It is hard to imagine today the waves Alvar Aalto's Savoy vase caused in 1936. Alvar Aalto entered a competition to find pieces for the Finnish pavilion at the 1937 Paris World's Fair. He entered the Aalto vase under the pseudonym "Eskimo woman's leather breeches" [not really sure where THAT came from...!]
 
Its mysterious form stood in total opposition to the accepted machine centred thinking of the time. The Aalto vase now stands as one of the most celebrated design icons of the Century. Timeless, elegant design, the Aalto shape reflects the lakes in Finland, holding water in your home the way the lakes are cocooned within the mountains.

The classic savoy shape was the original design. The lower, more square proportions lending themselves to the traditional posy flower arrangements of the time.