{REST Your FEET }

November 3 – December 12, 2008Opening ReceptionWednesday November 5 {5:00-7:30 PM}

Leonard Pearlstein Gallery Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design Drexel University, 33rd & Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA

Exh

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Abbie Dean, Director of the Pearlstein Gallery

advisory board, and Clare Sauro, curator of the Drexel Historic Costume

Collection (DHCC), for their discerning eyes and intellect that played

an important part in the outcome of the exhibition. To Jody Graff,

whose patience and expertise in designing and organizing the catalog

is without compare, we could not have done it without you.

Special thanks to Dean Allen Sabinson, AWCoMAD; Jacqueline

DeGroff, Curator, The Drexel Collection; Kristina Haugland at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art; Barbara Williams at Temple University

School of Podiatry; Kristen Mattioni at Design Within Reach, Phila-

delphia Studio; Mary Cuirllino at Herman Miller, Inc.; David E. Bright,

Heidi Azar and Mike Ippoliti at Knoll, Inc.; Robert Aibel; Sibby Brasler;

Gary and Janet Calderwood; Nick Cassway; Anne Cecil; Rena Cumby;

Genevieve Dion; David Gehosky; Joe Gregory; Paul Hirshorn; Walt

Kuenstler; John Levitties; Dino Pellicia; and Ephraim Russell.

In my house, where the woman is a Fashion designer and the man an Interior designer, the separation of collections is obvious — she collects the shoes and he collects the chairs. The sight of a spectacular heel can take her breath away, a brilliant chaise his.

The decisions of what to select are not always easy but the considerations of why and where/wear are the same. Are they beautiful, unusual, do they fit, do they match, are they comfortable, does that matter, is the color right, do we like the form, what is the purpose and finally — what do they cost ?

It is worthy of note that both Galen Cranz in The Chair and Bernard Rudofsky in The Unfashionable Human Body recognize similar concerns in the design of shoes and chairs. Whether standing or sitting for long periods of time, both affect our well-being. It is therefore logical to care about the form of a chair and the shape of a shoe for ergonomic and/or aesthetic reasons, despite the fact that beauty and comfort are often at odds.

Rest Your Feet has been a collaborative effort since its inception in the spring of 2007 in a conversation between Ephraim Russell, then gallery director, and me. It was initially conceived as an interdisciplinary effort involving the Fashion and Design & Merchandising Department, the Drexel Historic Costume Collection and the Architecture and Interiors Department but has since expanded to include the Media Arts Department as well. Through a grant from the College we were able to invite writers with varied areas of expertise to address the seating and/or footwear selected for this exhibition. Working with so many talented and motivated individuals has been an exhilarating experience. The accompanying essays consider everything from comfort to color to specific time periods, design and ergonomics as well as the narratives of shoes and chairs. It is our hope they will provoke discussion.

Take walk around the exhibition, view the catalog and please — Rest Your Feet!

ROBERTA H. GRUBER, Head, Fashion and Design

& Merchandising Department, Drexel University

Introduction

3

“Venetian” pump Delman, Black silk satin with glass and metal, Circa 1950s, USA, Lent by The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Francis J. Carey, III, 2002

Without a protagonist, a chair is merely a piece of architecture;

a shoe is just an inanimate object in search of a narrative. When

Goldilocks entered the picture, the three bears’ ordinary chairs

grew mysterious. Without Cinderella, the glass slipper would have

zero cachet. En masse, chairs and shoes become subjective and so

a news camera panning a kindergarten classroom slowly capturing

disorderly rows of abandoned, upturned chairs needs no voiceover

to confirm that something is terribly amiss. A mound of worn, dis-

carded shoes — laces untied, straps unbuckled — speaks of human

devastation and loss more gut wrenchingly than a torrent of words.

No other piece of furniture, no table, no armoire has a chair’s meta-

phorical receptivity. “Where is the chair you sit in?” demands writer

Henry Miller, in a passionate rant. “Where is your favorite comb, your

toothbrush, your nail file? Trot them out that I may devour them at

one gulp.” A single nightstand or bar stool can’t match the poignancy

of a lone chair when it’s used to objectify mortality. “And then one

day you too disappear,” writes spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. “Your

armchair is still there but instead of you sitting there, there is just an

empty space”. Because of their three dimensionality and anthropo-

morphic appeal, a collector may covet a high heeled pump for its

tapering throat or its curvaceous heel breast. A curvy leg, a broad

back and generous arms may account for the lure of a bentwood

rocker. Then there’s the implied heroism inherent in an object that

sheathes and shelters the body as shoes and chairs do.

An inherited chair is reluctantly given away because its weathered

upholstery and patina-ed armrests retain ghostly traces of a loved

one’s body. For the same reason, some of us comfortably buy thrift

shop clothing but feel inappropriate purchasing a pair of second-

hand shoes as if the aura of the person who died still abides in the

worn contours of its lining. We challenge an unsympathetic person

to walk a mile in our shoes so they can experience life from our

perspective but if, uninvited, they hang out in our everyday chair,

the one we exclusively use, we feel usurped and even threatened.

A woman rarely discards her shoes even when they no longer fit or

are no longer fashionable. Despite their faded silk uppers, wedding

shoes, stored in their original box, still trigger cherished memories

of a joy filled day. In order to relive the emotional monumentality of

our baby’s inaugural steps, we cast his or her first bootee in bronze.

Historically, shoes and chairs have always symbolized power. Leaders,

the modern day “chairmen”, early on assumed an unnaturally upright

yet dignified posture on straight backed thrones while their underlings

stood. To prove their importance, European nobility wore flimsy

Shoes and Chairs – ARCH ENEMIES

4

shoes or teetered on high heels while their servants donned sturdy

boots and performed the day’s manual labor. Discomfort and artifice

translated to status and wealth.

On an average day, we change our shoes at least three times and sit

in upwards of a dozen kind of seats and very few are comfortable.

Earth shoes, whose shapes originate from the outline of a left and

right foot rather than a symmetrical last, and ergonomic chairs, which

theoretically relieve the strain the hard work of sitting inflicts on the

spinal column, back muscles and internal organs, are bought by a

small percentage of the population. Most of us still opt for discomfort.

There are more than 500 versions of the Cinderella myth, which date

back to early Egypt. In each one a small foot is the embodiment of

female desirability, which may account for the fact that many women

buy shoes that are half a size too small. Folk lore, or maybe locker

room lore, purports men with large feet to be sexual studs while

women with large feet are sexual duds. In the immortal lyrics of Fats

Waller, “I don’t want ya ‘cos ya feets too big!” Sitting in a chair —

which social critic Bernard Rudofsky considered “an acquired habit,

like smoking, and about as wholesome” — strains the spine, lumbar

and diaphragm and is arguably as destructive to one’s health as

tight shoes and high heels. Unlike most chairs, shoe styles come

in different lengths and widths. A set of matching dining chairs,

expected to accommodate a family of different body shapes, weights

and heights is poorly conceived. Shoe couturiers like Manolo Blahnik,

who describes his creations as “controlled fantasy”, are rare.

Most, like Andre Perugia, see

their accomplishments as

feats of structural engineering.

“A pair of shoes must be

perfect like an equation and

adjusted to the millimeter

like a motor piece,” he said.

Similar terminology could be

applied to chair design, which

architect Mies van der Rohe

found to be difficult. “A

skyscraper is almost easier,” he said. “That is why Chippendale is

famous.” “Every truly original idea,” stated manufacturer George

Nelson, “every innovation in design, every new application of materials,

5

Evening shoe worn by Joan Rivers Manolo Blahnik, Black satin with gold leather, circa 1998, England, Lent by Temple University School for Podiatric Medicine Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear Shoe Museum

every technical invention for

furniture, seems to find its

most important expression

in a chair.”

