Shoe heaven on earth – schuhcourier

October 23, 2024 Bougassa

The mother of all department stores is still one of the most famous, largest and most exclusive consumer temples in the world and has lost none of its glamorous flair over the years. In every other department store, customers are transported up the floors by escalator until they reach the shoe department. Not so at Harrods. Here, customers glide over the famous “Egyptian escalators” to Shoe Heaven on the fifth floor of the house and feel transported back to the land of the pharaohs amidst the Egyptian columns, wall reliefs and sculptures. Once at the top, they are greeted at the “Gates of Heaven” by a bronze relief on which the name “Shoe Heaven” is actually immortalized. And the shoe paradise of superlatives fully lives up to this name: it offers a magnificent stage on almost 4,000 square meters – the size of three Olympic swimming pools – for around 100,000 pairs of shoes. More than a hundred brands are united here under one roof. Most traditional luxury labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Saint Laurent, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Prada, Jimmy Choo have their own showrooms of around 100 square meters. Her shoe collections sometimes even include models designed exclusively for Harrods. Most also offer custom-made shoes.

Shoe Heaven looks like the Milanese shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II in miniature, which is considered to be the most beautiful covered shopping arcade in Italy. Here at Harrods, visitors stroll through wide, elegant passages on marble floors with inlaid geometric patterns and indirect ceiling lighting in the Art Deco style, with the open stores lined up on both sides. The attention to detail is also evident on the walls and pillars made of travertine with wall friezes, stucco ornaments and mirrored surfaces. The corridors are interrupted by circular rotondas, the shape of which is complemented by round domed ceilings and glass display cases on the wall. Some showcases are covered with wall panels made of capiz shells or silk, which make the high heels stand out particularly well. In the middle there are original pop-up displays on which the It shoes from the various labels are effectively showcased.