Emilie,

                   from my Klimt series, a range of shoes inspired by the Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) portraits of elaborately dressed Austrian society women. Emilie Flöge, Klimt’s great love, was the owner of Schwestern Flöge which became the leading fashion venue for Viennese society.  The shoes reflect the sumptuous blue-green fabric of her dress which is covered with ornamental decoration of gold squares and circles and these contrast with the geometric pattern on the shoe sides echoing the bodice.  The back of the shoes show the ‘halo’ of pattern behind Emilie’s head in the portrait.  The shape of the shoe is based on those made by the Italian shoemaker Pietro Yantorny (1874-1936), the self-proclaimed "most expensive shoemaker in the world" who created shoes only for the wealthiest women.