Selling Soles: Pop mistress snags McQueen armadillos

30 July 2015 - 02:03 By Olivia Lidbury, ©The Daily Telegraph

Pop superstar Lady Gaga has added a rare, significant - and costly - haul to her Alexander McQueen collection. The eccentric singer was the winning bidder on three pairs of armadillo boots which were part of the late designer's last collection, recently auctioned by Christie's.All profits from the sale went to Unicef to support the organisation's efforts in Nepal.Each pair, which were featured in the spring/summer 2010 Plato's Atlantis show but never went on sale, had a guide price of $10,000 (about R130,000). But Gaga was determined to possess all three and bid up to $295,000 for ownership.Made in Italy from wood and python leather, the unusual shoes were christened ''armadillo" due to their form and armour-like appearance. Only 21 more pairs have ever been produced.It came as little surprise that pop queen Gaga, 29, secured the winning bid.In 2012 she paid roughly R1.7-million for a McQueen gown owned by Daphne Guinness, creating a new world record for the designer...

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