le rainy day

foreign find, vicariously found ...

I received an email from my little sister this morning that read:

 "Oh boy, do I have something blog-worthy waiting for you in Athens."

 Way too excited to wait until I get to Athens, I emailed her back immediately and heard all about Stavros Melissinos, aka The Poet Sandalmaker. She just so happened to run into him this past weekend.

"Aeolian II"

Melissinos, after serving in the Greek Army, became enamored with literature. His poems and essays are widely renowned (especially "The Rubiyat") and have been translated into English, French, German and Italian.

"Plato"

Melissinos also has a knack for hand-making sandals, despite his fame, he still chooses make sandals for celebrities and tourists alike in his small shop in Athens.

"Jackie Onassis"

In the late 50's and 60's Melissinos garnered a celebrity following, including The Beatles, Queen, Jackie O, Sophia Loren and Margo Fontaine. His designs and poetry are strongly influenced by ancient Greek Mythology - there are 32 styles available.

"Aeolian"

I love his simple, classic designs and the fact that they are handmade using authentic materials. I definitely plan on visiting The Poet Sandalmaker in person.

"Sophia Loren"

You can read up on Stavros and see all 32 styles right here!

Information and images via http://www.melissinos-poet.com/eng/index.html.