Why statement heels are here to stay, according to our expert

Heels are spectacularly reimagined every season. From skinny stilettos to chunky wedges, the tension is building between comfort versus fantasy for any shoe-lover. Interestingly, novelty statement heels are not just reserved for couture collections or artful collaborations. Slowly but surely, they are making their way into ready-to-wear collections, embraced by designers who are hungry to showcase originality.

Celebrating the post-pandemic return of the heel has only fuelled interest and opened up a whole new category which is on the rise. Cue statement stilettos, each more surreal than the last.

In this cultural moment in time, along with our craving for lavish dressing, comes a certain need for humour and creativity that feels almost ironic or anti-fashion. Let Loewe's Creative Director Jonathan Anderson lead the way, with his kitsch designs for Loewe's spring / summer 2022 collection which has influenced shoe trends globally and inspired our accessory shoot for the May/June issue of Vogue Scandinavia.

Days before Loewe's spring / summer 2022 Paris show, the house shared enthralling snapshots via Instagram of the collection's objet d'art footwear. A stiletto piercing a cracked egg, a heel in the likeness of a thorny red rose and a pink birthday candle were amongst the most talked-about styles that stepped out on the runway, which have since made waves across the globe.

Loewe is not the first designer to take an avant-garde approach to heels. Scandinavia’s own Acne Studios debuted rusty nail look-a-like heels in 2010, while designers like Sophia Webster and Rene Caovilla take the fantasy route, evoking golden flamingos, cobras and butterfly wings in their stiletto construction.

As more recent runways have proven, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg for imaginative heels. Loewe took wearable surrealism a step further for its autumn / winter 2022 collection, offering up "fashion that entices a reaction’’. Models stepped into sculptural balloon heels and foil-like metallic wrap sandals as the foundation for the ready-to-wear collection. GCDS' heels were propped up on menacing, gleaming jaws while Virgil Abloh’s final collection for Off-White featured sandals stacked on a white, melted plastic heel.

Whether a soap bar or birthday candle, a novelty heel is a category for the serious shoe collector. Approach these masterpieces with a hint of humour and save them for special occasion - if you dare to take them down from display amongst your finest art.