Floats my boat - Nicholas Kirkwood

I guess that anyone who does a 5 year apprenticeship with uber-milliner Phillip Treacy is going to learn a few things. Take Nicholas Kirkwood for example. I am not a regular wearer of high-heels, but I really love his work.


It's all about the shapes; silhouettes, bold sculptural forms with minimal surface detail. He eschews the use of fussy trims and decoration, referring to them as 'the gargoyles of the footwear world'. Good for him.

Talking about magenta! His use of colour also floats my boat; bold, tone on tone, metallic accents, striking.In technical speak these external platform sections are a great play on proportion. When a shoe is designed, the 'pitch' has to be right, so that the ball of the foot contacts the ground precisely as the shoe rests. Too far forward and you are teetering on your toes at each step, too far back and you are trudging up an imaginary hill.
If you took the platform away in this case, the pitch would be all wrong, so it's kind of like a mistake that was corrected and has become his signature look. Of course he's cleverer than that, and it was all pre-imagined, but I like to think of all the ways I have attempted to correct mistakes in my shoes - this is a good one!He's only about 29 years old, bless him, and doesn't seem to make flat shoes at all, but I love these beauties none-the-less.

Listening to: Gary Numan - Cars