Emma Hope's Pink Boho Fuzzy Felt Slingbacks: "Think Pink"

I recently caught up with London shoe designer extraordinaire, Emma Hope. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Ms. Hope since 2010 when I asked her to consider designing a contemporary shoe based on the work of London Georgian cordwainers for an exhibition.

This time, I was interested in a pair of shoes featured in the current Museum of Fine Arts exhibition “Think Pink” (http://www.mfa.org/news/think_pink)

Emma shared the following regarding the concept and design of the Boho Fuzzy Felt Mules (2005), in the MFA collection.

KA:

What was the genesis behind this delightful burst of pink?

EH:

The boho fuzzy felt itself came from a little vintage collar I found at a jumble sale which had bullion and felt flowers on. I think we did a bag and some ballets [flats] too, but thought it would be mainly pretty as a boho chic sling [back]. I used to have a rather low-key game box of fuzzy felt animals to stick on when I was little, so I that is how the name came about.

KA:

You are well-known for your interest in reviving historic techniques and aesthetics, incorporating them into your contemporary footwear. What were your inspirations for this shoe?

EH:

I think the Victorians put an awful lot into embroidery, as seen in the original vintage collar on which the sling is based, perhaps because they didn't have TV as a distraction. There was quite a lot of mental energy to be channelled into creative work.

EH:

While we did a couple of colourways, and probably sold more on a black suede base, I think the pink is nice and summery.

About Emma Hope:

Emma Hope grew up in Singapore and England and graduated from The Cordwainers College in London. Currently, there are three Emma Hope shops in London; the first Emma Hope flagship store in Japan opened in 2003 in Roppongi Hills, a leading shopping area in Tokyo. Ms. Hope has designed shoes for Paul Smith, Anna Sui and Mulberry. Her shoes and bags are in over 150 stores worldwide including Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Harrods. All the shoes and bags are made in small, family owned factories in Tuscany, where they are specialists in the finest hand crafted shoe making techniques. Emma Hope likes buying beautiful vintage bags, shoes and gloves at jumble sales and flea markets using them to rework and revive the old techniques of how they were originally made. More: http://www.emmahope.co.uk

About the exhibition:

Think Pink features approximately 70 objects, including dresses, suits, jewelry and accessories by designers such as Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Christian Louboutin and Oscar de la Renta and is complemented by graphic illustrations, photography and paintings. On view through May 26, 2014 in the Museum’s Loring Gallery, Think Pink will also highlight dresses and accessories from the personal collection of the late Evelyn H. Lauder, who was instrumental in creating awareness of breast cancer by choosing the color as a visual reference. More: http://www.mfa.org/news/think_pink

A Winter Supper with Dorothy Hancock's Plain Yeast Rolls

Dorothy Quincy (Hancock), c. 1772
John Singleton Copley
Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Dorothy (Dolly) Hancock (1747-1830) was a gracious and tireless hostess, a key position in the strategic operations of any political household past or present. Currently researching a post on Mrs. Hancock's fashionable ensembles, I was sidetracked by wintery cold weather. Mulling over what it must have been like to entertain in the "Hancock Mansion" on Beacon Hill, Boston, during the heady times following the American Revolution, I came across a recipe for her plain yeast rolls. It was adapted by Robert Pelton in his 2004 publication "Baking Recipes of Our Founding Fathers." I appreciate the many learned and skilled hearth cooks and culinary historians, who recreate the food of our ancestors through scholarly research, and care. I am merely a dabbler and I make no pretense of detailed knowledge in this arena  This post is simply about connecting food with historic events, places and people - and to try something new today. 

The Hancock "Mansion" in snow, c. 1860 (Demolished 1863)
Courtesy, The Trustees of the Boston Public Library
Contemporary accounts noted that theIt was noted prior to demolition that the west wing was used for the kitchen and other domestic functions. 

Some of my favorite observations regarding the couple's entertaining -- a harried, overworked cook on the verge of collapse, an unexpected dinner for several hundred French visitors, which required Mrs. Hancock to declare all the cows grazing on the Common be milked -- were made in 1854 by William Sumner (from his conversations with Mrs. Hancock) and appear in J.L. Bell's article "Dorothy Hancock: Political Hostess" (http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2006/11/dorothy-hancock-political-hostess.html)


I am making a roast chicken with root vegetables tonight and, time permitting, plan to try out her recipe for rolls. Will let you know if there is approbation around the table.

Dorothy Hancock's Plain Yeast Rolls

4 cups milk, warm

¼ cup yeast

5 cups flour

1 egg, well beaten

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp baking soda

Flour to suit

Make sponge by blending milk, yeast and flour in large wooden mixing bowl. Cover bowl with thick towel or cloth. Set aside in warm place to rise. When light (risen), stir in beaten egg, melted butter, salt and sugar. Dissolve baking soda in a little hot water and add while stirring. Put in sufficient flour to make soft, pliable dough. Cover as before and set in warm place to rise for about 4 or 5 hours.

Roll these out to ½" cakes. Fold cakes, not quite in center, like turnovers. Or simply shape with hands into balls. Set cakes or balls close together on shallow, buttered pan. Cover once again and set aside in warm place. Let dough rise a third time for about one hour.

When risen, cut deeply across top of each roll with sharp knife. Put into quick oven (425 degrees). Bake about thirty minutes or until tops of rolls are lightly browned.

SOURCE: "Baking Recipes Of Our Founding Fathers" By Robert W. Pelton accessed online at: http://www.books.google.com.