The fall winter ’23 collections of Paris Fashion Week have shaped up to be much more serious, stoic and rooted in necessity than the previous year’s, which saw glitz, glamour and party shoes abound in a post-pandemic rebound of social life and dressing up. Come fall, the look is much more rooted in the need for dependable (but still chic) basics that will take wearers through day-to-day and more than just a party.
That doesn’t mean that PFW wasn’t without some wild and wacky moments. The usual suspects provided some of the footwear spectacle (hello, Jonathan Anderson and Loewe). But there were also some newcomers, namely Harris Reed’s Mad Hatter approach to Nina Ricci as the brand’s new creative director.
Here, a rundown of the craziest shoes that we saw on the runway and at the presentations at Paris Fashion Week.
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Loewe’s waistband boots
From frog mules to egg shell and nail polish heels, Jonathan Anderson has had a lot of fun with footwear, both for his namesake JW Anderson brand (the former) and for his work at Loewe (the latter). For Loewe’s fall winter ’23 women’s collection, Anderson pared down just like other designers, but kept some flair along the way, namely in a pair of slouchy leather boots that at a closer glance were fashioned as the waistbands of pants, rivets, belt loops, buttons and all. The brand also put forth other slightly weird footwear, such as a pair of nubby loafers with kitten heels.
Victoria Beckham’s pony heels
They weren’t easily spotted on the runways, but a closer look at a few of the heels at Victoria Beckham revealed they are outfitted with fake hair, given a new definition to the pony tail.
Christian Louboutin’s tall feather boots
The French designer has done plenty of statement boots over the years. But this season’s looks as though it is practically alive. The entire back of a pair of white leather tall boots is decked out in plumes of colorful feathers, as if a bird was in the midst of fluffing them. Talk about peacocking.
Valentino’s feather combat boots
One of Paris Fashion Week’s best shoes is also one of the more out-there pairs. Tough, black patent leather boots outfitted with studs on the welt (Rockstuds, for those not fluent in Valentino design codes) come with plumes of matching black feathers sticking out the shaft of the boot. It’s reminiscent of Prada’s current-season sweaters decked out with feather collars. The embellishment seems to have a timeless allure and will clearly continue into the fall in new ways.
Roger Vivier’s couture wrap heels and pant boots
In a new direction for the house, creative director Gherardo Felloni explored how couture designs could help him to reinvent the relationship between the shoe and the garment. Boots as pants with buckles and embellishments went all the way up the the pelvis, while a series of sandals affixed with long sashes of silk were wrapped up the leg, around the waist (with matching belts) and up to the arms, where matching gloves connected the look. That’s a lot of shoe.
Nina Ricci’s gigantic bow platforms
Along with seventies lapels and bell bottoms on his suits, new creative director Harris Reed matched the supersized looks of his debut collection for the French fashion house with huge platforms, done in the same colorful hues in silk and wrapped up with giant bows for an Alice in Wonderland moment.
Lanvin’s beaded pumps
The French fashion house hasn’t had a shoe moment in a little while, but that change on the runway last week Creative director Bruno Sialelli may have put forth a collection of somewhat quiet garments, mostly in dark neutrals. But on foot was a different story. Beaded and studded boots and pumps were aplenty, including a pair of pumps with metallic buttons that resembled those candy buttons found on paper, as well as a pair of white pumps outfitted with clear beads for the ultimate tactile moment.
Givenchy’s furry pumps
Fuzzy shoes made an unexpected comeback for fall winter ’23, including at Givenchy, where the brand’s usual sharp stiletto pumps were somewhat tempered by a fuzzy upper with a high vamp that made it more weird than glam.
Gauchère’s scrunchy shoe covers
A pair of what appeared to be ballet flats on the runway at Gauchère were actually done with a built-in hidden wedge. The leather ruching on the shoes had the effect of the scrunchy disposable shoe covers that one wears at hospitals or on a photo shoot so as not to ruin the set.
Balmain’s quilted pearl platforms
Always one for embellishment, Olivier Rousteing explored new ways of doing it this season, including on the footwear, where a series of platforms with a low pitch and sling back looked super cozy. But the details, in pearls and velvet, were also very luxe.
Acne Studios green giant heels
A slashed look in green wrapped down the leg to reveal a matching pair of matching mules for the jolly green giantess.
Victoria/Thomas ballet flats
Ballet flats will be big for fall winter ’23, and the brand threw in its take on the runway, with plenty of tassels and chains for a maximalist take on the flat.
Vivienne Westwood’s OG platforms
In an ode to the late designer, who died in December, husband and brand creative director Andreas Kronthaler paid homage with lots of past motifs, including the OG platform boots that a young Naomi Campbell wore back in 1993 for a memorable fall on the runway.
