Ahead Of His Time

Recently my Fashion Marketing group had the opportunity to explore Northampton museum and galleries as well as being given a chance to look at their shoe archive.

Now as a female I have an absolute love for shoes, you can never have enough of them! One pair captured my attention and appreciation more than the others, they were the pair of women’s black suede heel-less court shoes designed by Andre Perugia.

They create the illusion that the wearer is suspended in mid-air. Perugia was the first to experiment with the heel-less shoe in the 1930’s. The French shoe designer, coming from a family of shoemakers, was innovative in pushing the limitation of shoes. The heel-less shoe was seen as a fashion faux pas in the 1930’s with the style not becoming popular with anyone.

But that is no longer true in the 21^st Century. The heel-less shoe can now be found anywhere, being desired and wanted by anybody and everybody. The heel-less shoe is possible to create by tapering the sole off onto a metal plate for support. Many designers now have an interest in the heel-less shoe. 

Camilla Skovgaard
£485

Although they may not be very practical, an end-list of celebrities has a huge fascination with these shoes, such as Victoria Beckham and Lady Gaga.

I would definitely recommend to everyone to go visit Northampton Museum and Galleries, as from this experience I found out how ahead of his time Andre Perugia was and learnt just how old the heel-less shoe design is. The heel-less shoe perfectly demonstrates the cycle of fashion trends that is also displayed in the recent 80’s trend hitting our high street. So ladies don't throw away your clothes, save them for the next time round!

Rebekah Jayne Broady

xxx