Art & Sole: Interview with Jane Gershon Weitzman
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"Before long, I began to travel around the country looking for artists to make fantasy shoes for our store windows. This book, Art & Sole, is the result of many years of hard work and fun that went into creating those displays." Jane Gershon Weitzman
When your husband is a world famous shoe designer one might think that putting together a coffee table book about shoes is no big thing but for Jane Gershon Weitzman, wife of Stuart Weitzman, it was a labor of love. From the rich, red fabric cover to its gilded edges, Art & Sole represents a stunning collection of "fantasy shoes" and nearly two decades of passionately discovering, collecting and displaying these one-of-a-kind sculptures.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jane about Art & Sole:
Talk about the selection process in curating Art & Sole. How did you narrow down from over one thousand fantasy shoes? “Some of my friends and I looked at the shoes, artist by artist and the best ones were obvious, because we almost always agreed.”
What does your husband think about the book? “Stuart loves the book and is my biggest booster.”
Art & Sole looks lovely on my coffee table. I love it. How & when did you conceptualize making such a book? “Thank you! After we sold the business, people kept asking me what happened to the shoes. I thought doing a book would be a good way to help make some money for good causes.”
Which fantasy shoes are your favorites? And you can't say all of them! “After spending so much time with some of the artists, it really would be hard to choose favorites. It's sort of like choosing your favorite child. They are all great in different ways.”
Can you share any fun or interesting stories about the shoes? Or the artists? Challenges? “I wouldn't know where to begin, but if I speak in Atlanta again some day, I will make sure that you are invited as my guest. I never did find an artist to make glass shoes. The ones who were good enough never sent the shoes, even after I called them many times.”
Are there any plans for an Art & Sole traveling art exhibit? “Right now there are no plans for a traveling exhibit, but I hope that there will be one day.”
Who is more passionate about shoes? You or Stuart Weitzman? “I love shoes, but Stuart is definitely more passionate about them. He builds shoes from patterns and then decides the materials. Then, he has to make sure that they fit. His reward is seeing them on so many girls and women. When he has time, he stops them and introduces himself and whenever ladies recognize him, they stop him. He really loves what he does!”
Get your copy. Trust me, you will LOVE it!!
