When it comes to designing the sexiest shoes on earth there’s usually one man models and celebrities alike turn to: Brian Atwood. The designer is the mastermind behind all the footwear on the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway, marking his third consecutive year working with the brand to make sure the Angels are well heeled for their lingerie-clad strut down the catwalk.
“Besides it being a wonderful fashion show for shoes, I think what’s great is Victoria’s Secret really gives you an opportunity to be creative,” he tells PeopleStyle exclusively. “They want to see your excitement and they really encourage it. It’s a wonderful show to be a part of just because of the sheer willingness to create elaborate, beautiful things from the costumes to the wings to the bras to obviously to these shoes, and that’s pretty much why I do it. Plus, I know a lot of the Angels, so we’re like one big happy family.”
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So what do you need to know about the shoes before tonight’s show? Catch our interview with the footwear mogul below.
The Shoes Took Six Months to Design
“With Victoria’s Secret, it’s more like a concert than a fashion show. Five hundred million people are watching this huge stage event with these amazing women. We started designing six month months ago. The show is divided into themes, and once the Victoria’s Secret team get their stories together and they present them, then we design with those themes in mind. We start the discussions six months in and then at least four months of development, research and getting the right techniques down so we can give Victoria’s Secret the over the top looks they need.”
There Are More Shoe Designs Than Ever Before
“We made 100 pairs. There were 21 or 22 different styles and about 100 pairs of shoes. This is actually the first time we’ve done styles just for the show because in the past Victoria’s Secret would select from my collection and tweak it, make different colors or make the heel a little higher. But this time we made custom shoes just for them so it was a little more challenging but the end result was great.”
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Boots Were the Shes De Rigueur
“Boot crazy. Everything was boots. Olivier Rousteing did that opening segment with his Balmain designs so that was fun to design before because it’s all kind of punk rock, heavy metal, silver daggers embroidered into the shoes, studs and palettes. When they’re boots and over-the-knee boots you have so much area to play around with—whether it’s inlaid suede or embroidery or fringe. Anything is possible because you have a good area to work with; it makes it really fun to play around with.”
Alessandra Ambrosio Wore the Most Elaborate Pair of Boots for Her Final Walk
“The were by far the most labor intensive. Everything you can imagine is on those boots from woven embroidery to feathers. They’re gorgeous, and they’re definitely a statement shoe. It’s hard to even put a price tag on them. Some of the boots would be in the $10,000 range, and that is a low estimate.”
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After the Show, Shoes Go Straight to the Victoria’s Secret Archives
“In the past we’ve done some commercialization of some of the styles. Karlie Kloss wears some amazing woven boots that were actually inspired by a past shoe I made for Lady Gaga, but all depends on the feeling of the shoe and if it makes sense to add a style to my collection moving forward. With the Victoria Secret shoes I get so many emails and DMs like ‘Please where can I buy these shoes?’ Victoria’s Secret and I had conversation but they just can’t sell shoes—they tried it in the past but it doesn’t work for them but they do love to showcase some styles in their stores and in their archives and to have them be a part of their collection.”
The Average Heel Height Is Five Inches
“The show shoes are usual 120 millimeters, which is about 5 inches. Victoria’s Secret is all about high, sexy shoes that elongate the legs. The Angels don’t have a problem walking in that heel height.”
Watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Tuesday night at 10 p.m. on CBS.