Would you sell your 'sole' for a pair of swish heels or loafers? Well, apparently, there are a few people out there in the world who don't mind shelling out a spare million (or two, or three) when it comes to footwear they covet. A. Here's the lowdown on the most expensive pair of shoes.
Stuart Weitzman’s iconic shoes
The list of the world’s most expensive shoes could be filled by the creations of this iconic designer alone! From his “Marilyn Monroe heels” (the shoes were crafted around a pair of diamond earrings once owned by the siren), to the platinum pair Laura Harring wore to the Oscars in 2002, and his famous Retro Rose pumps, Tanzanite Heels and Cinderella Slippers — these Weitzman creations retail for anywhere between $1-2 million. His most expensive pair, so far, it is believed, are his “Rita Hayworth” heels. This vertiginous pair also uses the screen legend’s jewellery in its design, and is valued at $3 million. The actress’ daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan now owns the pair.
The real ruby shoes from Wizard of Oz
In the book by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy wore silver shoes that (unknown to her) had the power of transporting her anywhere she wished to go. But when Hollywod was making the film adaptation of the children’s classic with Judy Garland, they wanted to take advantage of the new Technicolor technology that had just reached the studios. The costume department decided to create an eye-catching pair of ruby red shoes for Dorothy, using satin and sequins. It is believed that five pairs were created for filming, two were lost, one is in the Smithsonian museum, another was put up for auction for $2 million, while the third was bought by a private buyer for little over half a million dollars — $6,12,000.
Air Yeezy 2 (Red October)
Rapper Kanye West has serious ambitions to be a fashion mogul and the shoes he has created command price tags worthy of an emperor. The Air Yeezy 2 Red October is among the most expensive of Kanye’s designs, but the interesting part about these shoes is that when they were originally released, they were retailed for not much more than $250.
It was when pairs of these were being auctioned for charity that buyers went crazy and bids running into millions of dollars were received for the bright red design. They were sold for — hold your breath — $16 million! Now there is a craze for the rest of the pairs in this limited edition design, because the Air Yeezy 2 is now officially worth far more than its weight in gold.
House of Harry Winston Ruby shoes
Four thousand six hundred rubies and 50 carats of diamonds — this is what these bright pair of heels created by the famous jewellery house, are made of. When what you’re wearing is essentially jewellery for the feet, what’s the price that you can be expected to pay? Why, just the piffling little amount of $3 million, of course. The story goes that Harry Winston’s son Ronald wanted to create a special pair of heels to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Judy Garland film Wizard of Oz. He promptly recreated the shoes worn by the actress in the film, wholly with precious stones, and voila! No other pair of shoes can match their sparkle.
Michael Jordan’s signed Air Jordan 12s
Should a worn pair of sneakers cost thousands of dollars? Certainly, if it’s a pair that was worn by basketball great Michael Jordan in one of his most fabled games. Jordan wore the pair of sneakers to what is known as his Flu Game in 1997, autographed them and gave them to a fan. They were put up for auction 16 years later by the fan and fetched a cool $1,04,000. Certainly not comparable to the other price tags in this list, but steep nonetheless.
