My dad Cos Kyriacou is a London shoemaker and while Prince was over here on tour his wardrobe people brought some of his shoes to be repaired. They were having trouble with his regular shoemakers in California and my dad said to them "Why don't you let me make his shoes?". So they gave us his all his details and measurements and for the next nine years he became Prince's personal shoemaker, making the footwear he wore on stage.

This very morning we just found the original wooden lasts we made to those measurements. I'm holding them in my hands as I type this. If you saw Prince on stage during the 90s, they would have been used to make the very shoes you'd have seen him wear. Thought we'd lost these and I hadn't seen them in years. Just seeing and holding them again is bringing back so many memories of when I was a kid spending my evenings and weekends helping my dad out in his workshop. The pages of very detailed technical requirements and specifications, the heels having to be specially reinforced with steel to withstand all the physical punishment he'd put them through, seeing the material and designs for his stage outfits.

Awesome!

so what size are they?

Heidi said:

so what size are they?

They are a UK size 4, which would be about 6 US

Damn he's got small feet. I mean I KNEW that, but a size 6 US? I wear a 10.

Feel like posting any pics?

Excellent stuff.

thank you for sharing, that must be a real thrill to hold something like in your hands

jaybendy said:

Damn he's got small feet. I mean I KNEW that, but a size 6 US? I wear a 10.

Feel like posting any pics?

I'm working on it. I'm trying to get a picture of my dad holding them but he says is too busy finishing off an order.

robinhood said:

thank you for sharing, that must be a real thrill to hold something like in your hands

Sadly never got to ever meet or speak to him so holding them is quite a thrill. My dad just casually mentioned that he worked with Donatella Versace on designing some boots for Prince, he had never ever once mentioned that before.

belenalhama said:

robinhood said:

thank you for sharing, that must be a real thrill to hold something like in your hands

Sadly never got to ever meet or speak to him so holding them is quite a thrill. My dad just casually mentioned that he worked with Donatella Versace on designing some boots for Prince, he had never ever once mentioned that before.

your father sounds like a very humble man

it's not surprising he is brushing off having his photo taken with those lasts,

but i sure hope he gets around to it soon lol

Cool info, thanks for sharing it!

robinhood said:

your father sounds like a very humble man

it's not surprising he is brushing off having his photo taken with those lasts,

but i sure hope he gets around to it soon lol

Sadly not able to get a picture of my dad with them but here is a picture of the lasts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53582708@N04/4950849457/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Not the most spectacular picture but the best I could do at short notice. I'll try and get a picture of my dad with them when he has a moment. He's not exactly humble as rightly he is very proud of his skills as a shoemaker, as a craftsman he is very unfazed by anything to do with celebrity

size six? damn that is small.

belenalhama said:

My dad Cos Kyriacou is a London shoemaker and while Prince was over here on tour his wardrobe people brought some of his shoes to be repaired. They were having trouble with his regular shoemakers in California and my dad said to them "Why don't you let me make his shoes?". So they gave us his all his details and measurements and for the next nine years he became Prince's personal shoemaker, making the footwear he wore on stage.

This very morning we just found the original wooden lasts we made to those measurements. I'm holding them in my hands as I type this. If you saw Prince on stage during the 90s, they would have been used to make the very shoes you'd have seen him wear. Thought we'd lost these and I hadn't seen them in years. Just seeing and holding them again is bringing back so many memories of when I was a kid spending my evenings and weekends helping my dad out in his workshop. The pages of very detailed technical requirements and specifications, the heels having to be specially reinforced with steel to withstand all the physical punishment he'd put them through, seeing the material and designs for his stage outfits.

Was this on Old Street EC1. I was in halls on Brunswick Rd and I read that P's shoes were made on Old St, I walked up and down a few times to find it but never could.

So no pics of the boots? did you father make the batman boots with the symbol on the zipper?

belenalhama said:

My dad Cos Kyriacou is a London shoemaker and while Prince was over here on tour his wardrobe people brought some of his shoes to be repaired. They were having trouble with his regular shoemakers in California and my dad said to them "Why don't you let me make his shoes?". So they gave us his all his details and measurements and for the next nine years he became Prince's personal shoemaker, making the footwear he wore on stage.

This very morning we just found the original wooden lasts we made to those measurements. I'm holding them in my hands as I type this. If you saw Prince on stage during the 90s, they would have been used to make the very shoes you'd have seen him wear. Thought we'd lost these and I hadn't seen them in years. Just seeing and holding them again is bringing back so many memories of when I was a kid spending my evenings and weekends helping my dad out in his workshop. The pages of very detailed technical requirements and specifications, the heels having to be specially reinforced with steel to withstand all the physical punishment he'd put them through, seeing the material and designs for his stage outfits.

