My nose was practically pressed against the boutique glass on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and honestly, can you blame me? During Paris Fashion Week late this September, the sidewalks blossomed into a juicy sea of deep wine-colored footwear. Word around the street-style crowd was that favorites like Camille Charrière and Jeanne Damas strolled near the Trocadéro wearing the dreamiest bordeaux heels with sheer tights and sweeping coats.
Or so the sidewalk gossip goes! Either way, that moody cherry shade stopped my window-shopping heart mid-stride.
I obsess over the little construction secrets hiding behind the vitrines. Look closely at the displays and you begin to notice how a modest 45-millimeter comma heel crafted from glossy spazzolato calfskin supports the arch while throwing off an almost liquid mirror sheen under the gallery lights. Pure fun.
Climb up to a dizzying 90-millimeter stiletto, though, and the makers have to tuck a stiff steel shank inside the arch so nobody wobbles off into the street. I adore that kind of clever engineering! A deeply scooped vamp reveals just a peek of toe cleavage to stretch the line of the leg. Meanwhile, a sweet little square-toed slingback gives your toes plenty of breathing room.
Of course, fashion lovers adore a friendly squabble over an espresso. Ever since Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent and Sabato De Sarno at Gucci sent those moody oxblood tones down their runways earlier in the year, people have been playfully taking sides. Traditionalists might whisper that simple black shoes will always reign supreme in France, but perhaps this rich garnet hue offers a softer, cozier magic.
It snuggles right up against camel coats, navy trousers, and charcoal skirts.
It has personality!
The chatter across the shopping avenues feels electric right now. Fashion insiders hint that online searches for wine-colored slingbacks leaped up by some wild number over 160 percent this autumn, and whispers from the sales floor suggest places like Le Bon Marché had trouble keeping certain oxblood pairs on display before collectors scooped them up. Whether those rumors are exact to the digit or just boutique folklore, you can feel the excitement buzzing in the air.
Naturally, the historic cobblestones in Le Marais and Place Vendôme always threaten to chew up lovely things. The savviest shoe fiends take their fresh pairs straight to the local cobbler to install whisper-thin, flexible TPU rubber half-soles over those slippery aniline leathers before ever taking a proper stroll.
Pair that clever grip with a slightly wider base on your heel stem, and suddenly you can float right over uneven granite pavers without a single tragic scratch.
It is practical, pretty, and wonderfully Parisian.