Wild things to make your heart sing
Italian shoe designer Gianvito Rossi has reimagined his signature shapes in leopard print for a new capsule
Headline-grabbing trends that come and go each season are all well and good, but anyone playing the sartorial long game knows that you need to pack out your closet with pieces that are reassuringly perennial. Which isn’t to say they have to be boring. Case in point: animal print, the much-loved classic that manages to be both a high-impact statement-maker and a sophisticated wear-forever staple. It’s a favorite with Italian shoe designer Gianvito Rossi, who regularly peppers his collections with it and has conjured a new capsule exclusively in leopard. “It has a wilderness reminiscence,” says Rossi. “It lets you feel like you’re living in an urban jungle playing the hunting game.”
“The perfect shoes are the ones that make you smile when you look in the mirror
”Gianvito Rossi
Chances are you already have a pair of Rossi’s shoes in your closet and you’re not alone. The list of his label’s A-list fans reads like a guide to the world’s most stylish women, including everyone from Diane Kruger and Kendall Jenner to Rihanna and Amal Clooney (who paired his Plexi pumps with that yellow dress at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding). It helps that Rossi has pedigree; the son of footwear designer Sergio Rossi, he grew up watching his father create shoes before working alongside him in the family business. And after striking out with his own eponymous label in 2006, he’s been the go-to for irresistibly chic heels ever since. “I want my shoes to inspire an idea of modernity, femininity and elegance,” says Rossi. “I’m making them for a woman who is independent and strong-minded, and I want her to feel confident and cool when she puts them on.” You (and your feet) will be pleased to know that the designer is something of an obsessive when it comes to cut, fit and proportion, determined to make sure that his shoes are as comfortable as they are stylish.
“I want my shoes to inspire an idea of modernity, femininity and elegance
”Gianvito Rossi
For those uninitiated in the joys of wearing leopard print, just know that a pair of minimalist, elegant shoes reimagined in the pattern is the ultimate finishing touch to your look. The Gianvito Rossi capsule is filled with some of the label’s most instantly recognizable shapes conjured in varying leopard-print color-ways, be it black and tan or monochrome. There’s the slouchy stiletto-heeled boots, an ’80s-inspired shape elevated to contemporary fashion statement; the mules, with their pointed toes and cherry-red heel that really makes the leopard print pop; the Portofino sandals, an anytime, anywhere classic; and the mid-heeled slip-on-and-go sandals, the perfect transitional shoe to see you through the seasons. All are crying out to be worn with your workwear go-tos, your favorite dresses and your most-loved jeans and t-shirts alike. “The perfect shoes are the ones that make you smile when you look in the mirror,” says Rossi. We couldn’t agree more – especially when they come in leopard.