So, having had a closer look at the Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes that featured as part of show look 1, the question is, where are they now? Who owns them?
Who owns this pair of armadillo shoes?
Until recently I believed that this pair of armadillo shoes was still in the possession of Alexander McQueen.
On 22 March 2024, the following photo was posted to Instagram:
The shoes featured as part of a carousel of images posted on Instagram by a former employee at McQueen. In the background of the photo are a few bags – two Bow bags in yellow and green and The Curve in black. The Bow Bag was unveiled to the public in June 2022 so it is assumed that the photo dates from around 2022.
It would make sense that this pair were perhaps still with McQueen, being the first show look and one of the most distinctive pairs.
However, this turned out to not be the case.
In June 2024, the exhibition NAOMI: In Fashion exhibition opened at the V&A in London. Produced in collaboration with Naomi Campbell, NAOMI: In Fashion celebrates Naomi’s contribution as an individual model to the fashion industry.
The final section of the exhibition was focused on and draws upon Campbell’s own extensive wardrobe of haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles from key moments in her career, along with loans from designer archives and objects from the V&A’s collections.
And what formed part of this section? Look 1 from the Spring/Summer 2010 Plato’s Atlantis show, both dress and armadillo shoes.
The exhibition label reads as follows:
“ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Reptile-patterned Look with Armadillo Boots
‘I just loved [this look] I just wanted to have [it] because I know the design, the intricate workmanship that went into it is a piece of art in itself.’
Alexander McQueen’s 2010 Plato’s Atlantis collection was the first to be live-streamed not he internet. Its textile patterns are reminiscent of reptile skins and scales. It was the last collection McQueen designed to completion before his death. Campbell modelled this look in a charity fashion show to aid survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Ready-to-wear, Spring/Summer 2010 UK Silk jacquard, enamel (jacket, skirt); synthetic and metallic textile, leather (boots) Lent by Naomi Campbell”
So it seems that the shoes are not in fact still with McQueen, but are in fact now owned by Naomi Campbell.
At least for the 2010 Fashion For Relief charity auction, the shoes were not paired with the dress, Naomi Campbell instead wearing one of the Alien pairs of shoes.
It is not clear when Naomi purchased either the look or the armadillo shoes that formed part of the Plato’s Atlantis runway show look 1. The shoes certainly seemed to be in the possession of McQueen at some point from around 2022, but whether or not temporarily, is not known.
The first pair of armadillo shoes strode out onto the runway as part of the first look of Alexander McQueen’s spring summer 2010 show. This pair is one of the most distinctive of all of the shoes from the show (and in my view perhaps the most beautiful), being covered in a multicoloured reticulated python type print with a rainbow holographic iridescent sparkle on the front part of the shoes that mirrored the same sparkle in the dress.
The shoes were paired with a silk Jacquard dress in a snake pattern embroidered with yellow enamel paillettes in a honeycomb pattern and worn by model Magdalena Frackowiak.
Pre-show behind the scenes photo taken by set designer Joseph Bennett:
Post-show sightings
Post-show, there were a number of ‘sightings’ of these armadillos in various editorial features.
In the March 2010 issue of Vogue Germany, model Frida Gustavsson appeared in two photos wearing the Pair 1 armadillo shoes, shot by Greg Kadel.
In the first look (left) Frida is wearing the full show Look 1. In the second, the shoes are paired with shorts, a shirt and blazer (not McQueen).
The caption to the first look reads “ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Reptile-Appeal: Seidenminikleid in Pythonprint mid gelben Plaettchen auf den Taschen und Keulenaermeln um 11085 €, dazu Plateau-Ankle-boots aus Pythonleder” – Alexander McQueen Reptile Appeal: Silk mini dress in python print with yellow small plates [paillettes] on the pockets and club sleeves [I’m not sure if there is a different English name for these but it means a sleeve that is wide from the shoulder to the upper arm and narrow from the elbow to wrist] for € 11,085 plus python leather platform ankle boots.