In the west, we spend the

majority of our waking life in

chairs and most of our walking

life in shoes. People in many

other cultures routinely enter a

home or sacred place barefoot

and view the habit of chair

sitting as a Western peculiarity.

In China and India, squatting

in public is de rigueur. It’s

common for the Japanese to

kneel while eating. In Turkey and the Middle East, business is often

conducted on a floor or carpet, with participants sitting cross legged.

During Tisha B’av, a Jewish day of mourning, observers forsake

leather shoes and chairs because they exemplify physical pleasure,

an opinion long shared by collectors.

Christies recently sold Marc Newson’s aluminum Lockheed Chaise

Lounge LC-1 for upwards of $1.5 million. By contrast, slippers designed

by Stuart Weitzman in 2004, encrusted with 565 platinum-set

diamonds, remain unsold. Despite their astoundingly high price tag

of $2 million, until they are bought, until they find a protagonist,

they are merely inanimate objects in search of a narrative.

LINDA O’KEEFFE, author of SHOES, A Celebration of Pumps, Sandals,

Slippers, & More; Creative Director at Metropolitan Home magazine

6

From the 1700s to the early 1800s, European royal courts reigned with power and influence, setting style and

taste for the elite. A person’s place in society was made known by dress and manner. These were Elegant Times for the well heeled and well seated.

The graceful silhouettes of shoes and chairs were both created

by gifted craftsmen using the finest materials.

The barrel chair, representative of a formality in 18th century

form, is upholstered in the most luxurious silks. The distinctive

barrel chair form was developed in England after the gondola

of Louis XV. The chair was made in various woods and wrapped

in silk from textile centers such as Lyon, France. The sensual

quality of the silk added the refinement, luxury and elegance

to the exposed wood frame.

Both the gold kid barrette shoe (1905) and the polychrome

brocade evening shoe (1918) feature the magnificence of

the “Louis” curved heel with its rich ornamentation. The

barrette shoe echoes the gilding and ormolu of fine furniture

while the evening shoe upholstered in silk brocade predicts

the new luxury of the 20th century, reminiscent of the painter

and textile designer Raoul Dufy. Both shoes are tastefully

embellished, expressing 18th century luxury and, with the

evening shoe, predict the revival of luxury as Art Deco

evolves in the 1920-30’s.

{ELEGA

NT Tim

es }

Evening shoe Hook, Knowles & Co. Ltd., Polychrome brocade with silver kid, Circa 1918, England, DHCC, Gift of Mrs. Upton Sullivan

Barrette shoes Sorosis Trademark Luxuries, Gold kid with glass bead ornamentation, Circa 1905, USA, DHCC

World events shape fashion, affecting every aspect of how we cover

our bodies, right down to the shoes we put on our feet.

In the early years of the 20th century, Paris was the Mecca of the

fashion world. During this time most dresses were made in two

pieces. Narrow feet were considered very fashionable, and both

men and women regularly wore shoes that were a full size too small.

Day shoes were typically high shoes or boots, and for evening, many

women wore a court shoe with a small Louis heel. These evening

shoes were sometimes embellished with embroidery or metallic

thread and glass or jet beading on the vamps, the only part of the

shoe visible beneath the voluminous skirt. Evening boots were made

from soft kid or satin, with rows of beaded straps.

From 1910 – 1920, events such as women’s suffrage, the roots of

Prohibition and the Great Influenza epidemic of 1918 fundamentally

changed American society. Dresses took on a whole new dimension.

The hobble skirt came into fashion, mimicking the “harem” skirts

of the Middle East. These skirts were rounded over the hips and so

narrowly tapered to the ankles that walking was difficult. Shoes and

hosiery also became more exotic and colorful. Paul Poiret, a popular

designer of the time, was heavily influenced by Eastern design and

colors and commissioned a line of Eastern-style jeweled slippers.

The Great War, 1914 – 1918, changed

people’s lives dramatically. Men went off

to fight the war and women were left at

home to run the factories. With increasing

independence and activity, women needed

practical shoes, and to meet this need, lace-up boots became

fashionable. Hemlines began to inch up with the wartime shortage

of fabric, and women’s clothing took on a more tailored appearance.

Shoes were constructed in leather mixed with colored canvas or

gabardine, and some leathers were reversed to form suede, or

were used with a kid or patent finish. Day and evening pumps

were embellished with removable buckles in cut steel, marcasite,

diamante or silver filigree. When the war ended, people’s interests

and needs changed. Fashion changed with the changing culture

and sportswear became increasingly fashionable, and U. S. Rubber

developed the first sneaker, called Keds, in 1917. It was a “stealthy”

shoe, with its rubber sole, which did not make noise as one walked.

The years from 1920 – 1930 were marked by Prohibition, jazz music

and a revolution in mores and values, especially among the young.

Footwear, 1900-1950

8

The “flapper” seemed free from all the restraints of the past. She

smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol, she “necked” in parked cars,

she danced the Charleston until dawn and she had a very different

look. Never before in the Western world had women worn skirts

revealing their legs. The foot became the focal point of fashion. The

most common style of shoe was a single-bar, buckled-strap pump,

with a pointed toe, sturdy high heel and one tiny covered button.

High tongues, cutaway decorations, crossover straps and T-straps

were all popular elements of shoe design. The discovery of Egyptian

King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 also influenced shoe design of the

period. Bright, exotic fabrics and brilliantly dyed leather, including

metallics, were used to create some of the most fascinating shoes

ever seen! First designed as a shoe for children in 1927, the iconic

Mary Jane came into fashion. This shoe was a low-heel slipper made

of patent leather with a blunt toe and single strap over the instep

that fastens at the side, named for the shoes worn by the character

Mary Jane in the comic strip Buster Brown.

The movies were an escape from the harsh reality of the Great

Depression. Even though styles continued to change, few ready-

to-wear garments were purchased, as women began sewing more,

mending and patching old clothing. A softer, more feminine style

replaced the boyish 1920’s flapper look. Waistlines returned to the

natural position, and hemlines dropped. A variety of shoe styles

were popular during the 1930s: ankle-strap, lace-up, slip-on, buckle,

wedge-soled, and rounded-toe styles, as well as pumps and flats of

all description. The two-tone spectator shoe was a popular style of

the early 1930s, along with variations of fabric boots with molded

rubber soles. Late in the 1930s, the most incredible, magical shoes

of all times were created — the ruby slippers. Gilbert Adrian designed

the ruby slippers for Judy Garland to wear in The Wizard of Oz

(1939), and at least seven pairs were created.

Many costume historians believe that World War II changed the

world of fashion forever, cutting American designers off from Paris

couture, causing them to concentrate on sportswear. The war affected

all aspects of clothing production, as the manufacture of war goods

took precedence. Leather was restricted, so footwear designers

were forced to use every imaginable material, including reptile

skins, mesh, cork, and wood. Embellishments were at a minimum,

and many women adopted a practical, make-do philosophy, using

household novelties to embellish their shoes. When the war ended,

dressing down was over along with the austere silhouette of the

1940s. In 1947 Dior introduced the “New Look” and a return to

classic femininity in fashion, as we stepped into a new decade.

DESIRE SMITH, Author and Art Historian

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Evening shoe Fenton Footwear, Silver floral-printed kid leather with gold kid and plas-tic, Circa 1930, USA, DHCC, 61.31.10, Gift of Mrs. Haig H. Pakradooni

Black is a subtle, sensual color whose effect on materials has intrigued and inspired designers and intrigued

philosophers for centuries. Black Magic has been a subject of debate since Aristotle stated black was the lowest of colors while white was the

noblest. This statement was challenged in 1584 when R.

Borghini’s “Il Reposio” asserted black is more noble than

white because it is unchanging.

