Paolo Sebastian releases affordable luxury shoe line
Their designs are usually covetted by celebs and “princess brides”, but fashion fans may find Adelaide designer Paolo Sebastian’s latest a little closer to earth.
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It’s the stuff of fairytales - Paolo Sebastian is stepping into the world of ready-to-wear with an affordable luxury shoe line.
The release of the sure-to-be covetable collection coincides with the Adelaide brand’s 15th anniversary.
Founded by Paul Vasileff - who was the 2017 Young Australian of the Year - Paolo Sebastian is an internationally-renowned couture house.
Until now the exclusive label, which specialises in exquisite embroidered gowns, has been worn by celebrities such as Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian, those with royal connections like Zara Tindall, and “princess brides”; women who want to look a million dollars on their wedding day, who spend $20,000 or more on their dream dress.
But now many more fans will be able to wear Paolo Sebastian, thanks to the release of its affordable luxury footwear.
Paying homage to the brand’s short but rich heritage, the seven-piece Italian-made shoe line’s centerpiece is the Swan Lake Ballet Pump.
While it may be new to the masses, Paolo Sebastian aficionados will recognise the style.
It was worn by Vasileff’s wife Anna at their January wedding, which was exclusively covered by The Advertiser and Vogue Australia.
“We had our Swan Lake collection launch in 2011, and that was when we first introduced the shoe on the runway,” Vasileff said. “Everyone kept asking about it, but it was essentially me taking a simple, ordinary pump and tweaking it: I would just find a shoe, dye it, and then add the ribbon.”
Each of new seven shoes has a ribbon and 10cm stiletto heel, and is designed to be versatile.
“You can keep it simple with the base ankle strap, or interchange it with the ribbon,” Vasileff said. “I love that you can choose to wear it in more ways than one.
“We went to the finest atelier and spent over a year developing every detail.”
The shoe comes in silk, mesh, and embellished mesh, and in a delicate colour palette.
“Creating the layered tulle mesh was a natural choice, because we were excited to bring customers the same illusion tulle they know so well from our gowns,” Vasileff said.
Coinciding with the footwear’s launch, Paolo Sebastian is also offering its followers a nine-piece scarf range inspired by its Nightingale, Nutcracker, Persephone, East of the Sun and West of the Moon and Wildflowers couture collections.
“The scarves are an opportunity for customers to weave the Paolo Sebastian dream into their everyday life – and same with the shoes,” Vasileff said. “It doesn’t matter if you pair the ballet pump with a dress or jeans, or if you tie the scarf around your neck or bag or wrist, everyone deserves their own piece of magic, and a chance to wear a couture piece that makes them feel beautiful.”
It’s not the first time the couture house has produced a scarf.
A long-time supporter of CanTeen, Vasileff has designed limited-edition Paolo Sebastian scarfs to raise funds for the charity.
Both collections are available at paolosebastian.com from February 22, with pricing from $180 to $1290.
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