lustforshoes.com

Sole Sisters is a film project that documents women’s lives through their shoes. Documentary filmmaker Cynthia Salzman Mondell of Media Projects and Executive Producer Erin Prather Stafford are compiling a collection of stories submitted by women from all over the world and they plan to use those stories as the narrative of the film.

Some of these stories are available on the Sole Sisters website, and I was surprised by how compelling they are. Everything is covered here, from adventures in hiking boots to performances in pointe shoes. Many of the themes are about how often a woman’s choice of shoes can reveal hints about her true selves and provide an opportunity to let her style fly a little higher than usual.

With my taste in footwear, of course I loved the stories where shoes serve as acts of defiance against convention: the bride who decided to wear a pair of bright blue shoes with her white wedding dress; the woman who, as a 14 year old, bought a pair of red high heeled pumps in defiance of her mother’s insistence that they weren’t appropriate for her age. These women might follow the rules … but only above the knee.

My favorite story was from a woman in her 50s who had gone through a long debilitating illness and several surgeries. After her extensive recovery, putting on a pair of leopard print pumps trimmed with red suede helped her gain back some lost self esteem in a way nothing else could.

I was intrigued by the documentary as soon as I heard about it, but once I read the stories I was even more excited about the project. I recently interviewed Ms Mondell to find out more about it.

LFS: This is such a great idea for a film. What was the inspiration?

CM: When my Mom was stricken with pancreatic cancer, my sister Ann and I found brand new red high heels in her closet. We told Mom she had to get better so she could dance in those shoes. For a few hours she was lucid and communicated with us. Although cancer eventually claimed her life, those shoes allowed her to dream and to hope. I wondered what it was about those shoes that had the power to give us back our Mother for even a brief time. Then I noticed how much shoes meant to other women. So this is a journey for me. And what I am discovering are deep, emotional stories that unite women from around the world.

LFS: What are you planning to include in the film?

CM: Sole Sisters will dance through women’s lives telling their stories with interviews, animation, and music. The film will journey through the stages of a woman’s life from the unsure wobbly steps in her first pair of baby shoes to a sassy strut in her new red stiletto heels and to her slow shuffle in worn bedroom slippers. Women’s shoes are a symbol of sexuality, empowerment, status and personality. They represent “affordable” art and fashion. They define a woman’s individuality – who she is and who she wants to be.

Erin Prather Stafford , the executive producer for WONDER WOMAN: The Untold Story of American Superheroines is now working with me. She keeps expanding my thinking. This film is definitely going to morph into a play and book. I was taking baby steps, and now we are running with it.

LFS: The stories that are available to read on the Sole Sisters website are full of so many vivid and emotional experiences relating to shoes. Were you surprised by the intensity and variety of the responses you received?

CM: At first I was surprised, but I have produced other female oriented films like The Ladies Room. This is just what the title says—women talking in restrooms. There is a different culture in ladies rooms as you know. Women will say anything because there are no male rules to hold them back. They talk about sex, their bodies and their relationships with complete strangers. So no, I guess I wasn’t surprised. But I am learning how much shoes mean to a woman’s identity.

LFS: There is one story about a woman whose boyfriend gave her a pair of heels for her birthday. He also gave her other gifts – including jewelry – but the fact that he picked out a pair of shoes that were both her size and her style seemed so startlingly intimate and thoughtful. Why do you think heels have such a strong appeal for both women and men?

CM: Women feel powerful and sexy in heels. Men find women in heels sexy. They lengthen the leg and are very attractive.

LFS: Are you one of the shoe obsessed?

CM: Actually, I am not shoe obsessed. I have my own style and never like to wear anything anyone else is wearing. Every day, I go to my closet and look at my clothes and shoes, like I am painting a canvas. And I put on shoes that will make me look like I feel that day. Shoes definitely help my attitude. I love unique looking ones… like with heels that are triangular and easy to walk on. I have a favorite pair of boots that I bought from a woman travelling in an old bus. She was selling boots that she painted to pay for her cancer treatments. These boots mean a lot to me, and I love wearing them.

LFS: There are a number of stories that mention the allure of red shoes, and in fact the Sole Sisters logo is a red high-heeled pump. Why do red shoes seem to hold so much power and do you have any in your closet?

CM: Red is my favorite color. My grandmother had red couches, rugs, artwork, flowers and one pair of red shoes. So I guess I get that from her. Red is a strong color and a happy color. And yes, I have red shoes…red boots and red heels.

LFS: I love the idea of the shoe confessionals, the private booths that you created for the Dallas Museum of Art and a few other locations around the city, for women to record their shoe stories. I’ve read that there were actually waiting lines to use them. Are any of the confessionals still there?

CM: I had this crazy idea for a Shoe Confessional…but actually, I had no idea what a confessional was except what I have seen in the movies. I wanted to collect stories, and I wanted to be part of the DMA’s Jean Paul Gaultier outreach events.

The Shoe Confessional was a spirited community project. Designer Jen Mauldin designed it with a number of people working on it- filmmakers, sound engineers and assorted volunteers. Real Estate businessman Jim Greenfield donated space on Travis Street to build it. We had no money—we recycled the wood shelves in the building we were working in. We even used found nails. It was gratifying how many people worked on it and how many hours they contributed. The booth takes 3 people to put up. So it is really an installation that needs to be in one place for a few days or more. Women and men loved going in there and telling their stories. It is intimate, beautiful and fun. Shelle Bagot Sills, the former VP of Neiman’s went in there with her girlfriends during the Neiman Marcus Stiletto Strut and said it was the best time she had had in a long time. That was the general response. Bringing joy to other women makes me happy.

LFS: Are you still accepting women’s stories on the website?

CM: Yes, Yes. Yes. I would love to hear from other women and girls.

LFS: You are about to start a campaign on the Kickstarter website that will accept donations to help fund the Sole Sisters film, and there will be some wonderful Mother’s Day rewards available for people who contribute. What are some of the things you are offering?

CM: One of the most creative prizes of our Kickstarter is the Special Mother’s Day Card. It was designed by a California artist and it is awesome. Also, the exclusive Home Viewing Party Kit will be a big hit with anyone who is a fan of shoes and fashion.

LFS: When can we expect to see Sole Sisters in our local theater?

CM: In 2014.

You can become a Sole Sister:

To help get this project funded the filmmakers are planning to ask for donations through the project funding site Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign will start in the next couple of weeks, and I’ll post the details as soon as they are available. There will be some amazing gifts available to donors, and your contribution will help make this documentary a reality.

For more information about the project or to submit your own shoe story, visit the Sole Sisters website they also have a Facebook page.

To learn more about the filmmakers, check out the Media Projects website and Erin Prather Stafford’s site.

… Anastasia Radevich.