. Models in Rehab .: Shoe PORN Part 2

10-10-2010;

Where in the world can you buy a pair of Havaianas, a Dior shoe, in a space designed by a world class architect and then have a glass of champagne?

With 55,000 shoes in stock at any one time and 4,000 shoes on display from over 150 brands Selfridges' new Shoe Galleries will change the way you shop for shoes forever.

Renowned architect Jamie Fobert has created an area in which to visit, explore and indulge.

His vision translates into the biggest shoe department in the world, featuring six unique shoe galleries, surrounded by 11 beautiful boutiques created by the world's most iconic shoe brands, and one hanging garden.

Each gallery masterfully poses materials you wouldn't normally find in a department store: velvet and glass, clay and steel, alabaster and silk, concrete and rubber. Meanwhile, the eleven surrounding apartments have been designed in collaboration with some of the world's most iconic labels, allowing customers a glimpse into the private worlds of their designers for the first time.

"Imagine you are in a gallery", says Selfridges' Director of Accessories Sebastian Manes. "From the entrance you see a succession of doorways, and at the end a huge window flooding the space with daylight. Your journey begins at the front, with shoes from the best of the high street. Slowly you begin to travel through different galleries until you reach the end – the couture designer gallery, flanked by Chanel and Louboutin, and a vision of Eden " – the new suspended garden at Selfridges.

Shoe heaven and I tooootally love it!