Author(s): Jane Weitzman

Fashion

Not meant to be worn, art shoes are pure fantasy, constructed of unique materials in various shapes and silhouettes. The art shoes in the Stuart Weitzman collection are made from a vast array of materials - feathers, paper, ceramic, metal, resin, playing cards, corrugated cardboard, Swarovski crystals, even fresh flowers and frosting - and their intricate construction and imagination is remarkable. Art and Sole features in printed form for the first time Jane Gershon Weitzman's selection of the best of this collection, approximately 150 shoes of the more than 1,000 she has discovered and commissioned for display since the first Stuart Weitzman retail shop opened in the mid-1990s on Madison Avenue. With an introduction by Weitzman, Art and Sole highlights shoes from the collection, along with brief, identifying captions, in an impeccably designed, graphically compelling, artful package. Thumbnail photographs of every shoe in the book, along with a more in-depth description as well as a brief biography on the artist who created it, are also included. Furthermore, the book's deluxe details make it the perfect gift: a silkscreened cloth case with an elaborate crystal shoe embossed in detail; printing around the three open edges of the book; and a satin ribbon marker. A look book for shoe and art aficionados, Art and Sole offers readers an extraordinary compilation of fantasy footwear.