In 1945, Alfred Porteneuve designed his chair with an eye for

perfection in the relationship of elements to a refined form

in a rich black texture that defines Black Magic. The nobility

of the black finishes are given sensuality by ebonized wood

accented with bronze mounts. Porteneuve reclaims the

tradition for luxurious furniture of 18th century France by

combining fine materials with meticulous attention to detailing,

proportion and balance. The chair is commanding in its

understated elegance with slender legs touching the floor

as lightly as a women’s foot in an elegant black shoe.

The unadorned severity of the Blahnik

black pump is an expression of sheer

seduction. In the 19th century, black was

the color of the working bourgeoisie

manifest in non-descript business suits, in the simple attire

of shop girls and in maid’s uniforms. At the turn of the 20th

century, black became the color of sleek modernity when

clothing was increasingly simplified to emphasize silhouette

and construction over applied ornament and color. Black

Magic transformed the drab uniform of the working class

into elegant eveningwear. These evening oxfords contrast

the textures of silk and black patent

leather to add interest and style to a

black palette as their tall shiny heels echo

the leg of Porteneuve’s remarkable chair.

{ BLA

CK M

agic

}

Red is the color of energy and passion, eliciting intense personal responses. A bold form in red commands attention

and comment. The 1930’s Art Deco chair, attributed to Michel Dufet, is truly Red Hot. Michel Dufet worked in two métiers: as Modernist designer,

interested in design for mass production embracing metal,

and as an Art Deco designer, producing furniture of exquisite

materials for the luxury furniture market. In the interwar years,

these two design philosophies both flourished, bringing a

diversity of styles to both ordinary people and to the privileged

elite. The crimson chair’s striking contour is delineated by a

continuous line of metal “beading” with the front legs adeptly

slicing into the chair’s arms.

In contrast to a black shoe which conveys

sophistication, a red shoe screams “look

at me!” Red shoes are eye-catching and

alluring, calling attention to legs and feet.

Shoe designer Christian Louboutin’s trademark scarlet soles

have transformed these VERY expensive shoes into instruments

of both seduction and status. Not only is the sole red, but this

entire Louboutin pump is covered in blood red patent leather.

With pointed toes and vamps resembling flames, the red

suede mules by Herbert Levine embody both the wicked

and the witchy. Red Hot indeed!

{RED H

ot }

11

Evening oxford Laird, Schober and Co., Black silk and patent leather with gold kid, Circa 1936, USA, DHCC, Gift of Mrs. Curtis Bok

Pumps Manolo Blahnik, Black silk satin, Circa 2006, England, DHCC, Gift of Sally C. Bleznak

Mule Herbert Levine, Red suede, Circa 1970s, USA, Lent by The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of the estate of Myrtle M. Corbman, 2003

Pumps Christian Louboutin, Blood red patent leather, 2008, France, Anonymous loan

12

I wore my red shoes, wore my red shoes again…

Me and my red shoes. Nothing can please us.

Patty Griffin, Flaming Red

Culture, upbringing and personal preference influence what an

individual considers beautiful. Personal preference is influenced by

education, income and location. Our response to color is directed

by the same psychological stimuli that respond to beauty. Semir

Zeki, cognitive neuroscientist and Professor of Neurobiology at

University College London, argues “the psychological makeup of a

man depends on the neurological organization of the brain.” In his

study of the neural basis of creativity and the aesthetic appreciation

of color and form, he proves, by showing that we see different

attributes of visual input at different times, that color and form are

processed separately by the brain, color being processed first. Color

and form are intimately linked. Every turn in a form is accompanied

by a change of color as light is reflected more or less from the form.

Color can reinforce or diminish a design by accenting, neutralizing

or negating form.

Conditioned by cultural and ideological factors and perceived in

relation to memory and experience, color choices communicate

aspects of a person’s emotional status. Max Lüscher, a Swiss

psychologist and color consultant for industry, devised the Lüscher-

Color-Diagnostic® to objectively measure a person’s psychophysical

state and their ability to perform and communicate. As this field

of research evolved, other systems linking color to emotions were

developed, many of them contradictory. At this time no universal

standard exists, attesting to the complexity and variety of factors

influencing our reaction to color.

Black and white, the absence of color, can subordinate color to

form and shape. Black is a color of contradictions. It can be a color

of both submission and modesty, as in a nun’s habit, or authority,

as in a judge’s robes. The adjectives “sexy black” are a descriptive

convention for fashion meant to seduce. Because it absorbs all light

waves, textural distinctions are more apparent on black as in the

modulated surface of the Charles Jourdan hair calf boots and the

fabric of the Porteneuve chair. Delman’s crystal chandelier-heeled

“Venetian” pump and Ferragamo’s painted heeled pump illustrate

how “basic black” can be the subdued canvas on which to highlight

embellishment. Black connotes sophistication, dignity, elegance,

power and timelessness. To give credence to a color trend, the fashion

press will often refer to a color as “the new black”. Tuxedos and

Living Color

13

Belle de nuit pump, Roger Vivier, Red silk and rhinestones, 2008, France, Lent by Roger Vivier

limousines are typically black. Ferragamo’s satin and faille wedge

conjures up the perfect partner to the tuxedoed gentleman in his

limousine. Silver is the color of mystery and the moon. The silver

accents on the shoe add a little “Black Magic” to the pairing.

White symbolizes purity, goodness, innocence, cleanliness. Historically

the fact that it soils so easily defined the status of the wearer who

needed to be transported from venue to venue by carriage or

limousine, feet never touching the dirty street. The white wooly après

ski boots in the “Wild Life” group are not designed to withstand the

elements but to slip into by the fire after a long day of skiing. The

white goat fur on the wooly chair sends the message “pet me” but

don’t sully me by sitting down and resting your feet. Brown suggests

casual, natural, earthy, grounded. It is the most practical shoe color.

It can be worn with the clothing colors of all four seasons. The

warm brown, natural colors of the Nakashima chair and the Levine

“FranTanCue” loafer in the “Natural Sole” group relate directly to

the materials from which they are made. .

Red has more personal associations than any other color. In western

culture red has been linked with polar attributes — love, anger, passion,

danger, the devil and the fire of hell, and the redemptive blood of

Christ. Physiologically it increases pulse rate and breathing, causing

your blood pressure and metabolism to rise. If you want to signify

intensity, color it red — red carpet, red flag, red light. Red is related

to vitality, power, desire, appetite and craving. In ancient Rome, red

sandals denoted power and were reserved for high officials. Red

can symbolize the blood of life and the flame of the spirit. It was the

color of the philosopher’s stone in alchemy. Red amulets were worn

in many cultures to prolong life. According to the ancient Chinese

practice of Feng shui, painting the front door of a house red will

bring prosperity to the inhabitants.

In the movie The Red Shoes, the ballerina’s red slippers symbolize

her conflict between her love of the composer for whom she has

quit the ballet and her love of dance. Her dangerous red shoes

compel her to dance herself almost to death and then indeed die

when the shoes are finally removed from her feet and the dance is

complete. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s ruby slippers

dance her through danger and eventually return her to Kansas.

Red can suggest erotic promise — red hot mama, scarlet woman,

red light district. Vivier’s red hot satin “Belle de Nuit” stilettos

suggest a walk on the wild side, an expensive one.

At the paler end of the red range, pinks generate a different response.

Pink causes the brain to secrete nor-epinephrine which inhibits the

production of epinephrine, the chemical which allows the brain to

14

produce anger. Feelings of well being are described as “in the pink”,

“rosy outlook”, “tickled pink”. How appropriate for comedian Lucille

Ball to choose pink for the damask sandals she wore for a performance

in Philadelphia in the 1960s. Yellow, with its association with the sun,

evokes happiness, radiant well being. Gold is the color of gods and

kings and is associated with wealth, power, the exotic and oriental.

Christian Lacroix’s gold snakeskin pumps embody these attributes.

