Held in cavernous convention centers or monumental tents, fairs like Art Basel Miami Beach can be merciless on those individuals who have to hoof it around the halls. So while the art crowd often dresses up for the occasion, their footwear skews towards the comfortable. Polling the foot traffic at this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach, sneakers, loafers and platform sandals beat out more formal options like lace-up leather shoes and heels. “I always wear flats to run around the fairs. I am usually covering a lot of territory very quickly, so comfort is my main concern, but I never compromise style,” explained SOCO Gallery owner Chandra Johnson, who wore Acne sandals during her rounds. “Thank goodness the trends can allow for both these days.”
“I can tell you right now the most brilliant fair shoe brand in the world is Feit; they are a bespoke company that my daughter introduced me to,” recommends the art dealer Sean Kelly. “A few years ago, there was this thing that everyone was wearing sneakers to try to look cool. I think sneakers are fine for installation, but British men pay a lot of attention to footwear; and I think when you are trying to stand on a booth for hours and look elegant for clients, you need a shoe. Sneakers don’t cut it.”
The curator Kyle DeWoody prefers to pad around in Céline slip-ons, while David Lieske of Mathew Gallery favors Gucci, opting for the rubber version of their signature loafer, which he describes as “indisputably the best fair shoe.” He’s invested in a rainbow of colors — a waterproof collection that seemed increasingly valuable given this year’s devastating rainstorms.
Regulars like Lieske and Art Papers editor Victoria Camblin admit to hedging their bets by bringing multiples. “When packing, I go with a ‘more is more’ philosophy for fairs: I don’t pack smart, I pack everything,” says Camblin, who mans the publication’s outpost at the fair. “You have to rotate footwear, because no shoe is going to be comfortable all day. This year, I kept high heels at the booth — like an ’80s secretary changing out of sneakers and into pumps.”
For those who didn’t pack enough, The Webster, a Miami-based boutique, provided a selection of solutions, including a new collaboration between Del Toro and the artist Rob Pruitt: black slippers emblazoned with Pruitt’s pandas. During the VIP previews, foolhardy stilettos dotted the crowd, however, the vast majority stuck to more sensible footwear including Art Week revelers like Aeffe president Michelle Stein, who scoped out the fairs after throwing a party for Moschino designer Jeremy Scott. Her sage suggestion: “Definitely the lightest and most comfortable shoes possible. A sandal or a Birkenstock accessorized by a creative pedicure is best.”
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