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The Evolution of Haute Heels and the “Scary Beautiful” Leanie van der Vyver heels

Awkward, terrifying, treacherously tall and slightly masochistic  are not typically words used to describe footwear. However, from showrooms to runways the industry has seen a trend of museum and editorial-worthy heels. From the use of materials like moss agate, tigers eye, porcelain, and turquoise to the reinterpretation of  “heels” altogether with an inverted shin crutch to replace the heel to an eight-inch ballerina pointe shoe. Practical? No. Weird? A bit. Beautiful? Absolutely.

Leanie van der Vyver has gained attention on what she coins “Scary Beautiful” shoes. With a concept of “playing God by physically and metaphorically perfecting themselves” she shows her interpretation of a shoe fit for the perfect human being. The shoe forces the wearer to take on a whole new approach to the concept of walking altogether, with no actual heel, rather a ballet pointe shoe with a front crutch for your shins to rest upon creating a bird-like walk.

Collections, Fashion, Gender, Rating, Sexy, Shoes, Unisex, Where Shortlink
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The craziest shoes of spring 13

Shoes for spring 2013 came in two varieties: freaky flats or insane heels. (Sure there were still plenty of tasteful pumps, but who can remember those when there are furkenstocks and leather socks to be discussed?)

Céline and Prada’s collections covered both trends, with weird flat shoes in luxury materials (fur at Céline and leather at Prada) and heels that were so elaborate we wondered if anyone could actually wear them at all. In between were 3.1 Phillip Lim’sartful creeper flats, Christopher Kane’s inventive pumps, and Balenciaga’s cubist lace-ups.

Collections, Shoes, Weird, Women's Shortlink
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Camilla Skovgaard 2012 shoe collection

Born and raised between Denmark and Dubai, educated and trained in London and now living and working in the U.S., London and Hong Kong, Camilla Skovgaard is one of the most respected and sought after shoe designers of the 90′s and 00′s. Camilla has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Queen Elizabeth Scholar Award in 2007 and Australia Shoe Designer of the Year in 2008. She is recognized for her “aesthetic fluid edge combined with high quality shoe making.” Here shoes are at once glamorous, classic and modern and visibly wish list worthy.

Collections, Fashion, Gender, Rating, Sexy, Shoes, Where, Women's Shortlink
Zanotti

Extreme Footwear

When you want to find a really, really special pair of shoes, the mall is probably not the first place that comes to mind. But, with department stores and mass retailers joining independent boutiques in championing once-minor brands like Charlotte Olympia and Nicholas Kirkwood to Louboutin-level heights, all that is changing.

These days, it seems like the taller, wackier, and more out there a pair is, the more likely it’s going to fly off the shelves. While “extreme footwear” can sometimes ring in at extreme prices, even affordable brands are buying into the eclectic ethos, churning out wedge after heel after platform that only the bravehearted among us would love. Ahead, the pairs that have our hearts racing.

A spiked pair of Zanottis will definitely do some damage (to your wallet and any errant passersby).

Giuseppe Zanotti Spiked Wedges, $3,025, available at Net-a-Porter.

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VictoriaSpruce

Victoria Spruce Spring Summer 12

Victoria Spruce’s sculptural footwear made us stop and admire. The Royal College alum was recently was  the focus of  an Njal feature, in which she shared her thoughts on design and life. You can read the interview here, and enjoy more looks of her drool-worthy shoes on the flip. Victoria Spruce is definitely Highsnobette Approved.

Collections, Sexy, Shoes, Women's Shortlink
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Hybrid holism a 3D printed shoe collection with fangs

Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, originator of 3D-printed fashion and frequent dresser of Bjork and Lady Gaga, is back with a new anthropomorphic shoe created for the architectural footwear brand,United Nude.

The 7.4 inch (!!!) wedge is encased in slow-molded acrylic, punctured at the arch by a gnarled twist of hand-cut gemstone “teeth” in Labradorite, Tiger’s Eye, Leopard Jasper and Moss Agate. It’s a ferocious take on the popular Lita platform, and a continuation of van Herpen’s Spring/Summer Unite Nude collab, Fang–another bootie with a platform of carbon fiber fangs.

Fashion, Gender, Rating, Runway, Sexy, Shoes, Women's Shortlink