The caption to the second look (only the bit about the boots) reads “Pythonleder-Ankleboots: Alexander McQueen” – Python leather ankle boots: Alexander McQueen
The shoes also featured in the same issue of Vogue UK in a spread entitled ‘Cyber Tribe‘, worn by Freja Beha Erichsen and shot by Josh Olins (double spread photos below, although the shoes only feature in the second photo). The text in relation to the armadillo shoes reads “Snakeskin boots, to order, Alexander McQueen”.
The shoes also appeared in an editorial titled The Eco Warrior for the Spring 2010 issue of i-D, worn by Isabeli Fontana, shot by Richard Bush and styled by Sarah Richardson.
Since then, the dress from Look 1 has featured as part of both the Savage Beauty exhibition held at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in 2011 and at the London Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015. But in neither show was it paired with the shoes from the show.
At the 2011 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York version of Savage Beauty, the first look dress (far right in the below photo) was paired with a black pair of armadillo shoes with ankle cuffs.
At the 2015 V&A London version of Savage Beauty, the first look (far right below) was paired with a tan coloured pair of patterned armadillo shoes rather than the shoes from the show look.
When embarking on the quest to uncover the fate of Alexander McQueen’s iconic armadillo shoes, it makes sense to begin with the most easily traceable pairs: the three pairs created in 2015 for the UNICEF charity auction (read more about the auction here).
Unlike the original shoes from the 2010 Plato’s Atlantis show, which have more mysterious histories, these 2015 editions have a clearer trail of ownership. In this post, we’ll delve into the story of these charity auction shoes, exploring who purchased them and why they’re significant. By starting here, it lays the groundwork for a broader investigation into the whereabouts of the original runway pairs, which will be the subject of future posts. The 2015 UNICEF shoes offer a concrete starting point in the journey to piece together the complete picture of these extraordinary fashion artefacts.
Copyright: Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images
Who bought the 2015 UNICEF armadillo shoes?
The auction ended on 23 July and all three pairs were sold to the same buyer for a total of £366,750. From that total sale price, the net proceeds to UNICEF totalled USD 295,000 according to a post from Alexander McQueen on 24 July 2015:
The new owner of the shoes? None other than singer Lady Gaga.
On 26 July 2015 she posted two photos to her Instagram account. The first shows her sat outside on a balcony trying on one pair with the other two stood on the table behind her, opened boxes in the background.
The caption (as at 6 May) reads ”When a gift comes to you from Heaven photo by Taylor Kinney best fiancée ever”. The caption was edited at some point, although likely very quickly as an article on Gazette Du Bon Ton from 27 July 2015 (a day later) which screenshotted the post and the caption shows the same wording.
A second photo, posted on the same day, shows Gaga stood by the balcony railing in that same pair of shoes, holding the other two pairs.
The caption reads “Long Live McQueen. Look monsters, we got a sign of love from the beyond. 💀. Photo by the babes”. As with the first photo, the caption was edited at some point, although again, likely quickly as the Gazette Du Bon Ton article the following day shows a screenshot with the same wording.
What’s not clear is the basis upon which it is asserted that Taylor Kinney bought and gifted Lady Gaga the shoes.
Although full of praise for Taylor, Lady Gaga’s instagram posts don’t say that they were a gift from Taylor, merely that he took the photos and was the “best fiancée (sic) ever”.
The Instagram post from Alexander McQueen (see above) tags Lady Gaga in their caption (although this was likely added after the initial post was made as Footwear News noted on 24 July that “Neither [Christie’s nor McQueen] revealed who purchased the shoes”. There is no mention of Taylor Kinney (although his earliest Instagram post is currently the start of 2016), the Christie’s post of 27 July 2015 simply mentions that the shoes have “found a new home with @LadyGaga”.
