Chie Mihara’s Vintage Love Affair

Cast your mind back to 2002,  Prime Minister Tony Blair was in power, Sound Of The Underground became Girls Aloud’s first single and the late Terry Pratchett wins the Prometheus Award for Discworld Novel ‘Night Watch’. The political disray of Brexit was a mere speck in the future and the proliferation of social media was non-existent.  But amidst these prolific events was a new designer craving a shot at stardom: Chie Mihara. After becoming frustrated with designers inability to merge high quality design with comfort, Mihara sought to release a practical footwear collection, with a foothold in the fashion industry for real women. What about the mothers? Working Women? Active Women? The fashion industry had always been increasingly marginalized and its failure to target working women and mothers meant Mihara had a niche that she could target with success because it was something that had not been done before. Thus the self-titled ‘Chie Mihara’ was born, a myriad or rather a hodgepodge of shoes that drew inspiration from ‘1930’s femininity’ to 1980’s humor, reworking the vintage elements and translating it into a contemporary aesthetic that a modern audience could relate to. Since its birth in 2002, in  Elda ( Spain), Mihara has amassed a cult following of 1,000 regular clients who seek comfortable but fun shoes all year round and its easy to see why. Mihara’s A/W 16 collection is no exception, with an array of colour-blocked boots, an emphasis on high quality leather production and rich autumnal hues, this season is all about the merger between the 60’s and 70’s. Sixties shoe styles were characterized by Mary Jane’s , Pilgrim Pumps and Kitten Heel Pumps which relinquished the ‘refined stiletto’ wearing image of 50’s women and instead coveted a low heel, usually 1-2 inches with an elongated blunt square toe. Similar to shoes worn by women and men in the 17th Century, the Pilgrim Pump closely resembles Mihara’s Zare pump, whose blunt square or ‘chisel toe’ elongates the foot, a popular shoe preference in the sixties. The blunt flatter lines used to tailor pilgrim pumps make it a comfortable shoe to wear all day long, a factor which did not fail to attract Mihara’s attention. Zare’s Pilgrim Pump design falls under the spectrum of ‘Modish design’ popular with the youths of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ who desired re-modified Pilgrim Pumps that were more ‘casual’ but nevertheless retained the geometric patterns or faux buckle detailing that original Pilgrim’s used. Not only were Pilgrim Pumps the most copied ‘shape’ of the entire decade but for many the range or increase in synthetic, mass-produced cheaper materials meant that shoes were no longer a decree of status or heritage . Indeed Mihara’s own cultural heritage ( Brazilian, Japanese, Spanish and US) meant that she was able to create shoes that although ‘upmarket’ in price was not a signifier of class or heritage and instead infused facets of various vintage eras/cultures that were ingrained throughout Mihara’s collection. It is this diversiform philosophy that allows Mihara to have a shoe collection that quite literally transcends time and transports you into a whole new world. Of course the sixties pilgrim pump is not the only influence behind the curation of Zare’s ; we often associate rich hues like burgundy, plum and olive green with colder weather but in reality the colours were extremely popular during the swinging sixties, thus being a prominent hue throughout Mihara’s A/W shoe collection. The fusion of deep bourdeaux contrasted with a dusky ceramic pink plays into the Sixties love affair with ‘colour-blocking’ which no era has managed to emulate quite as well since. Speckled with iridescent flecks, the almost glitter like design offsets the richness of the two sixties colours used, while the brown 2 inch heel still retains the comfortable, practicality aspect of Mihara’s ethos. While it is the dusky ceramic pink faux lapel that marks the greatest similarity to the sixties pilgrim pump  Mihara might suggest that it reflects the changing instability of era trend preferences with its mish-mash of colour and inspiration sources. The infusion of colour blocking is nothing new but it is the special attention to comfort that makes Mihara’s pumps stand out. Embedded in the innovative Sixties design is  anatomical ‘footbeds’ that are specifically designed to support the arches of the feet and prevent the shoes rubbing your feet raw. It is a concept so genius in its form that it is almost a travesty that other designers have not followed the same design format. Still despite Mihara’s unique selling point, it has made her collection the talking point of the fashion world.  Are You A Fan Of Sixties Shoe Styles? Would You Buy From Chie Mihara Shop The Look: Shoes- Chie Mihara / Turtleneck-Topshop / Pinafore- Primark / Bag- Kurt Keiger / Sunglasses- Firmoo / Watch- JORD