Doesn’t Google Image Search the most random, unsystematic tool in the world despite its word counterpart being SO systematic… the stuff it brings up never ceases to make me chortle (I’m sure everyone’s played the Google Image your own name game when bored in the office…). When using Google Images to find some bits and bobs for a digi-collage, I came across these shoes that are quite simply zipper mad. Where can I buy them? Where has this image come from? How soon can I get my feet encrusted with zippers?
Click to the image source and I find the shoes are on a ye olde homepage of an Australian woman called Deborah Miller who is the same age as my dad. Deborah doesn’t seem to have updated her site in many years and has a rather fetching tiled background. She was or still is according to her curriculum vitae a dentist slash printmaker slash painter slash jeweller slash shoemaker.
She’s given out her address, number, fax and mobile to all and sundry. I feel my hunt for her zipper shoes could end in bounceback emails, a random trip to Burnside, South Australia or police arrest… we’ll see how much Dutch courage I’ve got in me.
Sadly, her page doesn’t display much else of interest apart from these shoes (unless brogues with brass cat facings appeal to you)… FYI: Deborah Miller, the internet is faster now and I think you should venture back onto the interweb and come up with more of your custom made footwear…
Those shoes are absolutely mad!! xx
“Custom made footwear is often connected with orthopaedic shoes. I wish to change this conception.”
I think it’s time for a comeback. for sure
Good lord, that site is tragically outdated. I’ve never google image’d myself. Maybe I should try…
The shoes are not bad obviously. Maybe I should give her a call!?
love it
zippers are sexy
haha i love her background! this woman is off the wall but that said, it’s cool to see someone who does a straightlaced job also doing lots of fun arty, creative stuff that they enjoy.
hope i’ll be that kind of adult!
Those are unbelievable!
I like the fact that she’s a dentist too, the shoes are fantastic.
Those zippers are insane. I wonder what the shoe looks like unzippered? Perhaps like a human body with no bones?
OMG! Those are fantastic! So intense…I love them!
I’m very fickle when it comes to zips.. sometimes I love them – like your multi-zip necklace, that’s amazing! – sometimes they leave me cold. These shoes are pretty cool. I reckon you could achieve the same effect yourself fairly easily – assuming you know where to get the zips, shoe glue and have a pair of shoes/boots you don’t mind experimenting on! (You’d need steady hands too.. it’s the sort of thing I’d get into my head and then have to make my boyfriend do for me because my hands are pretty shaky!)
Nice, if random, find. As inky mentioned it’s great to see someone from any walk of life/type of job being able to show off their creative/arty side online. Maybe not with your address & phone number though, eh?
Those are awesome boots and those sketchy details about the designer are quite amusing.
I don’t love it. The only cute zipper designs are those sewn together to make into a zipper pencil holder. I’m not sure if you guys have seen it before, but it used to be very trendy in Asia.
Those are some interesting shoes…If you ever are able to track them down, I’m sure you could work wonders with them.
These boots are amazing. I understand why you want them so much.
wow! a great idea for all the zips i have after the halloween stint, try diy!
You mean you don’t like the Luigis and their twelve disciples shoes? Those made my day. They take the cake for strange footwear.
Insane! I LOVE!
OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
I WANT THAT SHOE^^
SO NICE!!!
HUKZZ but i am a BOY
How bizzare! But those zipper shoes are pretty amazing!
Those shoes are crazy! I don’t know whether to love it or hate it… I really want a pair to try on though.
Wow her website looks like it was from 10 years ago. Nothing but one .jpeg background repeated and text. Hahah.
I actually live around the corner, for realz; do you want me to get my stalk on? Give her a call on your behalf? Let me know Susie Bubble…
Ha! Oddly, these sort of remind me of those zipper pull earrings that were everywhere in the late 80s. I believe a pink pair were my very first pair of “danglies” after the dreaded piercing.
Oh and just like Slingblade says, “I like the way you talk.”
South Strayans represent!!!
Ditto Susie, another South Australian reader here more than familiar with the Burnside area haha. We’ll pop out of the woodwork at random on you!
those shoes are one of a kind for sure. never seen anything like them and they are absolutely fabulous.
that is so silly how they are from ages ago…see, styles will always come back in effect.
love ur blog. i will be coming back for more!
xoxo
chriselle
This just makes me sad because she has such potential as a shoe designer — especially considering these were made in the late 90s.
I come from South Australia too and I’m so glad I left. I’ve had the career I wanted, but I can’t say the same for most of my friends who stayed. A few of them are desperately unhappy that their life hasn’t turned out how they wanted, whereas I’m mostly happy with what I’ve done so far.
Why stay in a place where there’s no way to do what you want, work-wise? We all spend so many hours in our day jobs, why be miserable all that time?
I wish she had left Adelaide, because I’d love to see the body of work she would’ve produced by now if she’d gone somewhere where shoe design is a full-time job.
My boyfriend live just around the corner from her too! Crazy…
We are now in possession of the famous “Caught in My Web,” leather, resin spiders (yes, they are real!!) shoes that Deborah Miller created for her 1997 exhibition at BMG gallery (North Adelaide). If anyone was ever interested in obtaining these, we would consider selling them.
LK
info@americasarts.com