Boots for Little Edie
These days of lockdown and confinement are a good occasion to remember those who suffer from a mental health issue and stay stranded at home because of this condition. A very well know example of this hoarding/Munchausen/hikikomori state (I do not know if there is accurate term for it) are Mrs. Edith Beale and her daughter Little Edie. They went from a lavish life as Manhattan royalty in the 1930s to spending decades alone at their once summer retreat “Grey Gardens” (in East Hampton) surrounded by cats and trash. There is no doubt both women were victims of psychological pathologies, but somehow research shows Big Edie was a bit more in control of her decisions and perversely controled her daughter’s life. That is why she is the heroine chosen to pay hommage to with this boot. Despite being “crazy” she never lost her poise and love for accessorizing, turning the scarves that covered her stress alopecia into a fashion statement adorned with beautiful pins. I truly adore her character and believe she deserved better. She will always be an inspiration to me and specially in this pull on boots, made of lace on a knitted sock and adorned with scarves and pins (that belonged to my mother and her mother), plus a print of the Grey Gardens on the heel.
Photography, Set Design and Styling by me.