“There is no diamond, no award, nothing I ever wanted more than a memory of my brief friendship with McQueen. I am sad every day that I enter my closet, knowing he is not here anymore to dazzle the world with his beautiful, dark, limitless, brave mind. These shoes are the only tangible piece I have left of our work together. They came to me this morning, after a dream I had again about him. As the dream goes, I enter my closet and his clothes are no longer there. I’m tortured. The loss is deep. Mourning in my own way constantly, why he is gone, he was so talented. I hate the empty space, not only in fashion, but in the creative consciousness that fizzled when he passed. This morning I got the call I would now be the caregiver to 3 pairs of armadillo platforms, just like the kind I wore in the “Bad Romance” video, the shoes from his crescendo collection “Plato’s Atlantis,” the ones that made everyone gasp from the front row because they had NEVER seen something like them before. I was reminded this morning that he is still here. He is everywhere. In every store window. In the designs of commercial mainstream retail, fashion, in music, in the heart of every young designer that wishes he could be as free and as fearless as McQueen was. I cried all morning, convinced he was with me. Convinced that I’m loved from somewhere far beyond the eternal body and mind, outside of all the chaos. He wanted me to have them. They made their way back to me. I am here today not just because of my talent, but because he believed in me. My weird brand of art pop manic expression of my emotions was the part of me he knew he taught me. I will be grateful long after I pass and join him wherever it is they put souls like us. Long live McQueen.”
In it she notes that she “got the call I would now be the caregiver to 3 pairs of armadillo platforms”. She doesn’t mention who that call came from, it doesn’t say it came from Taylor. It’s possible it came from someone who was bidding on her own behalf.
Sightings of the UNICEF armadillo shoes
Although Lady Gaga’s Instagram account showed her putting one pair under glass on the day she received them (see photos here and here), these shoes have not been hidden from sight since.
For most people, spending a few hundred thousand on shoes would mean keeping them in mint archival condition, but not for Gaga. On 26 July 2015, the same day she received the shoes, she wore them to Madison Square Garden where she made a surprise appearance on stage (in the shoes) to duet on Ordinary Love with Bono. A video of the performance is here.
Mazur/WireImage
In January 2016, Lady Gaga guest-edited V magazine and took part in a photoshoot with Daphne Guinness in which the pair wore armadillo shoes. The provenance of the shoes is unclear but given the timing and the visual similarities, it is assumed that these are Lots 2 and 3 from the UNICEF auction, rather than original show shoes.
Fashionista quotes from the article “In regard to the binding dresses and impossibly high armadillo heels (which you may remember from Gaga’s epic 2009 video for “Bad Romance”), Gaga went on to say, “Daphne reminds me that it’s okay to be in pain all the time. She taught me to go for it. Always. Fuck it. People just can’t understand being in pain constantly for art. The way we handle emotional pain is by inflicting some sort of physical pain on ourselves for an art that we love.””.
Steve Klein for ‘V’
A pair of armadillo shoes was also on display at the Haus of Gaga experience at Park MGM in Vegas. Haus of Gaga is, according to Park MGM “an ever-changing experience featuring Lady Gaga’s most iconic fashion pieces from her personal vault spanning more than 10 years of cultural, musical and fashion reinvention”. Noting the ever changing nature of the experience, it is unclear whether they are currently on display, but at least over summer of 2022, a pair were on display.
Based on Gaga’s ownership of the 2015 UNICEF pairs, it is assumed that these are the Lot 3 pair, although the exhibition label does somewhat risk confusing matters by making reference to the VMAs in 2010, which obviously pre-dates the UNICEF auction. It states:
“”Armadillo” Boots
Alexander McQueen
The iconic “Armadillo” boots from the Alexander McQueen Spring 2010 “Plato’s Atlantis” ready-to-wear collection. Reproduced for the Christie’s Handbag and Accessories Auction in support of UNICEF in July 2015.
MTV Video Music Awards, September 2010″
At the MTV VMAs in September 2010, Lady Gaga did wear a pair of armadillo shoes, but this obviously pre-dated her ownership of the 2015 UNICEF pairs. In the absence of information to suggest that these were lent from another source, it is assumed that these are the Lot 3 pair and the reference to the 2010 VMAs is to remind Gaga fans of when a similar pair were worn. In support of these being the Lot 3 pair is the fact that the size is the same. A photo of the rear of the shoes featured on The Spokesman-Review indicates that the shoe size is 39, the same as the Lot 3 pair (and presumably smaller than the show shoes, which were made to be worn by models).
