In October of 2009 Alexander McQueen made the headlines of fashion magazines and art publications introducing Armadillo shoes in his last Spring 2010 collection titled ‚Plato’s Atlantis’ shortly before his passing at the beggining of 2010. The grotesque shape of 12-inch, oval-shaped heels, redefining the shape of human’s posture as well as the anatomy of the foot and bringing absolute confusion yet perfectly fitting into brand’s DNA, became one of the greatest McQueen’s trademark pieces over the years. The piece was popularized by Lady Gaga in 2009 in her ‚Bad Romance’ music video.
Besides the fact of it being the final McQueen’s runway show, ‚Plato’s Atlantis’ was a groundbreaking moment when it comes to McQueen’s footwear and featured a couple of other wonderful pairs like Titanic boots, originally worn on the runway with a so-called Titanic dress, alluding to the famous shipwreck that sank in 1912. Tarnished leather and corroded metal elements gave off strong steampunk vibes, worn out heel consisting of many metal components referring to how the Titanic ship was made and put together.
McQueen based his Spring 2010 collection on yet another groundbreaking footwear design as well - the Alien shoe where biology and anatomy reveal themselves in their most sinister form, creating a spine-like structure that surrounds the shoe from the heel through the sole to the very toebox. Inspired by H.R. Giger’s 'Alien,' these heels stand out even from McQueen’s impressive footwear portfolio thanks to insanely precise detailing and anatomical accuracy of the structure.
Written by Julia Siechowicz
BROWSE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN PRODUCTS ON LOGE