This place here is the recurrent setting for many of my day-dreams, this is where I spent some blissful summer mornings cutting shoes for myself and trying to keep my wits about me as I dived, perhaps over-enthusiastically, into piles of leather scraps. This is the shoemaker's place I rave on about .. yes he makes shoes.. but more importantly.. he's patient enough to listen to what I have in mind, does exactly that and goes over and above by donating me colourful scraps for me to turn into birds and all manner of decor to go on the finished shoes. Joe, the Man United fan, is an impeccable craftsman, the place is home to a well-fed cat and everywhere smells of drying glue (which is a very good thing in my books). Moreover, the sheer magic of the process('magical' - because few, if any are still au courant with it. We were born into an alienated generation largely accustomed to finished products).. so yes, it is sheer magic to experience something being made. Call me biased but walking through the workshop (any workshop for that matter) feels like an education.. it's a lucky find, an archaeological site where one is bound to find the very same object at different stages of production. Time stands still in this place and I can play shoe-god.
And here's a textured grey pair I'm very looking forward to pick out of its pristine white box, in its very first stages of measuring and cutting. (as well as a big pair of panto shoes that just complemented the colourscheme)
PS: a shoe god assembles heels and leather at will. belief in a shoe god requires the strength of blind acceptance of all manner of forms and colours, cuts and fashions, braids, pearls, buckles and more (oh so tough!!) Believers are often said to be heeled on the spot.
Get in touch if you want a colourful confection of a pair for this summer on babettopolis@gmail.com. There's a piece of banana yellow suede I'm going back for very very soon but I can share! ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment