Kittens have been quietly returning to the catwalks for a couple of seasons now. And when the most influential designers of the moment agree on a trend, you can be sure everyone else will follow. Demna Gvasalia, creative director of both Vetements and Balenciaga, seems more enamoured than most. Much of Balenciaga’s a/w ’16 shoe collection had kitten heels attached – from hot-pink ankle boots to glossy white pumps. And at Vetements’ s/s ’17 show this summer, the opening look was accompanied by a charcoal satin kitten-heel slingback, designed in collaboration with Manolo Blahnik (the man who first nurtured our desire for this squashed stiletto two decades ago).
Meanwhile, for Gucci’s resort collection, Alessandro Michele has clearly been rummaging in the label’s archives, returning with his take on the house’s celebrated bamboo kitten heel, originally designed during Tom Ford’s tenure. For 2017 he has attached it to a metallic green slingback, punched with gold spikes – this time, the Gucci kitten comes with claws. And for summer, as well as the delicate Diors, Phoebe Philo at Céline has produced butter-yellow kitten-heel mules (also on the shopping list); at Prada they are partnered with confections of sequins, beading and elaborate feather plumage.
