From The Straits Times    |

Jimmy Choo creates Iris Apfel shoeJimmy Choo has launched a new shoe in honour of fashion icon Iris Apfel.

The fashion label made the announcement last night saying it was in “ultimate homage to the grand dame of idiosyncratic fashion”.

The Iris shoe, retailing at £895, is a hand-woven leather sandal with a five inch killer heel and embellished with a resin chip ornaments, according to British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

Jimmy Choo says it is “inspired by the inimitable style of fashion innovator and doyenne of ethnic embellishment, Iris Apfel”.

There is also the Holly, a flat version of the sandal, and the Xara, a fringed bag.

Creative Directors Sandra Choi and Simon Holloway say the design process has been influenced by the fashion star’s “maximalist style and bold layering of tribal and ethnic jewellery”.

Iris is famed for her enormous eyewear, chaotic personal style and encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion. She won a professorship at the University of Texas at Austin, and her love of bright lips has inspired a collection with MAC cosmetics.

While she is known for her expressive fashion, Iris has previously said it is important to not get carried away with trends.

“Those big platforms and insanely high heels [are the worst trend]. They look like an orthopaedist’s delight. I don’t see anything beautiful about them,” she told Footwear News.

At the time she added Jimmy Choos do killer heels well and she likes “clean-looking shoes”.

“I don’t mind if a shoe is embellished, but it has to be well designed. Manolo’s shoes seem perfectly designed. He knows what he’s doing. And there’s nothing that beats a classic pump,” she said.

Shoes have always had a special place in her heart, collecting footwear her whole life and getting pairs made all over the world. She used to travel the globe with her husband Carl as part of their textile company.

Iris doesn’t believe in throwing things away. Her clothing collection was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City several years ago and she has footwear dating back years.

“I have a pair of shoes I’ve had since before I was married, and we’ll be married 64 years this month,” she exclaimed. “They’re Ferragamo and so fabulous. They’re on a very interesting wedge with brown suede and snake trim.”