DIRT Shoesletter: The most famous fall in fashion, The Stroop Effect and other cool stuff.
Published 2 months ago • 2 min read
Design Ideas & Random Thoughts
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Shoe DIRT
DIRT: The most famous fall in fashion, The Stroop Effect and other cool stuff.
Quote of the day:
“I never heard a crackhead say, ‘I ain't got no $ so I ain't smoking today.’ They always find a way. So you gonna let a crackhead out hustle you?” — Ed Latimore, former professional boxer, physics graduate, and writer on stoicism and personal discipline.
Made me think:
🧠 The Stroop Effect Discovered by John Ridley Stroop in 1935, this effect reveals how our brains struggle when processing conflicting information — such as reading the word “red” written in blue ink. It’s a fascinating study of attention, perception, and automaticity: our minds naturally want to read, not identify color.
In design terms, it’s a reminder of how visual hierarchy and clarity are everything. When cues conflict — when colour, form, and message don’t align — users stumble.
The shoes behind Naomi's fall.
Few fashion moments have etched themselves into cultural history quite like Naomi Campbell’s 1993 fall on the Vivienne Westwood runway. The culprit? A pair of now-iconic “Super Elevated Ghillie” platform shoes — dazzling, defiant, and dangerously high.
Unveiled during Westwood’s Autumn/Winter 1993–94 “Anglomania” collection in Paris on March 16, 1993, the shoes were both a love letter to British heritage and a rebellion against fashion conformity. Crafted from bright blue stamped crocodile leather, their glossy, embossed texture caught the light — a visual metaphor for Westwood’s obsession with subverting beauty through excess.
The design fused Scottish ghillie lacing (a nod to Highland footwear) with the architectural bravado of 1990s platform culture. Silk ribbons replaced eyelets, wrapping around the ankles in theatrical loops. The heels reached a vertigo-inducing 21 cm (8.2 inches) — though some claim up to 30.5 cm (12 inches) — with a 4.5-inch platform base to balance the effect.
Westwood’s goal wasn’t to shock but to “put women’s beauty on a pedestal”, both literally and symbolically. “Elegance,” she said, “is about taking risks.”
Naomi Campbell falling over Vivienne Westwood Fashion Show, Paris – 1993Sheridan Morley/News UK/REX/Shut
When Naomi stepped out wearing the blue mock-croc giants — paired with rubber stockings, — she made it only halfway down the runway before her thighs stuck together, tilting her stride and sending her sprawling. Gasps, then laughter. Naomi laughed too — stood up, struck a pose, and finished the walk.
That fall became the stuff of legend. What could have been humiliation turned into a moment of grace under pressure — Naomi’s cool, Westwood’s audacity, and the sheer theatre of it all became the defining snapshot of 1990s fashion.
The shoes, marked “NAOMI” inside in blue pen, were later acquired by the Victoria & Albert Museum, where curator Elisabeth Murray called them “possibly the most requested and well-known pair” among more than 2,000 in their archive. Even Queen Elizabeth II, upon seeing them, reportedly remarked she was “not surprised Campbell fell in them.”
Today, Westwood’s “Elevated Ghillie” line continues — toned down to a manageable 12.3 cm heel / 6.5 cm platform (around £925), still echoing the rebellion that made them famous.
For shoedogs and designers, these shoes remain a symbol of creative extremity and timing: how far form can go before function topples over — and how sometimes, that fall is precisely what makes history.
Something to think about
Would the “Super Elevated Ghillie” have become iconic if Naomi hadn’t fallen? I don't think so. And in an age of risk-managed design, what’s the modern equivalent of daring to fall publicly — and owning it?
📘 “Shoes – Page-A-Day Calendar 2026” Always a favourite of mine — a year-round snapshot of global shoe culture, from sneakers to couture, streetwear to sculpture. A surprisingly rich pulse-check on the more creative side of footwear 👉 Take a look:Shoes 2026 Calendar
⌨️ Space Type Generator This is a cool instant generator for moving type/shspes that you can download as a gif. HINT, click the top right 'select' button for more interfaces. 👉 try it out here
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