
1990s · 1980s · British
Production
handmade
Material
embroidered silk
Culture
British
Movement
Supermodel Era
Influences
Indian textile traditions · ballet flat silhouette
A pair of flat ballet-style shoes constructed from red silk fabric with gold embroidered motifs. The shoes feature a low-cut vamp that exposes the top of the foot, with a rounded toe shape characteristic of ballet flats. The embroidery appears to be metallic gold thread worked in traditional Indian paisley and floral patterns across the red silk upper. The construction shows a thin leather sole and minimal heel, typical of casual flat footwear. The slip-on design lacks fastenings, relying on the fitted cut around the foot opening for security. These shoes represent the 1980s trend of incorporating exotic textiles and ethnic-inspired designs into Western footwear.
Both pieces carry the ghost of the Raj in their DNA—the Victorian dressing gown wrapped in that unmistakable teardrop paisley that British colonialism lifted from Kashmir shawls, and the 1990s ballet flats embroidered with what looks like stylized paisleys rendered in gold thread against crimson silk.


Both pieces carry the ghost of the Raj in their DNA—the Victorian dressing gown wrapped in that unmistakable teardrop paisley that British colonialism lifted from Kashmir shawls, and the 1990s ballet flats embroidered with what looks like stylized paisleys rendered in gold thread against crimson silk.


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