Show Stoppers: DIY Gareth Pugh Runway Boots

Gareth Pugh inspired boots made by Boris, Balenciaga vest, Topshop top, Devaki hat, generic tights, Antti Asplund cross necklaces.

Ok, so this isn't a dictionary-definition DIY, since I didn't actually cobble these boots myself.  It should really be called a DIBB, as in Do-it-by-Boris.  Who is Boris?  Boris is the grizzled-looking bearded man who inhabits the crawl-space sized booth on St. Marks Place, which has no formal door, and is demarcated by a giant, filthy Barney stuffed animal, as well as piles upon piles of shoes.  He also happens to be a cobbler par-excellence, and in spite of his deceptively unglamorous surroundings, the man is a living legend in New York, flying to Tokyo twice a year to make shoes and jackets for the runway show of the Japanese line, Undercover.  Boris has inhabited that booth for as long as I can remember, and I first learned about him in 8th grade, when my friends had foot high rainbow raver platforms added to the soles of their Adidas sneakers.  That was over 12 years ago, and little has changed since in that booth, even though the rest of St. Marks has evolved and gentrified unspectacularly around it.

A couple of weeks ago, when I decided that I had to have the Gareth Pugh runway boots made, I knew immediately that I had to go down to pay a visit to Boris.  Bringing a couple of fuzzy stills from the film presentation, I was worried that my demands were too high, and my explanation too shoddy.  After a quick meeting, I was assured that all my requests were not only achievable, but easy.  This is how they did it (with a little of my guidance), all within 2 weeks, and for less than the cost of my new Margiela nail booties.

1.  I started by giving them some pictures of still from from Gareth Pugh's Fall 09 presentation.  Unfortunately, there aren't very many good detail shots available, so we had to use the silhouette shot for the general idea, and then imagine the rest according to how I wanted it to look.

2. For a base, I gave them a pair of old Steve Madden over-the knee boots that I bought 8 years ago, and haven't worn much since.  I was on the verge of getting rid of them before I decided to give them a new life.  This is what those beasts looked like before, set amidst the insanity that is Boris's store.

3. I asked Boris to add a 1 1/2" slanted platform sole to the existing flat sole, and to change the stiletto heal into something more similar to the upside-down conical heel of the Pugh boot.  I also asked him to add a removable 3" cuff to the ankle area of the boot.

4. Most importantly, Boris added 4" of leather to the thigh-high portion of the boot, copying the drastic angular silhouette of the Pugh boot.  To get the silhouette right, he made a cardboard model, which we adjusted in a fitting, and then used it as a stencil for the leather.

-Tiffany