Combining multiple colors delivers the stimulation of all the colors.

This connotes imagination and whimsy. The multi-colored pumps

by Susan Bennis and Warren Edwards are fanciful yet sophisticated.

Vivier’s “Miami” stiletto adds pure luxury to the fantasy by covering

the shoe with pink, white and yellow feathers and topping it with

a Swarovski crystal covered buckle. The platform wedges by

Arisa are capricious and youthful and just plain fun. With his Queen

Anne chair, Robert Venturi

reacts against the plain

surfaces of modernism

by painting the surface

with one of his signature,

multicolored patterns.

Color is an important part

of human expression.

Although science has

been able to quantify the

neural responses of color

perception, our emotional

responses remain non-

quantifiable. No single,

universal psychological

reaction to a particular

color exists. As asserted by

British philosopher David

Hume, color remains “a

phantasm of the sense.”

KATHI MARTIN, Associate

Professor of Fashion

Design, Drexel University

Memphis sandal Roger Vivier, Color blocked satin and leather, 2008, France, Lent by Roger Vivier

What a personality a chair has! Chairs rest and restore the

body, and should evolve from the material selected and

the predetermined personal requirements which impose

their restrictions on form, rather than the other way around.

Some parts, such as spindles, are used primarily for strength,

and aesthetics becomes a secondary consideration.

These can be beautiful, however, and the error of just a

sixteenth of an inch in the thickness of a spindle can mean

the difference between an artistically pleasing chair and a

failure. Function, beauty and simplicity of line are the main

goals in the construction of a chair.

George Nakashima, Soul of a Tree

It is tempting and easy to overlook the design aspect of George

Nakashima’s work. In his own words he emphasizes the tree, its

second life as a functional object and the concept that each board

has one ideal use. He consistently made every effort possible to

extract ego from his work.

Nakashima’s work is all about design, from cutting the tree to oiling

the final product. When we focus on the drama and beauty of the

wood we lose sight of the fact that his work is designed; we need to

focus on the heart, mind and hand of the maker. No board cut itself,

jumped on a base and made a beautiful table or chair. He and those

who worked with him toiled hard to make that happen through a

careful design process.

The very first decisions about how to cut the tree are design decisions

that take into account how this piece of wood may be used. Each

piece is a carefully shaped product; first as a mental image, then on

paper, then on the boards themselves in chalk or pencil and finally

to a three-dimensional form. The only things that are naturally

occurring about his work are the tree from which they come and

the spirit which informed the process. “Each cut requires judgments

and decisions on what the log should become,” he said. “As in cutting

a diamond, the judgments must be precise and exact concerning

thickness and direction of cut, especially through “figures,” the

complicated designs resulting from the tree’s grain.”

The final product is deceptively simple, leading many to remark

on his furniture as if it depended on the wood itself. It is easy to

mistakenly focus on the grain and configuration of the boards as if

the pieces are aesthetically successful only because the boards are

beautiful. In fact, the apparent simplicity of a Nakashima design

Naturally Nakashima

16

is one of its strengths, and final product is so balanced that the

myriad decisions to achieve that effect are easy to overlook. To

make a piece of furniture of such simplicity and purity is design.

Creating furniture with the sense of being natural was complex and

demanded all of Nakashima’s unique sensibilities and exceptional

skills. Everything was planned, designed, drawn and reworked

before it was made; “….the error of a fraction of an inch can make

the design fail absolutely.”

When we look at Nakashima’s chair designs, it

is immediately apparent that most of them are

influenced by American vernacular designs, most

obviously the Windsor chair and the Captain’s

chair. These traditional American designs were

basic building blocks that were combined with

elements of Asian vernacular design and a

modernist aesthetic. This unusual and complex

combination of eastern, western and modernist

influences led each chair to evolve into a

unique George Nakashima design.

ROBERT AIBEL, Ph.D., owner, Moderne

Gallery, Philadelphia

Clean and pristine were the bywords of mid-century modern in the aftermath of WWII; this objective encouraged

postwar designers to work with standards, prototypes and production. Accepting this challenge also were the designers who expressed their

individuality through artistry and craftsmanship achieving

a Natural Sole in their work. Although there were different

beliefs between designers, there were an abundance of

opportunities to produce a variety of products eagerly

snatched up by postwar consumers.

Artist/craftsmen embrace the beauty and the imperfections of

raw materials. In the Conoid Chair (1950s), George Nakashima

was just such a designer and master craftsman. Nakashima

wrote in Soul of a Tree that “Chairs rest and restore the body

and should evolve from the material selected.” Knoll, a

company who supported both individuality and the prototype,

commissioned Nakasima to design a chair series. At first, he was

reluctant, but this became a mutually beneficial relationship

when Nakashima retained the rights to make the same pieces

mass produced by Knoll by hand in his workshop.

The J. Crew thong sandal and Herbert Levine flat slip-on

feature natural brown leather in the pure simplicity and

Natural Sole of a traditional form. The basic thong is prevalent

in many cultures of the world and has been worn as a sandal

for centuries by both rich and the poor. Although the J.

Crew thong is mass-produced, it retains the charm of the

hand crafted sandal through its simplicity, craftsmanship

and choice of material.

Timeless style characterizes the flat slip-on shoe by Herbert

Levine. As natural materials, both leather and wood have

the marvelous ability to become deeper and richer with use

and with the patina of age making these shoes only more

handsome over time.

{ NA

TURA

L So

le}

Open Work is the crisp intersection of lines and planes embodied by the modern movement of mid-

20th century. The forms and materials used by postwar designers would change our perceptions of comfort and beauty as in the 1952 Asymmetrical

Chaise Lounge by Harry Bertoia.

Bertoia was a sculptor and teacher of metal arts at the

Cranbrook Academy of Art and a furniture designer for Knoll

International, one of the premier postwar furniture manufac-

turers. These associations placed him at the ideal creative

intersection for an artist/craftsman and designer as the postwar

pendulum swung from modern design and recognized the

individuality of artist/craftsmen. In his chair designs for Knoll,

Bertoia served as both inventor and innovator. His brilliance

as an artist/designer is demonstrated by the transformation

of plain industrial metal rods into floating planes of open

grids which drape into forms of seating.

Just as the Bertoia chaise lounge creates the illusion of

translucency when a person sits in it, strappy sandals draw

attention to the foot wearing them rather than to the sandal

itself. Throughout most of western history, it was indecent

to show so much of the foot. This changed in 1930s as

evening shoes became increasingly bare. These Open Work

evening sandals from the early 1940s caress the foot and

wrap seductively around the ankle. The twisting motion of

the contemporary platform sandal by Kate Spade echoes

the clean and orderly spirit of the Bertoia chaise lounge.

The silver leather platform is held onto the foot by sleek

leather straps with clean lines crossing the foot.

{OPEN

Work }

Herbert Levine shoe Brown leather, 1960s, USA, Lent by Temple University School for Podiatric Medicine Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear Shoe Museum

Thong sandal J. Crew, Brown leather, 2008, USA, Anonymous loan

Evening sandal Saks Fifth Avenue (in the style of André Perugia), Ivory satin with silver kid appliqué, Circa 1940, USA, DHCC, Gift of Mrs. R.R. Loening

Platform sandal Kate Spade, Black silk and silver leather, Circa 2008, USA, Anonymous loan

The great Danish designer Hans Wegner was onto something when

he defined the act of sitting as a compromise between standing

up and lying down. Perhaps what separates us from cave dwellers

squatting on a rock is not the discovery of fire, after all, or the

invention of the wheel, but the development of the chair. It’s the

mark of an advanced civilization to sit and, not incidentally, to sit

on something spectacular.

