There are so many things that Lanvin managed to get right with the Lanvin Python and Mongolian Fur Pumps that it’s difficult for me to say that the shoe as a whole doesn’t work, but those are the facts of the situation. The design was humming along quite nicely on the right path, but then it hit a furry, frizzy wall from which I’m afraid it will not recover.
The stuff stuck on the back of this beautiful, sculptural pair of shoes looks a lot like my hair does on a humid August day when I haven’t bothered to put any product in it, let alone brush it or flat iron it. As I’m sure you can imagine, that’s not a good look on my head or on this shoe. I’m overwhelmed with the urge to introduce it to the products of Frederic Fekkai, but that would likely have a detrimental effect on the python.
My guess is that Lanvin used the fur as a winter-appropriate alternative to the feathers that brands like Valentino and Christian Louboutin have used in the past to adorn the backs of their shoes. In theory the idea works really well, but this is not the specific type of fur I would have chosen. It resembles human hair too much, and that’s just a tad creepy. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1990.