Who currently owns the 2015 UNICEF armadillo shoes?
Given Lady Gaga’s emotional attachment to the shoes, it is assumed that they remain in her possession and it’s very possible that she may be spotted wearing them at some point in the future.
In 2015 it was announced by Alexander McQueen and Christie’s auction house that three new pairs of armadillo shoes were to be auctioned in Christie’s Handbags & Accessories Auction from July 14 – 23, 2015 in support of UNICEF’s relief efforts in Nepal.
The armadillo shoes were authentically remade exclusively for sale in the auction. 100% of the net amount from the auction sale of these lots was donated by Alexander McQueen to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to support the Nepal relief efforts.
Christie’s
All three of the pairs of UNICEF armadillo shoes were made out of python skin – one plain pair and two patterned.
Pair 22 – Lot 1
Christie’s
The description on the Christie’s website reads as follows:
“A PAIR OF PYTHON ARMADILLO BOOTS
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, 2015 The python scale is a 50mm+. The total of the heel is 220mm, the platform 120mm and the last 105mm. Dustbag, box and Certificate of Authenticity included. Size 39.”
The initial estimate is given as USD 10,000 – 15,000. The price realised is given as USD 161,000.
Pair 23 – Lot 2
Christie’s
The description on the Christie’s website reads as follows:
“A PAIR OF PYTHON ARMADILLO BOOTS
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, 2015
The python scale is a 50mm+. The total of the heel is 220mm, the platform 120mm and the last 105mm. Dustbag, box and Certificate of Authenticity included.
Size 39.”
The initial estimate is given as USD 10,000 – 15,000. The price realised is given as USD 137,000.
See also this short clip posted on Instagram by Christie’s.
Pair 24 – Lot 3
Christie’s
The description on the Christie’s website reads as follows:
“A PAIR OF PYTHON ARMADILLO BOOTS
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, 2015
The python scale is a 50mm+. The total of the heel is 220mm, the platform 120mm and the last 105mm. Dustbag, box and Certificate of Authenticity included.
Size 39.”
The initial estimate is given as USD 10,000 – 15,000. The price realised is given as USD 68,750.
If 21 pairs of armadillo shoes ‘officially’ exist as part of the Plato’s Atlantis collection but only 20 pairs walked the runway, what happened to the 21st pair?
There doesn’t seem to be an official answer for this anywhere, but perhaps the campaign image for Spring/Summer 2010 provides the answer.
Shot by Nick Knight and featuring Raquel Zimmermann, the image shows Raquel in a lycra bodysuit, draped in snakes and wearing a lime green pair of plain python armadillo shoes.
Neither the bodysuit nor the shoes featured on the runway. In the absence of any other information, it’s probably safe to say, these are the 21st pair of armadillo shoes.
Raquel Zimmermann didn’t just feature in the campaign photo for the collection, she also starred in the fashion film that opened Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 10 show. The film was created by McQueen, Nick Knight and Ruth Hogben. The film can be found here. The campaign photo clearly echoes the video, which starts with Raquel nude in the sand before snakes are shown slithering in her hair and over her body, then transforming into a mass of snakes echoing patterns that would be seen in the prints on the runway. The video then morphs between shots of Raquel in water followed by motifs seen in the prints which are then projected onto her body like a skin. The video served as a powerful prelude to the runway show.
The Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2010 Plato’s Atlantis show featured a total of 46 looks on the runway. This collection, which would tragically become McQueen’s last fully realized collection before his death in February 2010, was a tour de force of fashion innovation and creativity.
Each of the 46 looks was complemented by a pair of the collection’s signature avant-garde shoes. The shoe styles were repeated across multiple outfits, creating a cohesive visual narrative throughout the show.
The question of how many pairs of Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes there are is an interesting one. It’s a ‘fact’ often repeated that only 24 pairs have ever been made – this is what Wikipedia states and this seems to have been adopted by other media outlets. But is that true?
