For Bernini, L.S. Lowry, Giacometti, Michelangelo or Kaws, the feet are the plinth of a silhouette and one’s shoes are the foundation of that plinth. They ground us and also give us movement and one thing the artisan shares with the masters is an attention to detail and an understanding of materials. A well made shoe is hours of work from experts whose knowledge over time is shared through the realisation of the finished piece / pieces and then as the saying goes can put its “best foot forward“. Shoes are much like punctuation, they can be exclamation marks, question marks, a comma or a full stop depending on the statement you want to make: loud, subtle or elegant among the infinite possibilities. Some rather wonderful phrases come from the ensembles people put together if clothes are the words then footwear is the summation of that sentence.

Walking through a city in Europe is a joyful experience and the destination is a small part of the journey, getting lost can often be the most rewarding element. History and the evolution of these places means that much like one’s footwear it is the intricacies and the small details that, though often missed, can give you a sense of the care and love that has made these places so very special. To start the day in the morning sunlight and stroll to a café opens up the mind to the day ahead, let your instinct guide you along, follow your feet and where they take you, and of course there’s always dancing later. Walking, these places often create their own rhythm, a busy market place, a renaissance cloister or a cobbled street on your way to watch some live music in a secret club and that same street when you leave – it’s the “sole“ that connects and resonates through your journey. Feet are the thing that both guide and follow you through the day, setting forth on journeys of discovery and adventure it all starts at the sole of the shoe.

Shoes Panarea DOUCAL’S