SHOES FOR CARMEN was the theme of the exhibit organized by the GDS shoe industry trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany. The “Carmen’s Shoes” exhibit took place in September 2007 and was open to the public. Shoes were submitted by select Spanish designer houses.
The exhibit revolves around Carmen, a free-spirited gypsy femme fatale of the famous Bizet opera. She’s been a major Spanish cultural symbol since the end of the 19th century.
Feel free to agree or disagree, but it is my opinion that, whether we do it consciously or not, of all the accessories women wear, shoes tend to be the most representative of our personality. The Spanish shoe designers that took part in the “Carmen” exhibit were asked to reinvent Carmen, the woman, for the 21st century.
The results were amazing. I chose eight favorites out of twenty-five unique and exclusive designs. You can see the individual shoes by clicking on the Shoes for Carmen category on the right sidebar of the blog.
If you want to know more about a particular label, double-clicking on the label name will take you to the post introducing the brand. If not already there, these will be added in the next few days.
Enjoy the “Carmen” collection!
Update: The GDS Fair was recently renamed “Gallery Shoes“. Interesting….
(Above: Celestine Galli-Marie, the mezzosoprano who created the role of Carmen. Painting by Henri Lucien Doucet).