Armadillo shoes made in 2010 for the Plato’s Atlantis collection
Following the show, a Daily Beast article published in February 2010 (updated July 2017) stated that:
“In all, 21 pairs of the shoes exist—20 from the runway show and one additional—and good luck if you want a pair. According to a McQueen press officer, most have already been sold to private collectors, “people who understood they are pieces of art rather than just ‘shoes.'” The company has been inundated with requests and is now considering auctioning off what few pairs remain, “for charity purposes.” They range in price from $3,900 to $10,000, depending on the material and embroidery, according to a clerk at the New York McQueen store”
An article by Christie’s at the time of the 2015 UNICEF auction (see more below) stated:
“While the clothes for his Plato’s Atlantis collection, and the innovation behind it, showed digital prints with microscopic details of animal skins, his shoes for this collection were the standout. Named ‘The Armadillo Boot’ and made specifically for the runway (except for a few for his friends who managed to snag a coveted pair), only a total of 21 pairs were ever created”.
The reference here to the exception for a few friends who managed to snag a coveted pair is presumably intended to refer to those friends having obtained one of the runway pairs, rather than (as it could read), that the shoes were made specifically for the runway apart from some additional pairs that were created for a handful of friends.
For a look at the 20 pairs of show shoes, see this post. For a consideration of the question of the 21st pair of Plato’s Atlantis shoes, see this post.
Armadillo shoes made in 2015 for the UNICEF auction
In 2015 it was announced by Alexander McQueen and Christie’s auction house that three new pairs of armadillo shoes were to be auctioned in Christie’s Handbags & Accessories Auction from July 14 – 23, 2015 in support of UNICEF’s relief efforts in Nepal.
The armadillo shoes were authentically remade exclusively for sale in the auction. 100% of the net amount from the auction sale of these lots were donated by Alexander McQueen to the US Fund for UNICEF to support the Nepal relief efforts.
Together with the original 21 pairs of shoes from 2010, this would bring the number of armadillo shoes to 24.
Are there any other armadillo shoes?
This is an excellent question and one which will be returned to in subsequent posts. There is certainly evidence that there are more than just the 24 pairs out there that the established position suggests.
In Alexander McQueen (aff), the book that accompanied the London version of the Savage Beauty exhibition held at the V&A Museum in 2015, Helen Persson notes of the armadillo shoe:
“McQueen’s most celebrated footwear creation, the 30 cm high ‘Armadillo’ boot from Plato’s Atlantis (Spring/Summer 2010), combined a claw-like menace with the beauty of a ballerina’s en point … Performance pieces on the world’s catwalk, in keeping with McQueen’s love of theatricality, the boots appeared utterly futuristic. However, the exaggerated silhouette of the ‘Armadillo’ does have a historical precedent in the extraordinary form of sixteenth-century Persian riding books which, with their rounded vamp (ending in a slight upturned toe), and inward curved heel were designed to facilitate a secure fit in the stirrup. (pgs 111-112).
An example of 17th Century Persian riding boots, can be found here. Visually you can see the parallel that is being drawn, although, as noted by Persson, their shape is designed as a matter of function (to allow a rider to stand in stirrups without their foot slipping through the stirrup. McQueen’s shoes are of course, purely a matter of aesthetics.
On the design, Sarah Burton said in an interview with Tim Blanks for the book Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton that
“The “Armadillo” shoe from Plato’s Atlantis [spring/summer 2010] was based on a ballet point (sic) shoe designed by Allen Jones.”
Presumably the reference to an Allen Jones ballet shoe is to this artwork.
The construction of the armadillo shoes
Renowned shoe designer, Georgina Goodman was brought in by McQueen to collaborate on the footwear for the Spring/Summer 2010 collection, ‘Plato’s Atlantis’. Goodman’s expertise in shoe construction was essential in bringing McQueen’s avant-garde vision to life.
The illustration below shows what the inside of the armadillo shoes looks like.
