It is said that when ‘Object’, a fur-covered teacup, saucer and spoon by Swiss surrealist artist Meret Oppenheim, was displayed at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1936, such were the visceral reactions that one woman dropped to the floor and fainted.
This season’s faux fur- or shearling-covered footwear might not have prompted such reactions when they appeared on the catwalks earlier this year, but in their underlying strangeness and seductive subversiveness, they nonetheless recall the surrealist spirit of Oppenheim’s work.
Furry footwear to sink your feet into
Shoes, £690, by Burberry
There are the sprouting soles of Gucci’s elegant horse-bit pumps – which give the effect of permanently walking on a soft-pile rug – or Daniel Lee’s shaggy shearling mules, part of his debut collection for British house Burberry (revealed at London Fashion Week A/W 2023), where he once again showed his prowess when it comes to crafting unexpectedly covetable accessories.
Shoes, price on request, by Sportmax
Elsewhere, Massimo Giorgetti of MSGM showed soft toy-like furry heels within an illusory collection that he called ‘an infinite journey, a dream within a dream’ – set against a vast white space in Milan for impact – while elegant heeled pumps from Sportmax and Givenchy respectively come with a smooth exterior, the latter recalling the softness of velvet. Each is a pleasure to sink your feet into.
This article appears in the November 2023 Art Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.
Carpets, featured throughout: the ‘Epoca Silky’ carpet in Sand, Rust, Dark Grey, Grey and Caramel, all price on request, by Ege Carpets.