How ironic that one day, if it hasn't happened already, he might have hips of steel to match.

Awesome thread! Thank you for sharing this.

Genesia said:

belenalhama said:

My dad Cos Kyriacou is a London shoemaker and while Prince was over here on tour his wardrobe people brought some of his shoes to be repaired. They were having trouble with his regular shoemakers in California and my dad said to them "Why don't you let me make his shoes?". So they gave us his all his details and measurements and for the next nine years he became Prince's personal shoemaker, making the footwear he wore on stage.

This very morning we just found the original wooden lasts we made to those measurements. I'm holding them in my hands as I type this. If you saw Prince on stage during the 90s, they would have been used to make the very shoes you'd have seen him wear. Thought we'd lost these and I hadn't seen them in years. Just seeing and holding them again is bringing back so many memories of when I was a kid spending my evenings and weekends helping my dad out in his workshop. The pages of very detailed technical requirements and specifications, the heels having to be specially reinforced with steel to withstand all the physical punishment he'd put them through, seeing the material and designs for his stage outfits.

How ironic that one day, if it hasn't happened already, he might have hips of steel to match.

Well, it seems with his ease of movement, that something was fixed. I just hope he didn't get one of the Johnson & Johnson hip replacement systems that was just recalled.

http://www.google.com/hos...gD9HR907G2

Thanks 4 sharing and u know what they say ya'll small feet big d**k?

Serena said:

Genesia said:

How ironic that one day, if it hasn't happened already, he might have hips of steel to match.

Well, it seems with his ease of movement, that something was fixed. I just hope he didn't get one of the Johnson & Johnson hip replacement systems that was just recalled.

http://www.google.com/hos...gD9HR907G2

I'm not sure he's had anything fixed. He was limping noticeably at Paisley Park last October. And in the video of him touring the Versailles concert site this summer, he climbed a set of steps very gingerly. It's clear that his right leg ain't right.

[Edited 9/2/10 10:04am]

[Edited 9/2/10 10:23am]

belenalhama said:

Heidi said:

so what size are they?

They are a UK size 4, which would be about 6 US

.

Genesia said:

Serena said:

Well, it seems with his ease of movement, that something was fixed. I just hope he didn't get one of the Johnson & Johnson hip replacement systems that was just recalled.

http://www.google.com/hos...gD9HR907G2

I'm not sure he's had anything fixed. He was limping noticeably at Paisley Park last October. And in the video of him touring the Versailles concert site this summer, he climbed a set of steps very gingerly. It's clear that his right leg ain't right.

[Edited 9/2/10 10:04am]

Did U see any of the footage from the European shows?

He was dancing quite a bit, and even pulled off a great "one knee up spin"...

Giovanni777 said:

Genesia said:

I'm not sure he's had anything fixed. He was limping noticeably at Paisley Park last October. And in the video of him touring the Versailles concert site this summer, he climbed a set of steps very gingerly. It's clear that his right leg ain't right.

[Edited 9/2/10 10:04am]

Did U see any of the footage from the European shows?

He was dancing quite a bit, and even pulled off a great "one knee up spin"...

Yeah, well...he was dancing at Paisley Park, too - before he started limping.

Genesia said:

Giovanni777 said:

Did U see any of the footage from the European shows?

He was dancing quite a bit, and even pulled off a great "one knee up spin"...

Yeah, well...he was dancing at Paisley Park, too - before he started limping.

I think he had something done over those months after the October gig.

like these...

[img:$uid]http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn235/chriseagle08/Paper-boot-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn235/chriseagle08/raveinto1.jpg[/img:$uid]

Dang, those boots sitting next to Prince's lasts are KARAZY!!! Did your dad make those too? Tell me they're just for display or my ankles will shatter just thinking about standing in them.

Genesia said:

Giovanni777 said:

Did U see any of the footage from the European shows?

He was dancing quite a bit, and even pulled off a great "one knee up spin"...

Yeah, well...he was dancing at Paisley Park, too - before he started limping.

Perhaps, but the way he was moving during those live clips in Europe recently was notibly "fresh"... His style has changed from the usual current grooving-type moves, 2 a more energetic style reminescent of an earlier period. He's being much more orginal, creative and agile again.

NONE of what I'm saying has anything 2 do with possible surgery, because I don't know anything about that. It's simply an observation of his current expression in dance.