Thank goodness for Givenchy, who rescues the wedge from the wave of oblivion it faced from most of the other designers this past week in Paris, and restores it to its shiny, implacable height. Patents, golds, straps, and an inward-turning angle is what makes the Givenchy footwear collection for Fall 2008, with mixed results, in my opinion (for example I believe that the first one shown here, a black patent ankle peep-toe bootie with  superfluous straps, is downright ugly, whereas the last gold strappy wedge is rather cool).

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We’ve seen some outlandish creations so far on the runways of the Couture Spring 08 Paris fashion shows, and some of the shoes have been no exception.  There have also been some who’ve kept their shoes simple.

Riccardo Tisci did just that for the Givenchy show.  He clearly took some inspiration from the ballet, with outfits like this one.

The runway was full of puffed skirts and tutu-like layers.  The shoes stayed simple to match, aping ballerina’s pointe shoe ribbons.  Perhaps not terribly interesting, but elegant and chic.

Instead of lots of different shoes, there were plenty of variations on the same theme.  To wit:

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Oh! Pretty! Bronzed and classy with sass and style. LOVE the asymmetrical cut out on the vamp. Love the ankle strap. Love the perfect “old penny” bronze color.

OK, don’t love the $430 price tag, but still… drool!!!

It’s a great example of how sometimes a shoe can grab you in one incarnation but not at all in some others, because this shoe also comes in black patent and in an open toe d’orsay high heel version, but I look at them and think, “Meh… nice shoe.” When I look at this bronze version, I think, “If I have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill. As God is my witness, those shoes will be mine.”

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Here’s a boot that’s bound to stump any “Build the outfit” contender anywhere:

…and from the back:

Givenchy, 100% leather pointy toe back lace-up high boots, €1250, which is $1830 at the current exchange rate.

I am asking you: is it even possible to be other than in various phases of undress when you wear this boot? Any skirt longer than, say, a palm, will hide away the lace details and the bow; also, if you can’t see that this is a boot, people might just well assume you’re wearing leather pants–very odd leather pants, ending in painful, toe-constricting, and impossibly high heels. But a palm-long skirt, if you bear with me, is no skirt at all–it’s no article of clothing in fact–it can be nothing other than an accessory. Or it may be that these boots are intended to be worn with a leotard. Made of black leather, preferably, and corseted up the wazoo, with lace.

Catwoman would have killed for these.

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