To celebrate the release of Disney’s live-action version of Cinderella, nine of the world’s most famous shoe designers have created their very own version of Cinderella’s glass slipper; arguably one of the most iconic symbols of the Disney Princess franchise.
Reimagined by designers such as Nicholas Kirkwood, Jimmy Choo, Charlotte Olympia, and Salvatore Ferragamo, and available to buy exclusively from Harrods you bet you they’re limited edition and they aren’t even made from glass either, but rather are adorned with Swarovski crystals, gold trims and ivory suede.
For the Disney footwear director David Lee, the key thing he wanted to achieve with this collaboration was variety, “It wasn’t about having a number of shoes that were all exactly the same,” he said, rather the idea was that each shoe should be both true to the individual designers and true to the glass slipper and Cinderella.
At its core the Cinderella story is a transformative one. With a little help from her Fairy Godmother and the perfect fit of the glass slipper upon her foot, Cinderella transforms before our eyes from a young girl into a princess. If anyone understands the importance of this scene, it is Jimmy Choo Creative Director Sandra Choi, “every girl desires a Cinderella moment in their lives…I wanted to create a shoe that felt magical, with alluring sparkle and a feminine, timeless silhouette evoking those childhood emotions.”
Whilst some of the designers stuck to a traditional pattern design, others opted for a much more modern twist on the glass slipper, looking to current, modern day Cinderella’s as their inspiration. Nicholas Kirkwood even suggesting Jennifer Lawrence was the muse for his.
Sketches and illustrations have circulated the web, teasing the public for days now and there are few limited images of the shoes themselves but, if I were to decide from the illustrations alone, my personal favourite has to be the Swarovski covered boots designed by Stuart Weitzamn. With a little more edge to them than the traditional glass slipper, they look more than ready to feature on the feet of a modern day Cinderella.
Though the glass slipper is still a mere fairy tale for girls like us, it isn’t the only thing to have been reimagined by designers. Brands such as MAC have also released their own range of slightly less exclusive products inspired by the popular Disney princess movie too. Whilst the film itself isn’t released until March, if this surrounding hype is any indication of what to expect it is going to pretty special.
