Wilmington photographer salutes Paris and the shoes it wears
Billy Cone's mailing address is in Wilmington, but a big chunk of his heart lies in the center of France.
Since 1997, the photographer has compiled four books of images focused on Paris: Its food, fashion, statues and people.
For the latest, "Well Heeled in Paris," he takes a different theme: Women and their shoes.
The project, he explains, took him years. "I would marvel at the phenomenon of women navigating cobblestones and puddles from spring showers as if they were gliding down a runway modeling famous tables."
A typical Parisienne, Cone contends, dresses not for comfort but to be seen. They don't shop for groceries or pick up their children from school in sweat pants and soccer jerseys. The vast majority, of course, can't afford haute couture labels, any more than we could. What they have, instead, is Style -- a carefully crafted personal look that shows them off at their best.
Which means high heels. Almost every French woman, Cone writes, will have two pairs of black pumps, the perfect match for the Little Black Dress. From there, they accessorize.
Heels began as men's fashion -- French kings used them to accentuate their height -- but women took them over. As Cone demonstrates from statues, even Joan of Arc wore heels (OK, heeled boots, but you get the point.)
Cone catches images of women talking, walking, window-shopping, draped elegantly in chairs at outdoor cafes. Sometimes, he takes them from the knees down, like the grownups in a "Peanuts" cartoon. Sometimes, they're full-length.
His photos are punctuated by quotes from the likes of Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Marilyn Monroe ("I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.").
"Well Heeled" marks a departure for Cone. After years of working in film, this time he goes digital. This gives him the opportunity to play with colors and tints and to wash out light in places for effect. Some of the resulting images look more like paintings than photography.
"Well-Heeled" won't stay on coffee tables long. People will pick it up and thumb through, traveling vicariously.
Note: Billy Cone will have a signing from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and from 5-7 p.m. May 2 at Paysage Home, 1908 Eastwood Road.
Book review
Well Heeled In Paris
By Billy Cone
Wrightsville Beach: Cone Collections, $60
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Well-Heeled in Paris book shows off women and their shoes
