Part of the project ‘shoe？toys’, 2016.
Mom’s shoes’ inspired by a common phenomenon that children always long for wearing their mom’s shoes or dad’s shoe which look like they are ‘little adult’. A child’s psychologist explains me the purpose is that they wear their parent’s shoes just because their curiosity for adults’ lifestyle. Furthermore, parents’ shoes are an obvious symbol for children in different size and shape. When they put on parents’ shoes, they will get the feeling that they are adults. (Parenting, 2016). However, there are some problems existing such as the size of parents’ shoes are not suitable for them and some high heels contain the risk to be injured.
To satisfy their psychology I made decisions on a real children’s shoes, but it has the look of mom’s shoe, which children can play and walk when they putting on. I choose a pair of children lasts to make a boot inside a pair of court shoes. For boots can protect children’s ankles from twisting. I also designed a low height of Louis heels to ensure the stability. In color and material, I used red cow skin to make classical court shoes that contains a stereotype of woman, for the reason that the color and style are obvious and recognizable to give children the information of mom. While, I apply green canvas to make children’ boots which contains the nature and comfortable feeling, those white Polka dots in the canvas give the shoes naive and innocent feeling just like children. In detail, natural shell buttons keep the warming texture on the part of children’s boots.
Materials: red cowskin, natural shell buttons, fabric with polka dots.
© Jinhua Gao
