Heels play an important part in catwalk presentations for all the right and wrong reasons. Reflecting the themes of the collection, the designer’s choice of footwear can often say a lot about the label’s direction for the season...
Heels play an important part in catwalk presentations for all the right and wrong reasons. Reflecting the themes of the collection, the designer’s choice of footwear can often say a lot about the label’s direction for the season. Just take a look at S/S12: Prada’s leather flame-spewing heels nodded to the collection’s 50s automobile references. On the other hand, they can also be the focus of catwalk disasters: no one will forget Naomi Campbell’s infamous fall at Vivienne Westwood’s A/W93 show whilst attempting to walk in the label’s super-elevated Ghillie 10-inch platform heels.
For this week’s most Loved product, Chanel light bulb heels chosen by AnOther fashion co-ordinator Mhairi Graham on AnOther Loves, we can only wonder what went through Karl Lagerfeld’s creative process when designing these ingenious shoes for the house’s Métiers d'Art pre-fall 2008 collection. Whilst the heels didn’t directly reflect the collections theme – which centered on the backstory of Coco Chanel's relationships with Arthur "Boy" Capel and the Duke of Westminster – perhaps Lagerfeld felt he had had a “light bulb” moment with the heel designs which actually light up as the models walked on them. Describing technology as, “Beautiful objects,” at last year’s IHT Conference Lagerfeld went on to say: “There is no touch of what is considered bad taste or bad design [with technology], because bad design is bad taste today. They are flawless in a way.”
For this year’s Fall 2011 Chanel’s couture collection Lagerfeld revisited the light-up heel and instead moved to illuminating the toe with LEDs. The reflection in the collection was clear this time; focusing on a nighttime theme the show aptly began at 10pm in the Grand Palais, which was decorated black with old fashioned street lamps and twinkling stars.
Here, we reflect with Graham on Lagerfeld's past and current footwear designs for Chanel and also ask her what heels she would invent if she could...
Why did you choose to Love these Chanel light bulb heels?
Sequins, goat leather and a fully functioning light bulb, crafted by Chanel – what's not to love? I imagine they would be rather handy in the dark too.
Where did you find them?
I was looking at the Chanel S/S12 footwear and started browsing through their footwear history – from the similarly themed Fall Couture 2011 light-up heel to the Chanel Cruise 2009 Gun Heel, Lagerfeld manages to pull off novelty while still retaining a sense of subtlety and style.
What are your all-time favourite heels?
Elsa Schiaparelli footwear – she even turned heels into hats! Also the Acne Atacoma wedges – they inspired such a trend.
Are there any outrageous heels you are particularly fond of?
Atalanta Weller concept heels are outrageously great. Also the DSquared2 skeleton heels, The Alexander McQueen 12-inch stiletto boots, the Keith Haring-inspired art shoes by Nicholas Kirkwood... so many! None of them made for walking.
What heels do you wear?
I tend to wear wedges more than heels – it was once commented that my footwear preferences looked slightly orthopedic. I wear a lot of Jeffrey Campbell. My favourite shoes that I own are a pair of Finsk ponyskin wedges.
What’s the highest heel you would wear?
If I were shorter, I would wear eight inch heels every day! I tend to topple in anything greater than five inches though.
If you could create heels out of anything what would you make them out of and why?
A working iPhone charger, since I never seem to have one on me! The iShoe?
Do you have any heel icons?
Daphne Guinness' quirky heels never fail to impress. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I like those who manage to wear heels with a casual grunge style – Charlotte Free, Freja Beha Erichsen.
What’s on your footwear wishlist for S/S12?
The galactic Chanel silver boots, Joanne Stoker heels.... They are not SS/12 but I will continue to lust after a pair of Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats.
Text by Lucia Davies