The modern chair, with all its anthropomorphic parts — seat, back,

arms and legs — derives from the thrones of ancient royalty. In

recent times, chair design passed through heavily carved Victoriana,

the overstuffed upholstery of the Art Deco era and the sleek severity

of Bauhaus leather and steel, before reaching its mid-20th century

heyday. From roughly 1947 to 1957, a profusion of chairs with easy,

fluid shapes, impeccable ergonomics and plenty of personality

poured onto the U.S. market.

The factors that conspired to produce this perfect storm of innovation

and creativity around chairs in the decade following World War II

were many. They included the streamlined industrial design of the

1930s, a fascination with atomic structure, new concepts of plasticity

arising from developments in the aircraft industry and the world of

fine art — especially the massive forms of Hans Arp sculpture, the

free-floating mobiles of Alexander Calder and the disjointed lines of

Klee and Miro. All influenced the appearance of chairs at mid-century,

collectively giving rise to the idiom known as biomorphism.

In 1940, two young architects, Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen,

took top honors in a design competition at New York’s Museum

of Modern Art called “Organic Design in Home Furnishings.” Their

plywood shell chairs — Conversation, Relaxation and Lounging —

had the free-form, sculptural quality that was to become a hallmark

of postwar chair design. Instead of sinking into these chairs, as one

did with conventional upholstered pieces, the multi-dimensional

curves of their layered plywood veneers offered continuous support

to the spine. The trio of revolutionary chairs remained prototypes,

never produced, but they launched a movement.

Through the late 1940s and into the 1950s, designers were swept

along on an exuberant stylistic impulse, which conveyed the optimistic

feelings of the postwar moment — an upward, forward momentum,

clean, lean and free.

In a garage in Venice, California, Charles and Ray Eames experimented

with molding sheets of plywood into previously unimagined shapes.

In rural Pennsylvania, Harry Bertoia bent metal rods to create chairs

seemingly made up of light and air, corralled by a grid of chrome-plated

Origins of the American Mid-Century Chair

20

wire. Saarinen’s “Tulip” chairs and tables, on spreading aluminum

pedestals, were a totally new look for the dawning space age. “I

wanted to clean up the slum of legs and make the chair all one

thing,” the designer said.

As always, furniture design followed architecture. New high-end

residential construction in the mid-20th century leaned heavily on

Bauhaus principles. The ideas of influential architects like Marcel

Breuer and Mies van der Rohe, who fled Nazi Germany for American

universities, trickled down to busy but less famous architects working

in the wealthy suburbs of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The

houses they designed, with their floor-to-ceiling glass walls and

open plan interiors, created a need for chairs that looked good from

any angle. As George Nelson — design director for Herman Miller

from 1945 through the early ‘60s, and designer of the beloved

Coconut chair and Marshmallow sofa, among many icons — wrote:

“The chair remains unassimilable, and in consequence it becomes very

conspicuous…as much a piece of sculpture as an object of utility.”

Returning GIs and their young families fled their parents’ old-fashioned,

high-ceilinged houses to newly built, less generously proportioned

suburban ranches and split levels. Setting up housekeeping en masse,

this generation formed an enormous, receptive audience for all that

was modern and new.

Unlike pre-war furniture, mass production meant no loss of quality.

The fact that the Eames molded polyester shell chair rolled off

Herman Miller’s assembly lines in the tens of thousands, and Bertoia’s

wire chairs for Knoll became fixtures of corporate atriums and

cafeterias, in no way compromised how well they were made. These

were pieces intended for mass manufacture and flawlessly engineered

for the process.

Several pieces in this exhibition are perfect examples of the mid-

century chair’s design apogee and the infinite variations on a basic

design. Bertoia’s classic 1952 chair came in solid molded plastic or

plastic-coated wire. With arms, it was called the Diamond; the tall-

backed version, the Bird. Even today, demand for Bertoia’s concept

endures: witness the recent re-issue by Knoll of an asymmetrical wire

chaise designed in 1952 as a prototype and never before produced.

All are among the proliferation of mid-century chairs selling briskly

at retail in the 21st century, testament to the brilliance and lasting

quality of their design. As George Nelson put it: “The once-humble

chair has emerged as a thoroughly glamorous object.”

CARA GREENBERG, author of Mid-Century Modern, Furniture of

the 1950s

21

Saturated with style, shoes are a reflection of the time in which they

were worn. The shoes of the 1950s, with their high slender heels

and pointed toes, arched the back and caused the hips to sway

provocatively and accentuated the exaggerated feminine silhouette

then fashionable. Roger Vivier, whose opulent, jewel-encrusted

designs for the house of Dior set the tone for the decade, has been

credited with inventing the stiletto heel. The stiletto was made possible

by technological advances which enabled steel supports in the heel

to become thinner and lighter. High-heeled “spring-o-lator” mules,

which were held onto the foot by a strip of elastic under the instep,

were another footwear innovation of the 1950s. Beth Levine, designing

under her husband’s name, was the first shoe designer to capitalize

on this style and produced her “Magnet” mules, which refers to their

amazing powers of attraction to the foot.

If the 1950s gave us the stiletto and the spring-o-lator mule, the

1960s provided an avalanche of fashionable boots. The younger

generation rejected the restrictive clothing of their parents and

embraced styles that were youthful to the extreme. The abbreviated

hemlines of the 1960s were complemented by flat mary jane-style

shoes or low heeled pilgrim buckle pumps. In 1964, André Courrèges

launched his pivotal “space” collection accessorized by short white

leather boots. These boots played an essential role in the dissemination

of futuristic styles and were widely copied at all price points in

materials like PVC and rubber. By the end of the decade the space

look was supplanted by hippie fashions, which were deliberately

eclectic and meant to resemble a pastiche acquired from shopping

at flea markets, bazaars and rummage sales. Retro styling was seen

in the revival of 1940s-inspired platforms and wedges as well as

Victorian-influenced “granny boots”. The humble sandal (such as

Birkenstocks or Dr. Scholl’s) was preferred to anything too polished.

The 1970s has famously been derided as the decade that taste

forgot but can also be characterized by lack of cohesive style. High

fashion limped along but its relevance was constantly challenged by

street fashion and unisex styles. The hippie aesthetic continued well

into the decade as sandals, Earth Shoes and wooden-soled clogs

were popular for both men and women. Kork-Ease, a natural leather

sandal with a high platform sole of cork, was another typical style.

Popular music, such as Disco and Glam Rock, influenced the flamboyant

platform shoes of the 1970s. Worn by both sexes, these were brightly

colored and covered with gems and glitter. However, by the end

of the decade, glitzy androgyny and earthy practicality had been

supplanted by a return to time-honored styles.

Great Strides: FOOTWEAR

DESIGN AFTER 1950

23

Magnet Mule Herbert Levine, Black leather and plastic, Circa 1956, USA, Lent by The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. J. Alexis Burland, 1999

Shoulder pads and big hair

are indelibly associated with

the 1980s, but it was also a

decade which embraced

athleticism and the Japanese

avant-garde. High fashion

was no longer the monolithic

entity it once had been;

designers now offered

several different aesthetic

choices for consumers, ranging from brightly colored mini-dresses

to oversized layered tunics and trousers in dark colors and natural

fabrics. Footwear was suitably varied. Many familiar styles, such as

stiletto pumps, sling-backs, spectators and oxfords were updated

with vibrant colors and unusual heel shapes. Avant-garde designers

bucked this colorful trend and produced sleek and streamlined flats

and slouchy boots in a monochromatic palette of black, indigo and

white. It was during this decade that athletic shoes gained acceptance

— it was fashionable to look athletic even if you were not!

