending all of my time on my details, and the shoemaker on his details, by the time the shoe is finished it can be a completely new shoe -- as it was in this case. Ta-da!
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