Have you ever caught yourself staring at your shoes, marveling at how gloriously beautiful they are? Have you ever took too long to dress and arrived late to an event, simply because you were just too mesmerized by how perfect your shoe collection is? There’s no denying it: there’s something inherently attractive about shoes. For us fashionistas, heading to our favorite boutiques to ogle at all the new, exciting trending styles is pretty much exactly the same as carousing the hippest art gallery, viewing priceless works of art.
Fashion and art have always been intertwined. With pop idols like Lady Gaga who constantly pushes the boundaries of fashion straight into the crazy-kooky realm of art, it’s hard to deny the connection between the two worlds. So it’s no wonder that viewing creative works of fashion can evoke the same emotions as viewing an exceptional painting, photo, or sculpture.
Take the Allison pump by Madison: at first glance, it looks like a simple stiletto with a floral design. But take a closer look, and you might just find yourself recalling the influential works of a certain Ms. Georgia O’Keefe.
That’s right. If you have ever watched “Breaking Bad,” then you may know of this quintessential female artist: a pioneer of flower paintings and their abstract portrayal of the feminine body. Instead of objectifying the female form, she chose to subliminally represent it with florals. Her work was empowering, and just the same, a timeless floral pump is also empowering: simple, strong, and beautiful.
And how about the Sheffy fashion sneaker by ShoeDazzle? It’s obviously unique with its mixed-media styling, and it definitely catches one’s eye quite quickly, but doesn’t this statement shoe have something much more substantial to state than just, “Don’t I look pretty?”
And it does. It says that you are an individual, who doesn’t only act on logic, but also on feeling. If there was a contemporary art piece that perfectly embodies this very statement, it would be Yayoi Kusama’s 2013 work, “Love is Calling:” an enormous, flamboyantly colorful, mixed-media installation piece that takes up an entire room and stimulates every physical sense.
It’s definitely one of those art-for-art’s-sake pieces. Without shrouding itself in contrived hidden meanings, it celebrates everything that’s spontaneously interesting and exciting.
So the next time you find yourself shopping, why not take a second to admire each piece’s beauty? By the way: New Arrivals are being exhibited on the 1st of February, so here’s an invitation to the opening reception.
