SHOE CITY
Milan
THERE’S nothing like a pair of Italian shoes. And come fashion week, cobblestones be damned, editors and buyers traipse from one end of Milan to the other in all manner of outrageous footwear -- studded gladiator sandals, sky-high platform satin stilettos and boots with heels that look more like sculpture.
It’s not difficult to see where their inspiration comes from. With accessories far outselling clothes for most luxury brands, designers have been steadily upping the ante on footwear offerings, creating ever more inventive styles. It’s become a challenge when watching a runway show to take your eyes off the models’ feet.
Such was the case at Prada, where the spring shoes reached a new level of artfulness. The collection nodded to the 1960s and London fast fashion super-store Biba, and so did the shoes -- colorful patchwork suede pumps with hand-painted flower-shaped heels; hybrid shoe-boots, open on top with spat-like buttons on the sides; and clunky platforms with tulip-shaped cutouts over the T-straps. Of course, shoes this elaborate from Prada will probably set you back quite a bit more than the Biba originals.
But not as much perhaps as a pair of shoes from Zoraide. Designed by Paola Bay, a former consultant for luxury brands including Prada, these aren’t just any shoes. They are limited-edition shoes handmade by a team of cobblers in northern Italy who are among the only artisans who can still craft a birch heel, at least according to Bay. And when they hit the floor at Barneys this spring, they will cost about $1,500.
The look is understated. One style resembles a ballroom dancing shoe with straps made from circles of metallic leather. But the experience of buying a pair of Zoraides is designed to be special. Each pair is numbered and comes with a small book telling the shoes’ story, including how they were made, with blank pages for the wearer to use as a shoe diary.
With just seven new styles launching for spring, and a planned production run of only 400 pairs, Zoraide is poised to become the Hermès of the footwear world.
