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.
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.
It was widely reported at the time that Lady Gaga’s then fiancé, Taylor Kinney (actor in the Vampire Diaries and Chicago Fire) bought the shoes for her as a gift. For example, see this Grazia article entitled ‘Lady Gaga’s Fiancé Taylor Kinney Gave Her The Ultimate Shoe Gift: Three Pairs of Iconic McQueen Armadillo Boots‘. The same suggestion is made in Harper’s Bazaar which states that they were “given to her by fiancé Taylor Kinney”.
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”.
On 24 July 2015, Lady Gaga wrote for V Magazine:
“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.
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.””.
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.