There are wedding shoes, and then there are red soles under a wedding dress.
For the first chapter of Shoes to Kill and Die For, we are firmly in Christian Louboutin territory — specifically the kind of bridal shoes that understand that white does not have to mean demure.
Satin, mesh, pearls, barely-there straps and heels high enough to make sensible people nervous: these five pairs are for the bride who considers the shoes part of the look, not something to disappear politely beneath the hem.
Miss Z Sandal Du Desert
Possibly the most romantic of the five — but Louboutin romantic, which means there is still a 100 mm stiletto involved.
The Miss Z Sandal Du Desert is made in ivory crepe satin, with a slim front strap and long satin ties wrapping around the ankle. The effect is almost ballet-like, except considerably sexier. Underneath it all, of course, flashes the red sole.
With a fluid silk or satin dress, this is devastatingly good.
Miss Z Mesh
The classic bridal pump gets considerably less classic.
The Miss Z Mesh combines Bianco white mesh with nappa leather and a 100 mm heel, allowing the foot to become part of the design rather than hiding it behind an opaque white upper.
It has the formality of a pump but none of the stiffness. Particularly good with a clean architectural gown that needs something interesting happening below the ankle.
Miss Z Riviera Strass
And then we add pearls.
The Miss Z Riviera Strass mixes white mesh, nappa leather and pearls on an 80 mm stiletto — enough embellishment to register as jewellery without becoming the dreaded bridal sparkle shoe.
This is the one for a shorter dress, a slit, or any gown that intends to let the shoes participate in the photographs. Hiding them would be borderline offensive.
Miss Z Sandal
The minimalist.
The bridal Miss Z Sandal strips everything back to pearly Bianco nappa leather, slender straps and an 80 mm stiletto. No elaborate decoration required.
And that is precisely why it works. Against lace, embroidery, texture or a dramatic silhouette, sometimes the smartest shoe is the one that refuses to compete.
Except for the red sole.
Obviously.
Mere Lachaise Mule
Finally, all remaining restraint leaves the building.
The Mere Lachaise Mule comes in ivory crepe satin on a towering 120 mm heel. It is unapologetically glamorous, slightly impractical and exactly the sort of shoe that justifies the existence of a column called Shoes to Kill and Die For.
Would we choose it for twelve uninterrupted hours of standing?
That is not the question.
Would we want it visible beneath a spectacular wedding dress?
Immediately.
Five shoes. Five red soles. Absolutely no sensible bridal footwear in sight.
Shoes to Kill and Die For will return.
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