What is the most bountiful, luxurious thing you can use to tie a shoe up? That’s the question Rupert Sanderson asked himself as he crafted his new fall ’18 collection.
At his presentation in Paris this week, the designer introduced a series of rich velvet styles adorned with rope and tassel ties. “I’m referencing old luxury and abundance — it’s not edgy,” Sanderson said. “We have several color options with the matching rope.” One standout? An emerald green pump using the designer’s “cigarette” heel. He also paired the rope ties with flat styles.
Sanderson also embellished some new pointed-toe satin looks with a sash of sorts that goes across the foot. “It was about fraying satin and having it be torn — rather than neatly cut — and slashing it across the foot. It’s a play on fraying ribbons,” he said.
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Other key elements of the collection include:
A striking combat boot adorned with delicate buttons: “Buttons are more delicate than using laces or zips,” Sanderson said. “It’s more of a design detail than a fastening.”
A new cut-glass crystal Lucite heel: “Clear heels are a perennial feature of the collection,” he said. “We wanted to reference heavy etched glass. There’s something very pleasing about picking up a heavily etched glass tumbler. And this does feel like you’re standing on a glass heel.”
A fresh take on trainers: “Everyone has been rushing into sneakers. They’re either stripping back to nothing or they are so extreme that they’re cartoonlike,” Sanderson said. For his fall sneakers, he incorporated his signature pebble embellishment into an elastic closure. “There’s function in those trainers,” he said. “It’s not just for decoration.”
