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sole and five inch heel.
The thigh boot is a divisive creature. Worn incorrectly, with the
wrong clothing at the wrong time, not much can cheapen in the
same way. However, worn well, with the right look and attitude,
it can stop shows like no other. It’s certainly an opinion divider
and there can be no sitting on-the-fence.
“I find that the appeal of a thigh high boot is really personal
for the wearer,” says Mr Braqo. “I've had women say to me that
although they like the look of a boot that length (like our Verna
boot), they would never attempt to wear them in real life.
Alternatively, there are women who are drawn to them
immediately and have the lifestyles to carry them off.”
Alexander Wang and Jimmy Choo feature the length in their
autumn/winter collections 2012-2013; Proenza Schouler,
Gucci, McQ by Alexander McQueen and Rodarte sent models
striding down the catwalk in dramatic black and brown long
boots, in patents and in suedes.
While not always applauded for her sartorial choices,
Madonna’s recently launched footwear collection Truth or Dare
features four styles of thigh boot. The creative director, Arianne
Phillips, who has long been her stylist, obviously agrees it’s the
right time for the look. Which of course may be aided by the
clothing that complements the boot, which will filter down from
the catwalk to the high street this autumn – the long-sleeved
dresses, almost military-esque pencil skirts and the dark, heavy
coats.
“It is really a matter of one's style, bravery and prowess,” adds
Mr Braqo. “For me, it's interesting to see who dares to and
dares not. I really believe a thigh high boot is a weapon to be
reckoned with and I know some women who will concur.”
Commercial demand
The thigh boot’s shorter sister might not stop shows to the
same extent, but made more than her fair share of
appearances on the AW12-13 catwalks. As such, knee boots
should begin to grace shelves as the retailers eye the sliding
thermometer and as autumn sets in.
But, as observers suggest, it might not be simply a question
of bulk ordering, if last winter is still firmly lodged in buyers’
memories. While designers promote trends and looks, it is
more often the supply and demand on the high street, and at
bulk level, that affects the footwear flow; the buyers have to
monitor this when vast amounts of money are at stake.
“It was great not to be so concerned with producing an
entirely commercial collection,” says Mr Braqo, whose
collection will retail at the high end of the market; his shoes and
boots ranging from the mid to high hundreds of pounds.
“Whereas the same can be said about the manufacturers I work
with in Le Marche, it is important that we can accommodate
that urgency in commercial demand with a production process
that lends itself to both timely deliveries and expert
craftsmanship.”
Timely deliveries and commercial demand are key tenets of
buyers' thinking when ordering stock. Many big retailers work
on the basis of 'open to buy', meaning they might buy 50,000
pairs of boots from suppliers with the option to buy extra if they
sell, but are not under obligation. This alleviates the problem of
where to keep unsold stock – boots and shoe boxes take up a
lot of room in the warehouses and are costly to store. Unsold
stock is sometimes sold off to companies who specialise in
offloading it at discounts in other countries. Some smaller
companies might use channels such as eBay to sell surplus.
Small retailers, however, don't have the same clout with
suppliers, and so may well have to put last winter's stock back
on the shelves.
“Both Brian Atwood and Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy created
some great boots for fall that I hope to see on women this
winter,” concludes Mr Braqo. “But I can't say for sure whether
or not you'll see thigh high boots on the streets this winter. It is
really up to buyers to include them in their stock.”
And that, it seems, is the long and short of it.
40
WORLD FOOTWEAR | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
Since working with Cesare Paciotti, Richard Braqo's designs have
been featured in US Vogue and have been worn by celebrities
inducing singers Ciara and Rihanna.
Le Marche-based
shoemaker Giorgio
Piergentili displayed
knee-high boots at
March's MICAM shoe
fair in Italy.