GLASS HALF FULL: Rupert Sanderson has been stretching his skills beyond footwear and experimenting with glassware design. The British shoe designer partnered with London’s 34 Mayfair restaurant, and Perrier-Jouët to create The Rupert Sanderson Champagne Slipper, a sleek Champagne glass that looks like a high-heeled pump.
The bespoke design is a Champagne flute in the form of a stiletto heel with an intricate crystal and silver-plated brass shoe — created with London-based goldsmith Clive Burr — attached to the glass. The dusty pink color of the crystal takes its cue from the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque rosé Champagne, the glass has been designed to accompany.
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Sanderson said that, as a regular at the restaurant, he wanted to create something indulgent and romantic that celebrates drinking and dining in 34’s opulent environment.
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“After spending many wonderful evenings at 34 Mayfair — more often than not, enjoying a glass of two of Perrier-Jouët — it seemed obvious to create something that is utterly romantic. There is a great tradition of old Hollywood decadence associated with the drinking of Champagne,” said Sanderson.
For the design, he also looked to the restaurant’s Art Deco-inspired surroundings, as well as to the Art Deco Chrysler Building in Manhattan.
“It was a delight to design something that shoes lend themselves to so wonderfully. It’s the idea of taking a glass and not being able to put it down until you’ve finished it, and combining that with a shoe and with 34, which is also the most petit shoe size,” added Sanderson.
This is not the first time the popular Mayfair spot has dipped its toes — so to speak — in fashion. Last year, it paid homage to Kate Moss by launching a Champagne coupe modeled on her breast.
Sanderson has also designed a Champagne-colored satin pump, in his signature classic round-toe silhouette as part of the project. The shoe style is available to buy in Rupert Sanderson stores and online and priced at 495 pounds or $615, while a limited number of Champagne flute sets will be available to purchase at 34 Mayfair restaurant.