Giuseppe Zanotti

For a lover of statement footwear, the appeal is real. Giuseppe Zanotti built his name on sculptural, crystal- and stone-encrusted heels and, later, leather luxury sneakers, all produced through his own Italian company, Vicini S.p.A. If you want a shoe that reads as jewelry for the feet and you wear it often, the craft justifies the outlay; if you prefer quiet, unadorned designs, the house's ornamental signature may feel like more than you need.

The price reflects Italian manufacturing and a great deal of decorative handwork. Zanotti acquired the Vicini factory in his hometown of San Mauro Pascoli and built specialist departments for heels and ornamental jewels, the oversized crystals and stones that started life in bijoux jewelry-making. When that level of embellishment is applied to a leather shoe, the labor adds up, which is a large part of what you are paying for.

Both are luxury heels, but the houses have different signatures. Louboutin is defined by its red lacquered sole, while Giuseppe Zanotti is best known for sculptural shapes drenched in crystals and colored stones. If your eye is drawn to ornament and a touch of rock-and-roll glamour, Zanotti leans that way; Louboutin is the more codified red-sole statement.

It comes down to how you want to wear the label. A jeweled stiletto or platform is the purest expression of what made Zanotti famous in the 1990s, the ornate heel with oversized crystals. If you live in flats, the leather luxury sneakers the house introduced in 2010, which carry the same crystal embroidery and metal hardware, give you the signature in an everyday shoe.

Sculptural, jeweled heels above all. From the early 1990s Zanotti set out to create a distinct style of footwear that was ornate with oversized crystals and stones usually reserved for costume jewelry. That decorative DNA now runs through the whole house, from stilettos and platforms to the luxury sneakers and the sculptural jewelry line.

Yes. The label is manufactured by Vicini S.p.A., which began as the small Vicini shoe factory in Zanotti's hometown of San Mauro Pascoli in the Emilia Romagna region, an area known for its high-end shoemaking tradition. The company today operates five of its own factories, each specialized in a different phase of luxury shoe production.

He is an Italian luxury footwear and fashion designer, born on 17 April 1957 in San Mauro Pascoli, just outside the seaside resort of Rimini. He has said he was always obsessed with shoes, recalling his mother's pair as the first that impressed him, and in the 1980s he set out to make women's shoes, beginning as a freelance designer before launching his own label.

The eponymous label arrived in 1994, when Zanotti travelled to New York City to present his first collection to a select group of fashion editors and retailers. Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York were among the first luxury stores to pick it up, and the first Giuseppe Zanotti boutique opened in Milan in 2000.

It does. Beyond the sculptural heels and the leather luxury sneakers introduced in 2010, the house produces handbags and leather ready-to-wear. In late 2010 Zanotti also presented his first jewelry collection, inspired by the same decorative elements as his stilettos and platforms, with oversized, sculptural necklaces, bracelets and rings set with crystals and colored stones.

The label distributes through its own boutiques and a network of luxury retailers worldwide. Founding stockists such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods and Harvey Nichols still carry it, and the brand's directly operated boutiques span cities including New York, Paris, London and beyond. Buying through an official boutique or an authorized retailer is the surest way to know a pair is genuine.

Many wearers find the leather sneakers more forgiving than a heel, which is part of why the house pushed into them. Introduced in 2010, they were conceived to meld street style with couture detailing, so you get the crystal embroidery, metal hardware and design contrasts of the heels in a flatter, more wearable form. As with any leather shoe, expect a short break-in and try your usual size first.

Luxury footwear typically moves to markdown at the close of each season, so the windows after spring/summer and autumn/winter are when selection thins but value improves. If a specific jeweled style or sneaker is the goal, buy it in season while sizes are intact; if you are flexible, the end-of-season period is the natural moment to look. Always confirm you are buying from the brand or an authorized seller.