Armadillo’ boot sketch, Pencil on Paper, London, 2009; Copyright Alexander McQueen
The armadillo shoes presented a significant technical challenge due to their extreme shape and height. Goodman worked closely with McQueen to develop the unique form, which featured an exaggerated arch and an elongated, almost alien-like silhouette.
The collaboration between McQueen and Goodman resulted in a shoe that was both a work of art and a feat of engineering. Goodman’s technical knowledge ensured that the shoes, despite their dramatic appearance, could actually be worn on the runway. She helped to create a design that balanced the theatrical elements McQueen desired with the practical considerations of wearability and stability.
“Each pair of ‘Armadillos’ was individually made. The wooden base was first carved and then attached to the heel and the insole board construction. The lining and the upper had to be lasted individually and therefore required four zips (two for the lining and two for the upper) to allow access for the foot. The exaggerated platform is not lightweight and could have been challenging to walk in. However a ‘build out’, or bulge, above the toes enabled the model to lift the boot more easily when walking, as clearly annotated on McQueen’s design sketch’ (pgs 111-112), Alexander McQueen (aff), Helen Persson
According to the Daily Beast “Each pair of armadillos was hand-made in Italy, in an elaborate process that spanned five days and involved 30 people, using material from three suppliers and passing through three factories”.
Walking in the armadillo shoes
In 2009, Frockwriter wrote that in a conversation with model Abbey Lee Kershaw “we touched on the so-called ‘armadillo’ shoes from Alexander McQueen’s S/S 2010 show … Wonder why we didn’t see Kershaw, Sasha Pivovarova or Natasha Poly in the show? According to Kershaw, that’s because after taking one look at the shoes, the supermod trio convened for a powow and decided to nix it”.
The Guardian in 2015 stated that the night before the show “Sam Gainsbury, McQueen’s show producer, tried on the reptile-scaled lobster-claw shaped boots that became known as armadillo shoes. The heels were 10 inches high. “I couldn’t walk,” she said. “So I went and found Lee [Alexander McQueen’s given name] and I said, ‘I can’t walk in these, and I can walk in any heel. This could be a disaster. What if the girls fall?’ And he said, ‘If they fall, they fall'”.
In contrast, Sarah Burton said in interview with Tim Blanks for the book Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton that “They were actually quite comfortable to walk in, but if a girl couldn’t walk in them, she wasn’t in the show”.
In 2010 The Daily Beast reported of Daphne Guiness, who wore a tan pair to a party “They were four sizes too big, she says, but surprisingly comfortable. “I know it sounds bizarre. They look difficult but they aren’t. They’re not heavy. They’re very, very deceptive and very clever.”
The editors of British Vogue disagreed, blogging about their efforts to take a stroll in the boots, which ended when they “miserably failed to make it further than the Vogue fashion cupboard.” That Vogue blog can be found here.
Views seem to vary, but notably, not one girl fell on the runway.
It has been nearly 15 years since McQueen showed his Spring/Summer 2010 ready to wear collection at Paris Fashion Week in October 2009. Known as Plato’s Atlantis, it was his last fully formed show before his death in 2010.
‘Plato’s Atlantis predicted a future in which the ice cap would melt, the waters would rise and life on earth would have to evolve in order to live beneath the sea once more or perish. Humanity would go back to the place from whence it came.’
– Alexander McQueen
Plato’s Atlantis marked a pivotal moment in Alexander McQueen’s illustrious career, cementing his legacy as one of the most visionary designers of the 21st century. With its fusion of mythology, technology, and high fashion, its groundbreaking runway presentation remains a testament to McQueen’s boundless imagination and unparalleled talent.
Not only did Plato’s Atlantis solidify McQueen’s reputation but it made a new icon – a towering platform heeled boot with a distinctive curved silhouette, which became known as the armadillo shoe (or boot).
The Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes are my Roman Empire. They achieved mythical status, but where are the armadillo shoes now? And who owns them?
Prompted by a weekend with some spare time, the obvious thing to do (!) was to start doing some serious research into the current whereabouts of the Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes.
Follow along as I attempt a deep dive into the Alexander McQueen Plato’s Atlantis armadillo shoes.
