They might not be practical, comfortable or even attractive, but Alexander McQueen’s iconic ‘Armadillo’ boots have once again found themselves in the limelight.
Making their first appearance in McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2010 show, the ‘Armadillo’ boots gained global attention for their unusual shell-like armour appearance and exaggerated shape; a feature that quickly christened them the ‘Armadillos’.
Created purely for the runway due to their impossibly impractical but spectacular appearance, only 21 pairs of ‘Armadillo’ boots were ever created; until now that is.
In the last month, the shoes that were previously saved for just a select few models and friends of McQueen, have been recreated from wood and python skin in order to be auctioned at Christie’s, exclusively for UNICEF to support the earth quake relief efforts in Nepal.
After Lady Gaga famously wore a pair of Armadillo’s in her ‘Bad Romance’ music video, the boots were rumoured to retail between £2,500 and £6,500. However, auctioned at Christie’s just last week, the shoes sold for a combined total of £190,000, far surpassing estimated sell prices.
Whilst the individual cost of what each pair of boots was sold for is undisclosed, the total figure is astounding. And, as if they were made with her mind, the new owner of the specially created boots has been revealed to be none other than Lady Gaga herself, a lavish present from her soon to be husband, Taylor Kinney.
For those of us whom can’t afford such a hefty price tag, several pairs of the rare boots can be found on display in the Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A in London; a retrospective exhibition of McQueen’s life that has proven to be a work of art in itself.
