Francesco Russo left Sergio Rossi in February, but he hasn’t spent the six months between then and now kicking back. Today, he unveiled the new shoe label that bears not only his name, but also the address of his new Paris shop, 8 rue de Valois, across the street from the Palais Royal. “I want to do beautiful shoes, above the sense of time, above the sense of fashion,” Russo told Style.com. “It’s like Manolo. Manolo did the stiletto from the eighties until today. There was the time of the platform, he didn’t do platforms. He just did whatever he feels. I try to have that luxury. And the fact that I have my own name now, I can have that luxury.” True to his word, there are no platforms among the 25 styles in his Spring debut. Russo has done flat gladiator sandals and a 25-millimeter leopard print not-quite-kitten-heel pump; for the most part, though, he’s a stiletto man. His anti-trend stance means the palette and materials are quite restrained. Black, brown, shades of nude, and metallic silver encompass the color range, and the materials include leather, pony hair, and crocodile. Classic doesn’t mean conventional, however. Many of the shoes incorporate extraordinary work, a pump stitched together from small arches of crocodile being a prime example. As for the shop, it ‘s housed in what is said to be the city’s first restaurant, which went by the rather fitting name Boeuf de la Mode in the 18th century. The boutique will open for business during the couture shows in January. This week it’s acting as a showroom for appointments with big department stores.