During the 1990s, the fashion industry became increasingly splintered

and there was no longer one dominant designer or style. Some

designers, in particular the Japanese and Belgians, embraced

minimalism and advocated clean lines, while others advocated lush

ornamentation and historicism. Throughout the decade there was a

kaleidoscopic array of styles available as designers mined the recent

past for inspiration. Active sportswear continued to be influential

and “techno” fabrics like nylon, neoprene, rubber and sport mesh

were incorporated into everyday dress. Footwear reflected these

many divergent trends and offered minimalist boots and sandals

with athletic shoe details like molded rubber soles, stretch and

reflective fabrics and toggle closures. Retro fashions demanded

kitten heels, platform wedges and chunky heels in the style of the

1960s and 1970s. The late 1990s saw a revival of sharp stilettos and

rich ornamentation reminiscent of 1950s showgirls. The popularity

of Sex and the City made shoe fanaticism socially acceptable and

made household names out of Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and

24

Manolo Blahnik. In contrast to these extremely glamorous offerings,

most women choose comfort over style, resulting in the recent

popularity of some extremely — some would say, deliberately —

ugly trends such as Ugg boots and Crocs.

Despite this mainstream emphasis on comfort, exaggerated heels

and platforms remain essential elements of high fashion. Houses

such as Balenciaga, Prada, Lanvin and Marc Jacobs are known as

much for their outré shoes as for their garments, a wise move since

successful accessories are essential to keeping fashion houses afloat.

Many of these extreme shoes were originally produced for the

runway, but manufacturers have found that consumers are willing

to purchase some of the most extreme styles available. In the past

decade, the demand for designer shoes has risen and prices have

skyrocketed. Saks 5th Avenue has recently launched an expanded

shoe department complete with its own zip code.

Imelda Marcos jokes aside, women are passionate about shoes.

Recent reports have claimed the average woman now owns more

than 19 pairs, but many women admit to owning far more. Shoes

are an essential element of fashion. They can be experimental and

sculptural and appeal to a collector’s instinct. While fashions are

increasingly standardized and neutral, shoes remain a fantastic

element and indicator of personal style. Shoes tap into an emotional

element and represent not just who we are, but who we imagine

ourselves to be.

CLARE SAURO, Curator of Drexel Historic Costume Collection

Casual shoe Prada, Brown leather and mustard nylon with suede and rubber, Circa 1998, Italy, Lent by The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Lisa S. Roberts, 2005

Positive Negative juxtaposes and combines the clear, the flimsy and the weightless with what is opaque, solid,

and heavy; in a chair or a shoe this concept tests our beliefs about the nature of structure and integrity. How can this crystal clearness support a

human body?

The idea of a gravity-defying chair was explored in 1920-30s

with tubular metal structures in a cantilevered chair. The

introduction of plastics as a structural material, an alternative

to tubular metal, pushes the concept even further. Plastic had

been considered a cheap and utilitarian material for humble

everyday objects such as picnic tableware. Plastic was NOT

a material associated with luxury furniture. In 2002, Philippe

Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair reinterpreted a traditional 18th

century chair profile utilizing plastic in place of fine wood.

In transparent polycarbonate, the chair is an ironic mix of

illusions — structurally and stylistically!

Acrylic was embraced by fashion elite

when introduced in the late 1930s but

truly came into prominence during the

postwar period. While fashion of the

1950s embraced historic styles and

romanticism, it also embraced sleek

modernity and technology. The vinyl and acrylic shoe is the

intersection of these two themes (much like the Louis Ghost

Chair). The “Spring-o-lator” mule is a provocative Positive

Negative update of the styles traditionally worn in the

boudoir. They are held onto the foot by a patented elastic

strip under the arch of the foot, the clear fabrication only

increasing their fantastical appearance.

Similarly, the Weitzman pump offers

the consumer their very own version

of Cinderella”s glass slipper.

{ PO

SITI

VE

Neg

ativ

e}

26

Color is a visual sensation inviting response; a reactive mix of emotion and intellect. In Color Forms, the

immediacy of color and pattern on discernible and distinct shapes gives character and, depending on the intention, purpose and respect.

Robert Venturi & Denise Scott-Brown challenged traditional

views of color and form with a set of whimsical chairs for

Knoll International in the 1980s. The paradox of these chairs

comes from the intention of authenticity and as tributes to

designers like Chippendale and Sheraton, to Queen Anne

furniture and to the timeless humble country cottage. These

iconic profiles were fabricated by contemporary craftsmen

from bent plywood planes finished in a variety of solid colors

or patterned plastic laminates. Color and form are closely

linked in the design of this Queen Anne chair. The irony is not

only in the use of plastic laminate on this traditional style —

otherwise renowned for the finest of oiled finishes — but also in

completely covering it with pattern of lines and abstract roses.

Brightly colored garments of medieval

jesters (legs, sleeves and torsos

split with many blocks of color) were

referred to as “parti-colored” and

this playful exuberance is reflected

in the parti-colored leather pumps

by Bennis Edwards, a NY-based design team known for its

playful take on traditional luxury. The

more contemporary Arisa platforms

become Color Forms ornamented with

the type of plastic beads often seen in

kindergarten craft projects.

{COLO

R Forms }

27

Spring-o-lator mules Michelé, Clear vinyl and acrylic with rhinestones, Circa 1956, USA, DHCC, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Simon

Pump Stuart Weitzman for Mr. Seymour, Clear vinyl and acrylic with silver leather, Circa 1970, USA, DHCC

Pumps Susan Bennis/Warren Edwards, Polychrome leather, 1980s, USA, Lent by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Diane Wolf Collection, 1999

Platform sandal Bank by Arisa, Blue denim with polychrome plastic beads, Circa 2000, Japan, Lent by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with the Costume and Textiles Revolving Fund, 2000

From flea markets to international bazaars, from rummaging through attics to street culture, one can find a

kaleidoscope of “goods” which can be put together in deliberately eclectic ways. But, how does one chose from this potpourri of histories and

cultures when applying color, texture and pattern to a form?

Such Pattern Play is a serious undertaking requiring a trained

eye to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Interplay of form with materials has always intrigued designers;

their application debated rigorously as to style and appropri-

ateness. The debate explodes exponentially with the catalysts

of technology and a culture’s preferences and prejudices. This

chair, designed by Anthropologie, begins with the traditional

fauteuil lounge chair from the elegant times of royal France.

What was traditional becomes Pattern Play when covered

NOT with expected silk damask but in a cotton patchwork

pattern — challenging the perception of appropriateness of

style, form and material.

Contemporary fashion has seen numerous revivals

of earlier styles. One of the most popular revivals

has been the platforms and peep-toe styling of the

1940s. Compare these green suede shoes from the

1940s with the contemporary style of the pumps

by Anthropologie which combine the peep-toe

style with a 1970s style wooden heel. The popularity

of retro styles also embraces an eclectic Pattern Play

street bazaar aesthetic of slightly tattered and deliberately

patched and faded hues.

In the 1940s example, texture is created by the cutting

of green suede. The openings produce a visually arresting

shoe. This motif is echoed by Anthropologie’s pumps of

perforated leather which are ornamented with a floppy

bow with self tassels.

{ PA

TTER

N P

lay}

28

For centuries, before the refined woven or knitted textiles or “techno” fabrics, leather and animal skins provided

clothing and shelter and in many parts of the world their use as the primary material continues. Wild Life embraces the untamed quality that we

see in this furry chair by Charlotte Alix in 1930. Do you sit and

sink into the fur? Do you stroke the chair as you would a pet?

Do you stand back and wonder what inspired the making

of a big furry chair? However you want to view this chair,

it certainly is seductive, sensual and provocative!

The 1930s was a time of experimentation with a variety of

materials and techniques, whether it was the use of precious

and semi-precious materials by Art Deco designers or new

industrial materials with designers of the Union des Artistes

Modernes (UAM). Charlotte Alix was a member of UAM who

believed in its principles linking the production of furnishings

to assembly processes. The frame of this particular chair

follows one of the UAM principles, standardization, but the

covering in angora goat pelts makes this chair uniquely

governed by individuality.

