Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAGAZINE
Facebook Instagram Instagram
Sign up to our newsletter
SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAGAZINE
Facebook Instagram Instagram
Sign up to our newsletter
  • Culture & Design
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Faces
  • Video
  • Shop
  • You need to type at least 2 characters to search.
  • Culture & Design
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Faces
  • Video
  • Shop

SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAGAZINE

Sign up to our Newsletter

Facebook Instagram YouTube
  • Culture & Design
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Faces
  • Video
  • Shop
  • You need to type at least 2 characters to search.
SPONSORED BY FERRAGAMO

Ferragamo’s Iconic F-heel Reimagined In Cinematic Technicolour

The newly reimagined heel borrows inspiration from one of Salvatore Ferragamo’s most iconic creations.

Article by T Australia

Sponsored post   /   22 Mar 2021

The Salvatore Ferragamo S/S 2021 show was heavily influenced by designer Paul Andrew’s lockdown viewing of Alfred Hitchcock’s back catalogue. “This spring, stuck at home, I re-watched classic Hitchcock, in particular Marnie, The Birds and Vertigo,” says Andrew. “In the past, watching those movies has always felt like inhabiting a surreal and strange world. But watching them during lockdown was different – they felt like ‘real life’ because ‘real life’ itself had suddenly become so strange, surreal and oddly beautiful.”

As a result, the S/S 2021 collection’s palette was drawn from the Technicolour tones of Hitchcock’s iconic films, with pieces rendered in shades such as Hedren Green, Vertigo Mauve, Bodega Bay Sky and Gull Grey, and the show was accompanied by an eerie, Hitchcock-esque short film by Italian director Luca Guadagnino.

It was fitting that this collection included the reimagined F-shape heel, the famous Ferragamo shoe design that makes the wearer look as though their foot is floating above the ground. Beautiful, yes, and ever-so-slightly surreal. “The F-shape heel is one of Salvatore Ferragamo’s greatest inventions. It defies the eye’s perception of gravity and leaves the foot seemingly suspended in space,” says Andrew, who has been the women’s footwear design director at the fashion house since 2016.

F-heel Sandal in Technicolor Yellow. Photography courtesy of Ferragamo.
F-heel Sandal in Hedren Green. Photography courtesy of Ferragamo.

Ferragamo himself designed the original F heel in 1947, and legend has it that the silhouette of the shoe was inspired by the stern of the ship on which he sailed from America to Italy 20 years before. The unique design won him the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion, one of the highest honours in the industry. “Alfred Hitchcock once said that ‘ideas come from everything’,” says Andrew. “I love the story that our founder formed the idea for this beautiful, delicate, and totally counter-intuitive design by observing the curved stern of the ocean liner on which he steamed home to Italy from his days as shoemaker to Hollywood’s greatest stars in the US.”

Andrew first resurrected the F-shaped heel four years ago in the autumn 2017 collection, his first with the label, when he released a black suede and velvet shoe boot with lacquered gold heels. Several equally arresting iterations have followed. “I’ve been honoured to work with this shape for Salvatore Ferragamo on and off since 2017, but this season it seemed especially perfect. It embodies the sense of stylish suspense the collection transmits, and the rich bold colourways of the Technicolor palette highlight its incredible architecture. I set out to create a modern sequel to Ferragamo’s timeless classic that adds new layers of sustainability and technical innovation to his brilliant original.”

This sequel is crafted in nappa leather in two of Andrew’s Hitchcock-inspired colours – Hedren Green and Technicolor Yellow – and a third is made of black nappa punctuated by pearl-like beads. For the first time, the shoes are monotone, with the upper, lining, sole and rubber heel lift all presented in seamless Technicolor or black, expertly clad in a single piece of nappa by Ferragamo artisans.

“[This design] is a true classic that will long endure as a bedrock of Salvatore Ferragamo,” concludes Andrew. “Every generation that comes to it is captivated by that shape, and every woman who wears it immediately discovers another aspect of our founder’s greatness: he was obsessed with fit and feel.”

Find more articles like this in our bi-monthly print magazine. Subscribe and save!

The editorial staff of T Australia had no role in this post’s preparation
Sign up to our newsletter

Join the T Australia newsletter and be transported by quality writing and beautiful imagery.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms and Condition and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from T Australia about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Categories
  • Culture & Design
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Food & Wine
  • Travel
  • Faces
  • Video
  • Shop
Other links
  • About
  • Contact
  • T Australia Subscription
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Follow us
Facebook Instagram YouTube

T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and the T logo are trademarks of The New York Times Co., NY, USA, and are used under license by KK Press Pty Ltd trading as T Australia.Content reproduced from T: The New York Times Style Magazine, copyright 2021 The New York Times Co. and/or its contributors, all rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed within T: The New York Times Style Magazine Australia are not necessarily those of The New York Times Company or those of its contributors.

© Copyright T Magazine Australia. All rights reserved 2023

The New York Times Style Magazine: Australia

Are you on the list?

Sign up to the T Australia newsletter for the latest on style and culture, plus receive an extra 10% off the magazine.

SIGN UP
Close Popup