French Fashion Designer Mouret Talks Shoes And Inspiration

A French fashion designer has said that the right shoes can help women to “inhabit a different character”.

Roland Mouret says he believes that a sexy pair of high heels can turn a female into a seductive temptress and give her confidence.

Mouret, known for his form-fitting dresses, says that it is gorgeous footwear, and not gowns, that has always been his first fashion love.

"Shoes can be part of the sensuality and the sexuality of a woman," Mouret told The Telegraph.

"Not only this, they can allow a woman to inhabit different identities - and even help her to adopt a different character, should she desire it. Because shoes can change you.

"First, the shape, height and positioning of the heel affects the foot and then, upwards, it subtly repositions the rest of the body too; legs, hips, breasts - everything. This is the physical.

"And then there is the look of the shoe, the design. This affects the woman who wears the shoe, and sometimes the man who sees it too."

The Frenchman also spoke about the inspiration behind his latest footwear collection.

The designer recently returned to Robert Clergerie after years of establishing his highly successful Mouret brand to breathe new life into the luxury shoe label.

Introducing some of his new footwear styles, the fashion creative explained that the range was heavily influenced by the 60s era.

"I am particularly happy with [the] Laila [shoe].

"Influenced by the Thirties, you can see the top-stitching and the two leathers, plain and ostrich print. But it is quite Biba too - there is something slouchy and Twiggy and Ossie Clark there, I think, something from the Sixties.

"And finally, have a look at the Harum. This is a design rooted in the Sixties too, as I sketched it I was thinking of when Yves Saint Laurent shot his campaign during the student revolution of May 1968, and Jane Birkin when she first met Serge.

"To comfortably walk, or even to easily run, should be no problem when you are wearing these shoes. This is basic.

"But I hope that all of these shoes can also transport you to places walking alone cannot. They can become little symbols that ignite sparks of eroticism, intrigue and excitement."