FOOT FETISH

Everything beneath the ankle.

Dec 04, 2024

Wearstlerworld,

The foot is it, it’s the thing. I’m going to talk about socks and shoes, and flooring, and one exceptional candlestick with a fantastic base—but, I want this to be a PSA that design is really also a lot about feet. Even though we talk so much about what we see with our eyes, what we feel with our fingertips, or even the needs of the ass (the comfort of sitting), the foot is so important.

Feet feel too—200,000 nerve endings is not nothing, more than your hands. The foot works hard. The foot really takes you places. And, I think if you appreciate the foot as sexy, as deserving of attention, as having its own special realm—well, that can take you places.

And so, today, an x-ray on my foot fetish.

I’M A STONER

What is the floor for, really?

In a real way, and in a decorative way, it holds everything up. Not as silly as it sounds— though it’s not always where I start when putting together an interior, it always has to become an anchor. Not always the star, but always the anchor.

Stone is a favorite, because it can be so dynamic almost to a point of hyperactivity, or it can be slow, fluid, and calming.

In my bathroom at home, it’s somewhere in between—

A complete life philosophy—and so also a design philosophy—is to mix. Mix metals, mix textures, mix tones. And, that’s absolutely something I’ve had fun doing here.

This floor has, to me, so much depth and dimension that to look at it you almost have to study it, and so it’s mesmerizing. But, with all of the different veining (which I’ve laid in varying directions), of colors, of sizes and shape of the tiles: that for me lends an energy. The tension there is great, and sexy.

Playing around with articulation in stone (…or tiles, or timber boards), is something I love to do. Using patterns—whether it’s herringbone, chevron, Versailles, or whatever—can help break down the scale of a space.

And, those are just the visuals.

Stone underfoot of course has a cool foot feel, but it’s also grounding—unlike anything else, it seems to pull you down into it. A sensation to watch for, something you’ll certainly notice in contrast to hardwood if you’re stepping from one to another. And, for me, that’s especially valuable in something like a primary bathroom—somewhere that’s a place I get ready, wind down, and really am alone and at my best if I’m feeling centered.

So, at least in the bathroom, I’m a stoner.

I also wanted to talk about rugs—I’ve been thinking a lot about them. Something really special is in the pipeline (you’ll hear more in February). But, as I contemplate, I find I’m looking less to the big names and more at some of those doing interesting things at a smaller scale—

Some examples I love are Halcyon Lake’s Zipa rugs, the new collaboration between Jermaine Gallacher and Vandehurd (especially this moonstone pattern), the super-textured no.15 by Cappelen Dimyr, and the En Suspend rugs by Atelier Février. They all feel fresh, taking points of view on pattern, weave, even shape.

I’ve also been admiring this 1970s tapestry by Edward Fields (which is around 5’ x 7’), which is a wall hanging to most, but for me it’d find its home on a (less trafficked) floor. It has the fluidity of a canyon, the slow and dramatic sense of earth movement and erosion. Again: very grounding!

Actually, I’m a total pilehead. Example: getting out of a bed onto an amazing thick carpet—soft and cozy. It’s a time and place you definitely want to consider comfort and touch. Maybe it has a pattern or design (or not) or some different textures (or not), but it has to offer comfort.

SHOES TO FILL

Moving up to the foot itself.

I collect chairs—and, I collect shoes. Both I think of as so sculptural, and also so full of surprise: you really think you’ve seen every possible iteration, but then along comes something like these Ferragamo pumps. It goes to show that even really classic shapes can be totally transformed with different embellishment.

I’m wearing them with some Wolford ‘Rose’ tights—which add even more personality to an already pretty loud shoe. Stockings are year-round for me, a fishnet in warm weather (which, in Los Angeles, we get a lot of) adds visual texture and sex appeal. Wolford also has a great version in a lattice pattern. They go beyond ‘plain’….

… which is something you might also say of these socks (below right), by Simone Rocha—who really does crystal embellishment unlike anyone else right now, for sale on SSENSE. A sock should add an idea to a look, not just be a barrier between foot and shoe.

But, I’m paying attention to another brand that is definitely imagining the foot as a place for story and experimentation, Salio (above left), who’ve been around since just last year. Based out of New York City, and very, very affordable.

And, if you’re part of the Margiela split-toe Tabi shoe fandom—which, no surprise, includes me—then you should know that this toe shape was in fact inspired by a 15th-century Japanese sock. So it makes sense that when you wear a Tabi shoe, it’d be with a Japanese sock of today, and I go with Tabio.

GET IN SHAPE

Even though toe shapes seem to be subject to trend, I really always keep and wear a variety. How they interact with a pant leg or the hem of a dress—you really can’t be confined to only squared, or only pointed.

Above:

The painter Domenico Gnoli was a big fan of painting the shoe, and I’m a big fan of his—during his brief career, he painted subjects tightly cropped, really focusing in on the form and materiality of everyday.

And, the work of ultimate innovator, André Perugia, who’s fish shoe is from midcentury and has been so influential, even to the likes of Louboutin. André himself was probably inspired by a painter, Georges Braque. They make such a statement.

From my own collection, in three distinctive shapes and in honor of Gnoli and Perugia—sharp and sleek from Balenciaga, hardcore and powerful from Rick Owens, and battle-ready from Pheobe Philo-era Celine.

AND, THE FOOT ITSELF

I’m very active—a big fan of padel, which I play all the time with Brad and my kids, and I workout every day (or twice). But, I didn’t fully understand the foot’s real importance and connection to the rest of the body—stability, balance, posture, flexibility, blood flow, breathing, all the way up to shoulder and neck tension.

Foot exercise is now a part of the regime. You might consider stimulation tools or strengthening tools—my solution is a simple black massage ball, and I’ve used silicon toe spacers, which I’ll wear around the house or in the sauna—or sometimes when I’m doing weight training (which I do barefoot).

And, when done with all that hard stuff, a little Le Vernis by Chanel. The colors I’m after right now are the iridescent green-purple of #189 PHÉNOMÈNE, the icy-airy blue-grey of #125 MUSE, and the mossy-sage green of #131 CAVALIER SEUL.

HERE’S THE POINT : THE FIRST STEP

Below the ankle there is a lot of life, and a lot of support. Interesting, varying flooring can support interesting and varied décor as the foundation or canvas for everything that sits on top of it.

People feel the need to be incredibly safe and neutral with flooring, because it’s an investment and it’s more of a pain to switch out—unlike furniture and paint.

But, a boring foundation is no place to start.

Not so different for the foot. Take the sock, which we often ignore; it’s not really thought of as glamorous. But, it really does a lot to communicate: it can be sporty—bright—sexy—delicate—comforting. Maybe it does a lot to offset a shoe that is its opposite. (Tension!)

I ask you to give the foundation the attention it deserves.

When it happens, “FOOT FETISH” will come back, in the form the legs and feet of furniture and objects (and the step ladder—and its elusive cool).

But, to tease—the footed candlestick, and the footed bowl:

Few candlesticks with a better set of feet than these, designed by Robert Venturi for Sid Powell (two cult favorites). A 1980s post-modern cut-out, glimmering silver-plated museum-worthy set, which I got (I think) in Milan, but there’s another I’ve found on Chairish. They are a staple on my table.

And these—a series of footed bowls (the one in brass is from my own studio, our Narcissus Bowl, from a while back), and a couple of our prototypes, where a simple shape and function is transformed into a huge range of different styles. All thanks to feet, of course.

That’s all for now.