I found myself nodding vigorously several times while reading Eric Wilson’s article in NYT, so I have to quote a good chunk of it here:

The appearance of so many shoes that were either ingenious, architecturally marvelous or potentially murderous gives credence to what some designers have predicted is a fashion movement away from the It bag, since there are now so many self-proclaimed It bags that no one can really keep track of what It is any longer.

So now comes the It shoe, more insider-y, more daring for consumers to pull off. And Paris offered some of the most breathtaking (as in, how would you ever wear them) examples of the season. At Chloé, the heels were inverted triangles, ending in a sharp point, as if the wearer were standing on a shark’s tooth. At Nina Ricci, heels curved inward like thick bear claws.

Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy offered gladiator styles that laced to the knees, in sandal and stiletto variations. Alexander McQueen included a pagoda shoe in his show that elicited applause for the model who wore them without falling; and Antonio Berardi showed a high heel on an elongated platform at the toe that actually had no heel (a style similar to ones Marc Jacobs did for his New York show).

“When you walk, it is almost on tiptoe,” Mr. Berardi said. “You look really dainty.”

Dainty? Perhaps dainty like a faun.

Yep.

Antonio Berardi “shoe”