In the visual shorthand of the costume

designer, Wild Life animal prints and

skins intimate a dangerous, predatory

nature. They also evoke the trophies of

the big-game hunter. Animal skins are

traditionally a luxury good, a rare and costly material, such

as the unborn calfskin used in these pumps elevating a

classic, sedate pump to a status symbol.

The furry goat fur après-ski boots are

not meant for street wear but meant to be

worn as deluxe slippers. As such they are a

statement of luxury and comfortable leisure.

{WILD

Life }

29

Peep-toe sling-back Miss Albright for Anthropologie, Mustard-yellow perforated leather and wood, 2008, USA, Lent by Anthropologie

Platform peep-toe sling-back Urbanites, Olive green suede, Circa 1946, USA, DHCC, Mrs. Sally Walker Huebner

Pump Custom-made, Unborn calf-skin, Circa 1952, Mexico, Lent by Temple University School for Podiatric Medicine Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear Shoe Museum

Après-ski boot Diadora, Goat fur, 1970s, Italy, Lent by Tonja Kelly

What is an “easy chair?”The American Heritage Dictionary of the

English Language defines it as “a large, comfortable, well-upholstered

chair.” However, this simple definition belies the easy chair’s underly-

ing complexity in terms of its origins and development, as well as

its continued change as designers challenge and reinterpret this

definition. The easy chair is not a singular invention by one person

at a particular point in time. Rather, it came into being gradually

as a result of changing lifestyles and developing technology and

continues to change as lifestyles and technology evolve.

Although it would seem that man has always sat in the same

way, the positions that people have adopted to sit in have varied

throughout history from culture to culture. Different races have

characteristic ways of sitting which seem to have a cultural derivation

and have not arisen out of any anatomical differences between them.

Whereas in some places it is habitual to sit in a squatting position,

or on one’s knees or crossed-legged, the chair is the exclusive mode

of comfort in the West. Seats of almost any kind reveal the posture

and carriage of the persons for whom they were made, and chairs

show more than any other article of furniture the importance accorded

to dignity, elegance or comfort. The chair has evolved along with

political, economic and religious power and with art, knowledge

and industry, thus defying linear chronology. Over the centuries,

chair styles have come and gone, with elements introduced and

then disappearing, only to reemerge at another place and time.

Current chair design has produced many new styles as new materials

and techniques have allowed the form of chairs to vary greatly.

Designs today run the gamut from economical molded plastic seats

to the luxurious comfort of the contour chair. However, the design of

contemporary chairs often dispenses with the conventional elements

of comfort in favor of utter simplicity.

It has been suggested that the ergonomic failure of much contem-

porary furniture is due to a disregard for the traditional conventions

of sitting comfort. It had taken a long time for eighteenth-century

furniture makers to find the correct seat and back angles and the

appropriate curves, shapes and material for sitting comfort. The

dimensions of the functional paradigm are detailed and explicit,

while the formal alternatives are left to the imagination of individual

designers. However, many contemporary designers are not interested

in variations; they want to develop solutions on their own, without

the aid of paradigms, and so their work has come to be judged

primarily according to its novelty.

The Easy Chair: A LESSON IN COMFORT

30

Given the range of materials, technology and creative freedom

available to designers today, chairs run the gamut from awkward

and clumsy to restful and relaxing. However, of those that can truly

be considered “easy chairs,” not all of them necessarily conform to

traditional notions of what an easy chair looks like. Contrary to the

definition of an easy chair as “a large, comfortable, well-upholstered

chair,” today’s easy chairs may or may not be large and well-uphol-

stered. In the end, it all comes down to providing sufficient support

for the human body, regardless of style. Alas, neither art nor design

can outwit Mother Nature.

LISA PRIBORSKY ’08, MS Interior Architecture & Design,

Drexel University

31

Have you had this experience? You buy a fabulous, or even just

functional, pair of shoes — that weren’t necessarily cheap — and

although they were comfortable in the store, after walking in them

for 5 minutes, you find yourself reaching for the Band-Aids. While

not every shoe meets our expectations for comfort, the development

of comfortable shoes has advanced in recent years.

Comfortable shoes as we know them today evolved from the aware-

ness of physical health. This awareness has recurred as a cultural

zeitgeist in western history, with notable periods in the late 1800s

and again during the 1920s-1930s. In Modernism: Designing a New

World 1914-1939, Christopher Wilk dubs this movement “Healthy

Body Culture” and writes “Widespread participation in sport

(whether Olympic or in a public park) and exercise saw men, and

even more so women, dressing in both practical clothing for sport

and in fashionable sportswear, which drew attention to their bodies.”

In order to meet the requirements of these new popular activities,

shoes were needed to meet the demands of flexibility and support.

Today it has become evident that different activities have different

demands and inappropriate footwear can cause a bevy of health

problems. This has lead to specialized shoes for many sports —

from basketball to aerobics — beginning in 1917 with Converse’s

basketball-specific All Stars.

As athletic lifestyles have created more demands on shoe technology,

competitive shoe brands have emerged. The way to excel in this

atmosphere, aside from good marketing, is simply to offer a high

functioning shoe to meet consumers’ needs. This is not an easy

task, as reported in Modern Footwear Materials and Processes by

Walter E. Cohn: “…because of the subjective nature of so many

criteria applied to shoes when actually worn, it has proven difficult,

costly and controversial to arrive at conclusions which are not only

meaningful but are also accepted by the industry as significant….”

Put simply, to make a shoe that suits everyone is extremely difficult

because physiques and consumer needs vary.

In shoe ergonomics, like ergonomics for furniture, materials are of

the utmost importance.

Mesh became popular for shoes during World War II, when leather

was rationed and shoe designers were pressed to find new materials.

Mesh has evolved as a key material for athletic and comfortable

shoes, and is appreciated for its breathability, flexibility and lightness.

These qualities are particularly valued in the construction of running

shoes, which require less lateral support.

Functional Footwear

32

Another pivotal material in footwear is foam, which creates foot

support by molding around the individual’s foot. Air-cushioning is

employed in shoes as diverse as the 1980s Reebok and Nike basketball

shoes — which incorporated manual pumps — and Dr. Marten boots.

Gel is also used to the same effect, to cushion impact. Now the

growing revolution is to be “green”, which has affected shoe technology

as well. Hitoshi Mamura, a craftsman for Asics, has developed long

distance running shoes with rice husks in the soles. He purports

they are effective aids in traction and moisture absorbency.

In recent decades, street fashions have trickled up, gradually elevating

comfortable shoes to status symbols. In the 1990s, Prada — a giant of

status labels — began making clunky, comfy styles for their clientele

reminiscent of the combat boot styles worn on the streets.

Meanwhile, a sneaker subculture has developed, particularly in the

Hip Hop realm, in which a vast collection of sneakers from brands

like Adidas, Nike and Puma is a serious fashion status symbol. This

exchange between sportswear and active wear is profound, with

Prada designing shoes for the America’s Cup yachting competition

and Yoji Yamamoto currently designing sneakers for Adidas, while

many mid- to high-end status brands such as Coach and Gucci offer

their own lines of sneakers. Tsubo has a very clear brand identity,

which they sum up as “Ergonomic Style Synthesis.” Rather than

identifying their brand with activities, they identify with lifestyle

Likewise broadening their market, Vermont shoe label Merrell has

taken their signature high performance hiking shoes beyond their

specialization to create new everyday shoes styled like traditional

Mary Janes, loafers or clogs, but employing the comfort technology

of high performance footwear. Merrell sums it up: “Over time, the

concept of “outdoor” has broadened to include all types of activities

and environments — both natural and urban. Merrell is driven to keep

pace with this evolution of “The New Outdoor,” and continues to evolve.”

