since I was out…
I headed to Venice last month for an exhibition at a pop-up gallery near the beach for a couple of photographers I dig. I’d only ever seen their work online, in mags and on album covers. I was superexcited to be able to stand in front of prints and just see. So, yeah. Nobody was there. Doors locked. I asked around and no one knew anything.
Instead of running home in a huff, I walked a few blocks down to Abbot Kinney to meet up with my friend, Vincent, at Mona Moore. He’d told me to stop by bunch. I’m so glad I finally did. I fell in love with a pair of shoes. Not in a covetous, I’m-saving-my-pennies kind of way, but in a true appreciation for artistry, simplicity and beauty. Oh, and they are lo-fi, eXtra* and badass.
I’m not sure if I would have pulled out my camera if the Mochilla show wasn’t locked up tight. I think my head would have been there instead of being inspired by what was around me. From my handmade soulmates to all the Balenciaga and Marni to Allie Pohl‘s Ideal Woman, I quite like Mona Moore.
n♥
eXtra = Much, Lots
I am a fiend for wooden shoes. They make me feel stable, though I’ve wiped out on clogs enough times to realize that this feeling is transient.
Where do you suppose people learn to make gloriously handcrafted shoes (like the ones you photographed) these days?
I suspect that the subject of your last photograph looks like he knows delightful secrets about those shoes.
I feel weird about using the term artisan and I shouldn’t. There are people crafting amazing goods all around us. I was fascinated by Jutta Neumann when I lived in NYC. Her leather pieces were always just… Still love. ♥
Who’s the dude?
That’s Vincent. ♥