New-Fangled Footwear

French show designer Benoît Méléard has just created a new experimental [not that his design are usually anything but] collection to honour 50s shoe designer Beth Levine, in the past he's designed for major labels such as Alexander McQueen, Loewe and Helmut Lang to name a few, but since launching his own commercial collection in 2001 that his designs have just got more and more original.  And his latest spring/summer collection is no different he was inspired by renowned American shoe designer Beth Levine who also pushed the boundaries of shoe design to create innovative and imaginative collections, Méléard's collection screams exciting, modern, architectural and sometimes cubist? So have a look i'm sure you'll love, sadly i only dream of owning some of the wooden heeled wonders or the sandals!!!

Historics Of Chanel.

I've just found out about a wonderful new exhibition MOCA [The Museum of Contemporary Art], Shanghai are running that highlights the inspirations of the house of Chanel surprisingly being in China i doubt i'll be going so i thought i would try and find out a bit about it to benefit all of us who won't be going.  The exhibition is called "CULTURE CHANEL" and shows the historical and creative dimensions of the House of Chanel.  'It interprets Mademoiselle Chanel's universe through her designs, her iconic pieces and her literary and artistic inspirations. Throughout her life Mademoiselle Chanel was close to the greatest artists of her time, including poets Jean Cocteau and Pierre Reverdy, painters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali and composer Igor Stravinsky' [www.mocashanghai.org]. The exhibition explores Chanel from Mademoiselle Chanel to Karl Lagerfeld and surrounds five major themes: Origin, Abstraction, Invisibility, Liberty and Imaginary. 'CHANEL designs, artworks, manuscripts and films come together to illustrate this permanent creative dialogue between different eras and inspirations. With its fluid and deliberately contemporary curation of around 400 pieces, including 100 on loan from museums and private collections, "CULTURE CHANEL" demonstrates the bold path of a brand that has always known how to express the essence of its times and that remains today synonymous with modernity.' [www.mocashanghai.org]. The exhibition sounds extraordinary and i have managed to find some images from the show, to illustrate the great work of Chanel over many decades and the seamless links through time that the house has created. I also love the posters for the show i feel they capture Chanel perfectly showing timeless elegance with a modern twist. Enjoy!