Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 184 - 181 Dinner (1)

The Ferragamo brand started with women’s shoes.

Rather than calling Salvatore Ferragamo a genius shoe designer, it would be more appropriate to refer to him as the inventor of shoes.

Salvatore’s designs, which have always been pursued for their unique structure, innovative design, and use of new materials, are popular worldwide.

The museum contains information about the shoe lasts and over ten thousand pairs of shoes created by this genius shoemaker from the 1920s until his death in 1960. (note 1)

When it comes to the richness of the exhibition content, none of the major luxury brand museums around the world can outshine it.

The Ferragamo brand museum, despite being well known by Yan Yan, who knows the brand like the back of her hand, houses many shoe styles she has never seen before.

Good design is always timeless. Many of Salvatore’s designs, even today, are still very fashionable.

In the museum, there are pictures of Salvatore studying the anatomical structure of the foot in Los Angeles to better address shoe weight distribution.

When he started making shoes, Salvatore believed that a person’s weight would fall vertically on the arch of the foot like a plumb line.

Based on anatomical research, Salvatore added metal plates to the arch of the shoe, making them more comfortable to wear, never believing that comfort and style in shoes were an irreconcilable contradiction.

Comfort in wearing Salvatore’s designs comes standard.

Beyond the standard, his inspiration is described as wildly creative.

This museum gave Yan Yan a feeling of regret for not having encountered it sooner.

Behind every pair of shoes, behind every picture, there are stories that Yan Yan wanted to know and designs she wanted to learn.

If there wasn’t an evening event to attend, Yan Yan could spend an entire day in this museum, "from dawn to dusk."

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When Yan Yan arrived at the evening event, she saw Lei Pili standing outside, impeccably dressed in a suit.

A suit is, unquestionably, the best companion to showcase a man’s charisma, especially when coupled with a tall and slender figure.

While in university, Lei Pili, being just over 178 centimeters tall, was "disliked" and rejected by Yan Yan.

Now, Lei Pili, compared to his college days, seemed to have grown a few centimeters, with an estimated height between 182-185 centimeters.

Possibly due to her "professional deformation," Yan Yan could hardly accept men wearing more than three colors on their suits at formal occasions.

She didn’t accept mismatched belt, shoes, and socks colors.

However, Lei Pili did not manifest any of these issues.

Now, Lei Pili’s attire was comprised solely of very simple black and white.

Even his tie was a slender black stripe.

If one were to find fault with Lei Pili’s attire,

European suits with a tapered silhouette do not suit Asian figures as well as the Japanese H-style.

Fortunately, Lei Pili was tall enough to carry off the British-style suit with twin back vents he was wearing.

It wouldn’t look as good on someone of smaller stature.

Whether it be shoes or clothing, Yan Yan is a designer with extreme requirements for style.

Men’s suits essentially boil down to style, the difference between two-button or three-button, single-breasted or double-breasted, and whether they have one vent, two vents, or no vents.

Compared to style, all other details merely play a supporting role.

Yan Yan had already seen Lei Pili in a suit in the morning at the airport, even though it wasn’t the same one, the sensory difference shouldn’t be too significant.

However, at that time, she wasn’t in the mood to thoroughly assess Lei Pili’s outfit at the airport.

From the start of their exchange to feeling embarrassed, Yan Yan’s mood hadn’t been quite normal.

Now having a closer look, from an "outsider’s" point of view, Lei Pili’s outfit would score high marks.

Moreover, as a diplomat, it wouldn’t be suitable for Lei Pili to wear anything too unconventional or creatively bold.

Reserved, formal, simple, and generous—combining all these elements, it looked just right.

If Qi Yi were to wear this suit, then Yan Yan would make some minor adjustments to the fit, turning it into a bespoke piece.

Clearly, Lei Pili hadn’t managed to receive such dedicated attention from Yan Yan.

Of course, apart from style, all of Yan Yan’s concerns, centered around being "formal," were not suited for an event like today’s gathering of designers.

Some unconventional male designers couldn’t even fathom stepping out the door with fewer than seven colors on them.

They seek to be distinctive, neither willing to conform nor interested in being conventional.

When Yan Yan left the museum to prepare for the evening, she began to think about what she would wear to the event.

Those major brand directors naturally wear clothes they designed while leading their brands to the event.

For an event like tonight’s, Yan Yan had to make an effort with her outfit.

Firstly, although she hadn’t even officially started interning yet, as a designer invited by Ferragamo, she needed to feature the Ferragamo label; only then would Lei Pili’s reason for inviting her appear more "legitimate."

Even if Lei Pili stated inviting her was part of his job duties, Yan Yan still hoped to minimize any potential trouble she could cause for Lei Pili.

After eighty to ninety years of development, Ferragamo is no longer merely a brand that makes shoes—it has clothes, bags, perfumes, accessories, and haute couture.

Therefore, Yan Yan could be decked out in Ferragamo from head to toe.

But Yan Yan didn’t start studying design to work for a specific brand; she intended to establish her own brand.

For tonight’s event, she needed to wear something that showcased her own design capabilities; otherwise, the significance of the event would be greatly diminished.

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note 1:

The museum sets different themed exhibitions every year, meaning a single visit wouldn’t cover all the shoes.

This year’s (2017) exhibition theme is about Salvatore Ferragamo’s return to his homeland from the United States in 1927, marking the official establishment of the Salvatore Ferragamo brand.

At that time, after the founder returned home, Ferragamo’s headquarters remained in the United States.

In 1929, following the stock market crash, Ferragamo in the United States declared bankruptcy after four years, in 1933.

Afterwards, Ferragamo moved back to Florence permanently, embarking on a new developmental trajectory.