She made fashion’s weirdest footwear, now she’s design director of shoes at Dior

Nina Christen, who designed some of the most influential shoes of the past decade, now has a line of her own. Photo: The New York Times

Back in late 2018, a lifetime ago in fashion, a radical shift happened in footwear. Square-toed clunkers – sandals defined by exaggerated, spatula-like soles that jutted out from under the foot and pumps with bulbous stubbed toes – were shown in Daniel Lee’s first collection for Bottega Veneta.

At first sight, the shoes were hideous. Within months, they were on the feet of nearly every celebrity, editor, influencer and luxury VIC in the land.