SHOES AS ART
WELL HEELED
When it comes to upscale ladies’ footwear, Italian designers do it better
The limited-edition
Diamond Cobra Sandal
created by René Caovilla
(€90,000)Text by Emily Stefania Coscione
Ladies love a classy pair of shoes; luxurious footwear is, for most women, irresistible. Yet not every girl will be able to get her feet into the latest accessory: a pair of jewel-studded slingbacks. With their vertiginous heels, rare gems and six-digit price tags, this footwear is both a breathtaking work of art and a devastating addition to any vamp’s arsenal.
CAOVILLA
Foremost among these bejewelled designers is René Caovilla. A quintessentially Italian firm, Caovilla’s export potential is undisputed, thanks to the shoe’s meticulous craftsmanship. Caovilla’s artisans take gemstones, diamonds and precious metals, and pair them with Swarovski crystals, rare corals, crafted leathers, rhinestones, embroidery and delicate brocades. Though their creations complement an evening dress, the shoes also go well with jeans; for a special occasion or an informal dinner, these heels are the ultimate head-turner.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sharon Stone and Uma Thurman are all fans; these Hollywood A-listers have been wearing René Caovilla’s exclusive creations for years. Stars love Caovilla’s pièce de résistance, the Nyssia sandal, with its distinctive snake design. Yet this serpent-inspired design is only one of many styles to have emerged from this upscale atelier over the past 100 years.
The Caovilla company was founded towards the beginning of the 20th century, and over the decades it has produced some truly breathtaking creations. Craftsmen in the firm’s studio on the Riviera del Brenta, a few kilometres from Venice, are among some of the most highly skilled artisans in the world.
Eva Herzigova
wears René Caovilla
shoes“Inspiration can be found anywhere, in a piece of lace, in precious embroidery from the 1500s, in a Beccafumi painting, in an antique kimono,” explains René Caovilla; the second-generation CEO took over from his father and founder, Edoardo, during the 1950s, and received an Italian knighthood for his commercial achievements in 2001. “Creativity comes from a suggestion or an emotion which would take hold of me, and I try to convey this in my work.”
Thankfully, even those without leading-lady bank balances can enjoy René’s work. The Caovilla Gallery opened in Milan last year, displaying 12 pairs of shoes, accompanied by the source material which inspired them, from a dress for one of the three graces in Botticelli’s Primavera through to hunks of Masai jewellery.
Soon, one wing of the general headquarters will also be converted into a museum, housing more than 3,000 creations dating back to the 1940s. René’s iconic Nyssia shoe will feature among these. Decorated with diamonds, sapphires and rubies, and commanding a €90,000 price tag, it was put on view last September at Harrods in London in a display case and guarded by the very animal which inspired it: a fierce Egyptian cobra.
ALBANESE
Cocotte with diamond and
stiletto heel, by Albanese
(1957)Another shoe firm famous for pairing rare stones with sandals is Albanese. Yet, when Armando Albanese founded his fashion house in 1925, it was little more than a hobby. Armando’s father had specialised in slippers. Yet it was Armando’s success with upscale ladies footwear that convinced his son, Enzo, to open the first exclusive boutique in Rome in the 1950s. The shop soon attracted a glamorous clientele, with Sofia Loren, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor all dropping by to pick the latest Albanese creations.
Lauren Bacall even donated a pair of Albanese shoes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “My father always thought differently,” explains Giada, Enzo’s daughter and co-manager of the company, alongside her sister Stefania and three other siblings. “If he saw a particular door handle, or a napkin, he would get an idea for a special shoe.”
Patty Pravo, by Albanese
(1969)Albanese creations are about imagination and experimentation, novel materials and unusual shapes.
Head designer Stefania says she inherited her creative flair from her mother Teresa. “Of course a woman’s shoes reflect her soul,” she says, “but above all they mirror the mood she is in that day.” Stefania abides by this maxim when drawing up new lines.
The Albanese family are planning to open a series of boutique-cum-jewellers, where their famous footwear can be tailored to meet the needs of their well-heeled clients. There’s also a touring exhibition on the cards, displaying Albanese’s more popular models from past decades.
GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
Triple platforms in suede
and golden embroidery by
Paciotti, autumn/winter 08/09Though he might not have the heritage of Caovilla or Albanese, Giuseppe Zanotti is certainly the youngest celebrity designer, and is favoured by many Hollywood divas today. It was Madonna who “discovered him” 10 years ago, when buying a pair of limited-edition metallic sandals from an out-of-theway boutique. Mary J Blige, another famous American trendsetter, even dedicated a verse in one of her songs to him (“Catch me/with Giuseppe on my heels” in Enough Cryin’). His exceptional clientele includes many other celebrities, such as Penélope Cruz, Charlize Theron, Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. Yet Giuseppe, assisted by his wife Cinzia, is certainly not resting on his laurels.
“Our company was born from the desire to find something that did not exist,” he says, “which went beyond traditionally set gemstones. Our first collection in the mid-1990s instantly caught on. Women immediately understood and recognised the emotional content and quality of the product.”
But the secret, he says, is in the distinctiveness of each piece, meticulously created at a workshop in San Mauro Pascoli, Italy; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes are set apart by both an exceptionally feminine quality and by their high-tech production techniques.
“Women love to continuously renew themselves,” Giuseppe reasons. “They want to feel more sensual than their age, and they love making others go crazy. So when they choose a design, our clients are transformed and all become like little children in a toyshop. We see this every day in our boutique.”
Designs by Zanotti in suede satin and Swarovsky crystals
LE SILLA, ROSSETTI, PACIOTTI
Enzo Albanese with Ursula
Andress in 1962Other prestigious brands are founded on similar principles, yet produce distinctly different footwear. Take Le Silla, whose creations can always be found in the wardrobes of Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria. Founded by footwear fanatic and professional stylist Enio Silla 15 years ago, the limited-edition Silla sandals, decorated with a mosaic of Swarovski crystals, are flying off the shelves.
Also very popular are the jewelled shoes from the Rossetti brothers, who, with their precious stones and flawless velvets, drew the likes of Marilyn Monroe and other divas of yesteryear to their racks. Meanwhile, Claudio Montias, produces futuristic, glamorous shoes, with strong colours and striking visual details.
However, the prize for the most talked about jewelled shoe has to go to Cesare Paciotti, who recently dedicated one of his creations to the Italian former model and wife of the French president, Carla Bruni. Known simply as “Carla”, this ankle boot is covered in chamois, and decorated with Venetian brocade and a precious gold watermark. A high-class item perfect for the new French First Lady.