André Perugia and his mask shoes

André Perugia was born in 1893 and became one of the most famous shoemakers in the twenties and thirties, placing himself as a top designer of the 20th century. In Nice, since an early age he worked in his father’s shop, a capable Italian shoemaker. When he was sixteen years old he convinced the owner of a luxurious hotel of the town to rent him a small window shop inside the hotel, where he could show his creations. By this way he would have been able to capture the attention of the good society of Paris coming to Nizza for summer holidays. As he had predicted, wealthy women appreciated his unique shoes. But he was also noticed by the famous couturier Paul Poiret who offered him the possibility to present his collections in his atelier, giving André the chance to get in contact with the more aristocratic and rich clients of Paris. In 1921 he opened his first boutique in the Faubourg St. Honoré, the most elegant area of Paris. It was thanks to his passion for the avant-garde art together with experience in an aircraft factory during the First World War that Perugia realized that "a pair of shoes must be perfect as an equation and adjusted down to the last millimeter, like a piece of engine". He was an engineer of shoes who payed attention to technical details, an innovator on all fronts: style, construction technology, and materials.

Here there is the Mask Sandal by Perugia, and others shoes which have been probably inspired by Perugia's work. They make me think at Carnival time and at an accessorie that could be useful to create an elegant and exclusive outfit for a Carnival party.