NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOE BUSINESS
It's no coincidence that the beautiful ostrich leather lace-ups that Nelson Mandela was wearing when he walked out of jail - later auctioned for £4 000 at Christie's in aid of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund - were Crockett & Jones....
LASTING QUALITY
By Hilary Prendini Toffoli
Carlo Longano is a fifth-generation Italian shoemaker whose job at the age of six was to polish the lasts his grandfather carved out of oak. His father was a prisoner of war at Zonderwater, and brought the whole family to Johannesbur...
SHOES AS ART
By Hilary Prendini Toffoli
When it comes to highly original footwear, artist Beezy Bailey's shoe collection takes a lot of beating. Who else can boast two pairs of Versace evening pumps that once belonged to the German fraudster Jurgen Harksen? Bailey has a satin ...
HOARY OLD TALE
By Peter Wilhelm
A film reviewer on The Spectator strikes just the right balance between the reader's desire to know whether he should embed himself with Seed of Chucky on late-night television, or embark on the mission of watchin...
SAVOURING THE ART
By Neil Pendock
The biggest mistake of British PM-in-waiting Gordon Brown, while chancellor of the exchequer, was selling half Britain's gold reserves between 1999 and 2002, for a paper loss of £2bn. But then, as a canny Scot, Big Gordie must have b...
THE UNCRITICAL MR ROBERTS
By Eusebius McKaiser
Ronald Suresh Roberts appears to be suffering from a literary version of Stockholm syndrome. In his attempted illumination of President Thabo Mbeki's "intellectual tradition", Fit to Govern: The Native Intelligence of Thabo Mbeki
HAVANA GOOD TIME
By Don Albert
It's amazing how Cuban music burst onto the world scene through the Buena Vista Social Club. The tremors are still being felt and the popularity of the music hasn't faded. So if Cuban jazz appeals to you, a new CD by pianist Roberto Fo...
FEARLESS SCRUTINY OF EVIL
By Peter Wilhelm
At 84, Norman Mailer shows no sign of going gentle into that good night. Though time has drained something of his passionate expression - and his violent, much-married, controversial life has too often been the stuff of the tabloids - ...
STRINGING US ALONG
By JUSTICE MALALA
The first time I went to Moemas, on its first weekend of operation, I resolved to award it five stars. I made this resolution on the basis that the place was beautifully done, the tea absolutely perfect and the staff divine. P...
