It was her debut runway show, and shoe designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal took her piles of platforms, glitter and velvet to London’s Roundhouse for a rich – and slightly eerie – spectacle inspired by ’40s science fiction film noir, vintage posters and comic books.
Models, clad in black, moved in a circle around the audience, showing off sparkly shoes, bags, eyewear and jewelry in the vast dark space that featured a raised catwalk so that shoes and bags were at eye level.
The footwear was signature Charlotte Olympia – big, bold and sexy – as in sparkly platforms, some pink and adorned with chunks of Lucite, others covered in supernova star cutouts; high-heeled glittery ankle boots that could have been swiped from Ziggy Stardust’s shoe rack; and chunky platform sandals done in a leopard print or crushed velvet.
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Bags – some transparent, boxy and hard-edged, others as round and flat as Frisbees – shone and glittered along with the fancy heels.
Not every model stood sky-high, though. Dellal also sent out flat lace-ups done in shiny pastel calfskin patchwork; leopard-print sneakers that morphed into thigh-high stockings; and patent-leather kitten heels with skinny straps that encased models’ calves.
Dellal loves conjuring a mood – and does so each season with her elaborate showroom presentations. While the Roundhouse – a concert and show venue – was certainly theatrical, it was too vast for a show of such detailed designs.
The quirkiness, craftsmanship and sense of humor – the glitter-drenched platforms that closed the show featured a pair of fat red lips at the toes – inherent in this collection wanted for a more intimate venue. A small, friendly planet rather than a black void.
To explore the collection, click through the slideshow below.
