If walking in 20 centimeters pointed heels may seem an extreme sport, armadillo shoes take it to a whole new level. This footwear is characterized by its round shape that wraps the foot like a shell and ends on a 30 centimeters high-arched support.
The first and only 21 pairs of armadillo boots were presented in a 2010 spring fashion show. They were a sensation during London Fashion Week. Their creator, the Irish designer Alexander McQueen, known for his rebellious and nonconformist personality, was inspired by Darwin’s theory of evolution and global heating; betting on the unconventional and he made it.
McQueen said in an interview: “I thought there would not be a step on the street, but since then we have seen some celebrities – such as Daphne Guinness or Lady Gaga – wearing them; and now we have heard that several models such as Abbey Lee Kershaw, Natasha Poly and Sasha Pavovarova, refused to take them on the catwalk, because they consider them to be too risky”.
Lady Gaga wore them for the Bad Romance musical video, while the model Daphe Guinness wore a pair during a photo shoot by Steven Meisel for the Spanish magazine Vogue. After the designer’s death – February 11, 2010 – his armadillo boots have not been made again. Some of the existing pairs have been set aside for social causes. In fact, in 2015, the company decided to donate one of the models to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in order to support the recovery of Nepal, following the earthquake that struck the country in April of that year.
Christie’s New York was commissioned to conduct the auction and the irreverent singer Lady Gaga did not hesitate to fight for them. She offered $295,000 for the pair of boots. The artist even wrote in her her Instagram account: “When a gift comes to you from heaven”, while proudly showing the shoes with snake print.
For those who want to learn about some of the work – and of course about the armadillo boots – by the renowned designer, you can visit the Alexander McQueen exhibition, Savage Beauty, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, located in the capital of England.
Last year the British firm, now under the direction of Sarah Burton, returned to the top by presenting the most avant-garde shoes on the catwalk. Other fashion houses, in their quest to go along with McQueen, have exhibited bizarre and unusual models. Such is the case of the New Romantic boots by Proenza Schouler, the fashionable Miu Miu shoes, characterized by having iron and screw-in heels.
Fashionistas and designers will create a lot of models over the years, because fashion is so innovative and is constantly evolving. One thing is certain, most women always support the famous quote by the renowned Marilyn Monroe “I do not know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot!”