Christian Louboutin and Designs of the Year

Possibly with the exception of the 2009 Hussein Chalayan exhibition, this show of Christian Louboutin's 20 year career designing shoes is the most impressively curated of any exhibitions I have seen at the Design Museum. In Christian Louboutin: 20 Years the kitsch, yet glamorous displays outshone most of the footwear on display in my opinion.
My favourite examples of this were...

The outside view of the entrance:

The introductory ('shadow boxing') first room, with the shoe shadow silhouette and shoes hung like boxing gloves:

The Merry-Go-Round, with shoes on 'seats' where the horses would be:

The (fake, plastic leafed) 'hedge room', completed by neo-classical plinths to display the shoes on:

Most of Louboutin's Fetish collection must be conceptual pieces, because they're all completely unwearable, but in my opinion are some of the more interesting shoes on display. My favourite of the less conceptual and more wearable footwear is the Alta Dentelle (fishnet and calfskin) boots from the S/S 2012 collection (below):



http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2012/christian-louboutin




The other main exhibition currently at the Design Museum is Designs of the Year 2012, with 39% of the work displayed having been designed in the UK. There's a lot of innovative and interesting design here, but these are my favourites from the museums shortlist:

Shade installation, designed by Simon Heijdens (for the Institute of Chicago) 'brings the outside in!'

The Tip Ton chair, designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby (for Vitra, Switzerland)...

...the pair who also designed the Olympic Torch:

The Invisible Cycle Helmet, designed by Hovding, almost looks like a scarf (below left) but it inflates (like a car airbag) to protect the head in the event of an accident (below right):

Moon Rock table designed by Bethan Laura Wood (for Nilutar Gallery, Italy):

This excellent Ready to Wear Collection designed by The Reality Lab in the Issey Miyake studio, Tokyo:

The eye-catching Thixotropes light, designed by Conny Freyer, Sebastien Noel and Eva Rucki at Troika, London (for Selfridges):

http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2012/designs-of-the-year-2012