It is safe to acknowledge that many comfortable shoes would never

be mistaken for a fabulous Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo effort.

Perhaps it is because customers who make comfort a priority may

not be as interested in a “pretty” shoe; conversely a customer who

wants a fancy shoe is possibly willing to suffer through blisters

and foot cramps for it. Will there ever be a technology that allows

stilettos to be as comfortable as sneakers? Only time will tell.

SALLY CONGDON-MARTIN, candidate, MS Fashion Design,

Drexel University

33

Late in the 20th century, specialized shoes and chairs were produced as the user’s activities, from work to

sports, demanded comfort and support. New developments in techno materials opened a plethora of possibilities for the shaping and structuring

of chairs and shoes which embodied this Work Out ethic.

Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick designed the 1994 Aeron

Chair for Herman Miller — seeking to create a new approach

to the chair that excelled in ergonomics, in functionality,

anthropometrically and environmentally. It is shaped by a

revolutionary material, Pellicle, which the designers note,

“symbolizes the free flow of air to the skin in the same way

lace, window screens and other permeable membranes

permit the flow of air or light or moisture.”

Shoe designers are merging techno

fabrics and technology of athletic

shoes for status footwear to meet

the Work Out lifestyle of today’s

consumer. For 25 years, Merrell

has been recognized for excellent

athletic and outdoor footwear but they were not considered

fashionable. Merrell has introduced stylish ergonomic

alternatives to their traditional lines such as the Mary Jane

sport shoe (2006), an anatomically correct shoe featuring

anti-microbial mesh.

In contrast, Tsubo — a company co-founded

by former Rebook designers — believes

“style doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.”

The knowledge of the making of an

athletic shoe provides the basis for

comfort and support and is vital to their

design and style aesthetic. The platform wedge (2006)

by Tsubo (Japanese for pressure point) combines nylon,

leather and rubber for comfort and style.

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RK O

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Ergonomic sport shoe Merrell, Grey and black nylon, rubber with Velcro, Circa 2006, USA, Anonymous loan

Platform wedge Tsubo, Black nylon, leather and rubber with velcro, Circa 2006, USA, Anonymous Loan

Shoes and Chairs. What an odd pairing, you might be thinking. Certainly we think of shoes and socks together or chairs and tables. But why Shoes and Chairs?

Perhaps this is part of a written intelligence test, “Stand is to Sit, as ______________ is to ______________ .”

Could the genius reply be “Stand is to Sit as Shoe is to Chair?” We can push this question/answer metaphor a bit further, if you can stand it, by recalling the old “I’ve Got A Secret” TV quiz show. Both chairs and shoes have a secret! Let me explain.

A room is just a space, until defined by its furnishings to become a place — a place to work, to live, or just to be. The chair defines the room.

Seating arrangements can alter patterns of behavior. Consider the early 20th century French ensembliers who grouped chairs facing each other for conversation in the lived environment, the interwar years when chairs were placed next to the radio for listening and today’s screening room seating arrangements in front of a HDTV for viewing rather than conversing. This speaks to our priorities today. By the way, chairs are also handy for drying clothes, as storage for packages and backpacks or as stepstools for hanging pictures (using your shoe as a hammer) or changing light bulbs and even as an exercise bar.

If no room is complete without chairs, is an outfit complete without shoes?

You would not wear an evening shoe to a sports event or a sneaker to a formal event (unless you wanted to make a statement). The wrong shoe can alter the mood of the wearer (and not fit well) just as a chair may cause great discomfort.

There are cultures where sitting on the ground is natural and where feet go shoeless, but not so in the Western World. “Rest Your Feet” reflects the culture of the West, providing a forum for observation, thought, engagement and a celebration of chairs and shoes.

An Odd Pairing

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Shoes and chairs share the languages of design, function and structure, albeit with very different applications but with one common objective — to support the human body.

Both contribute to our quality of life, reflecting our social and economic status as well as our emotional and physical well beings. Sensible shoes and classical chairs may command respect and have purpose in business, while in a social environment high heels may cause adoration, envy and a sense of decorum or of abandon. Today, as the pendulum of fashion swings, high heels command respect and even signal aggression in the office again altering patterns of behavior and acceptability.

We are name droppers — describing shoes and chairs by the designer’s or manufacturer’s name. A daughter of an architect (a friend of mine) was home visiting with her boyfriend. He was offered the “Corbusier” lounge chair or the “Harry Bertoia Diamond chair” and then at dinner, he was asked to pull up an “Eames” chair! He finally asked, “Why are your chairs called by name as if they were members of the family?” After all, weren’t they just living or dining room chairs? No, they are icons of 20th century modern design!

Shoes do not escape this tribute either; not only are they recognized by the signature bright red sole as a Christian Louboutin shoe or by the signature buckle and ribbon bow on the“Vara” pump by Ferragamo and the blunt toe of a Birkenstock clog. The choice of these shoes speaks volumes about the person wearing them just as the height of the office desk chair can be equated with power and position. But, one cannot always rely on these old adages as the Aeron Chair, with its distinct functional design, changed the symbols of status in offices. Tsubo has redefined the casual and formal shoe by combining the technology of athletic shoes with their fashion aesthetic.

You chose both shoes and chairs based on a personal identification with a particular shape or color even if you profess to care nothing about style or status. There

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are always choices to be made — whether out of novelty (being the first to own), by familiarity (because it is known)or because of status (defining your place in society).

Shoes and chairs are interwoven into our lives; close companions and active participants in our daily lives. They affect us emotionally and physically. Why not honor the designers of those products? In 2000, TIME magazine devoted an issue to design and designers. Until recently such discussions only seemed to matter to design professionals and the academy. Design as a discipline has experienced notable recognition by both academy and the business worlds as evidenced by Business Week in citing the top design schools in October 2007 or for the public in the international publication, Wallpaper*, a *DESIGNINTERIORSFASH-IONLIFESTYLES (yes, it is one word) magazine.

You have traveled through Rest Your Feet and hopefully you discovered that chairs and shoes, odd pair that they may be, both reflect and shape our place in the larger world. My collaborators in planning this trip included educators from the fashion, graphic, and interior design disciplines. We stimulated and provoked debate by avoiding traditional academic distinctions based on strict definitions of time periods and style. Such choices always carry risk, and invite the judgment of others viewing the exhibit.

With that, the time has come to pull up a chair, kick off your shoes, make your own conclusions and rest your feet!

KARIN S. KUENSTLER, Associate Professor of Interior Design,

Drexel University

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(OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Cherner Chair 1958, Designer: Norman Cherner; Ankle boots Charles Jourdan, Black hair calf and leather, Circa 2006, France, Anonymous loan; Peep-toe wedge Pacemaker Casuals by Wearwell, Polka-dot cotton twill, Circa 1940, USA, DHCC, 62.1.2, Gift of Mr. Harry Cohen and Geraldine Cohen; Eames Wire Chair (with “Eiffel Tower” base) 1951, Designers: Charles and Rae Eames; Evening pumps Christian Lacroix, Gold snakeskin, Circa 1994, France, Lent by Temple University School for Podiatric Medicine Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear Shoe Museum; Oxford M. Cohen & Sons, Brooklyn, Ocelot fur and black leather, 1920s, USA, Lent by Temple University School for Podiatric Medicine Center for the History of Foot Care and Foot Wear Shoe Museum; Empire upholstered armchair Circa 1800, Donor: George W. Childs, Drexel No. 557; Ankle-strap platform Sommers, Ivory rayon satin with rhinestones, Circa 1946, USA, DHCC

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Curators Roberta H. Gruber Kathi Martin Karin S. Kuenstler Clare Sauro

Catalogue Editor Karin S. Kuenstler

Graphic Design Jody Graff

Illustration Christopher Hansen

www.drexel.edu/westphal