Shoes

Discover our carefully curated selection of pre owned shoes: pumps, boots, ballet flats, sneakers, loafers, sandals, mules and rare archive footwear from the world's most celebrated houses. Every piece is hand-evaluated by our team on avenue Louise and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Because great vintage footwear is not a category aside from fashion, it is the most technically demanding, most personally intimate and most enduringly significant object in the luxury wardrobe.

Our shoe philosophy: why the right pre-owned shoe is the most considered purchase in luxury fashion

There is a particular quality of attention that shoes require and reward that no other fashion category quite matches. A bag can be admired from across a room; a coat announces its presence to everyone in a street. But a shoe is experienced differently, it is felt from the inside out, in the way it holds the foot, shapes the gait, alters the posture and mediates the relationship between body and ground with every step. The person who wears a great shoe inhabits a different relationship to their own body than the person wearing a merely adequate one, and this intimacy; this private experience of quality; is precisely what the finest vintage shoes offer at their best.

At Les Enfants d'Edouard, our vintage shoe selection is built around the conviction that the finest footwear ever produced is available not in current boutique collections but in the archive of the past century of shoemaking; if you know where to look, how to evaluate what you find, and who to trust to do so on your behalf. A pair of Manolo Blahnik strappy heels from the early 2000s. A Gucci Horsebit loafer in solid-metal hardware from the 1970s. A pair of Celine square-toe mules from Phoebe Philo's most creative seasons. A Rick Owens Geobasket in black calfskin from its first production years. A Chanel two-tone slingback in immaculate condition. Each of these represents design intelligence and material quality that its house has not consistently maintained at every subsequent price point and production scale and each is available in our selection for a new owner who will understand and appreciate what they are acquiring.

We source our footwear from European collectors, private consignors and estates. We authenticate every pair using a rigorous multi-point methodology developed across years of specialist expertise. We grade every pair for condition honestly, in full, with photographs and descriptions that reveal rather than conceal. And we present our selection in a boutique environment where shoes can be tried on, walked in and evaluated in person, because no other method of shoe evaluation is fully adequate.

Our footwear categories

Pumps

From the classic stiletto to the considered block heel, from the kitten heel to the most architecturally sculptural statement constructions: our pump selection spans Manolo Blahnik, Saint Laurent, Valentino Rockstud, Alaïa and the archive heels of Chanel, Dior and the Italian houses. Fashion's most concentrated expression of the relationship between footwear and the body.

Boots

Ankle boots, knee-highs, over-the-knee, combat constructions, Chelsea boots and the most architecturally ambitious forms in the category: from the Celine Philo-era square-toe ankle boot to the Saint Laurent thigh-high in soft leather, from the Rick Owens lace-up combat to the Maison Margiela Tabi. Fashion's most silhouette-defining shoe category.

Ballet flats

The Chanel two-tone slingback, the Repetto stitch-and-return ballerina, the Prada grosgrain bow flat and the archive ballet flats of the great French and Italian houses. Not a compromise, one of fashion's most enduring and most intelligent design propositions.

Sneakers

The Prada America's Cup, the Balenciaga Triple S, the Rick Owens Geobasket, the Comme des Garçons Play x Converse collaborations and the archive luxury sneakers that defined the most significant shift in luxury footwear in fashion history. Culturally loaded, actively collected, genuinely wearable.

Loafers

The Gucci Horsebit loafer in solid-metal hardware, the Prada Monolith platform, the Tod's Gommino driving shoe, the precisely lasted leather loafers of The Row and Jil Sander. One of fashion history's most enduring and most versatile designs, resolved here at the highest level of material intelligence.

Sandals

The Hermès Oran flat, the Manolo Blahnik strappy evening sandal, the Valentino Rockstud sandal, platform styles from the great Italian houses and the most architecturally ambitious evening constructions from across our selection. Warm-weather design excellence across the full range of the category.

Mules

The Bottega Veneta padded mule, the Celine square-toe flat, The Attico Devon block-heel, the archive heeled mules of Gucci and Saint Laurent. The shoe category that defined a decade and continues to define the most sophisticated contemporary approach to everyday luxury footwear.

The houses represented in our shoe selection

Chanel

The two-tone beige-and-black slingback, the classic black ballet flat, the quilted cap-toe pump and the archive evening footwear of the Lagerfeld era. Chanel shoes apply the same optical intelligence to footwear that the Classic Flap brings to bags, using proportion and colour contrast to achieve effects that pure heel height alone cannot.

Manolo Blahnik

The BB, the Hangisi, the Chaos, the archive of one of footwear's greatest designers, whose understanding of how a heel's placement affects the entire body's posture has produced some of the most technically sophisticated shoes in fashion history. Archive Blahnik in excellent condition is consistently among the most sought-after footwear in our selection.

Saint Laurent

The Tribute stiletto, the knee-high and over-the-knee boots in soft leather, the Kate sandal and the archive shoes of the house across multiple creative eras, from the founding YSL period through the Slimane and Vaccarello reinterpretations. The house's footwear is consistently among the most wearable and most design-significant in our selection.

Valentino

The Rockstud pump and sandal; the hardware-driven design that defined a decade; from the first collections (2010–2013) in nude leather and the earliest seasonal colorways. Also the archive formal footwear of the Valentino Garavani couture era, representing some of the most technically accomplished shoe construction in our selection.

Gucci

The Horsebit loafer in solid-metal hardware from before 2000, the Monolith platform and the archive shoes of the house across the Tom Ford and Alessandro Michele eras. Gucci's shoe archive is one of the richest and most varied in our selection, spanning seven decades of Italian shoemaking at the highest level.

Bottega Veneta

Daniel Lee's padded mule and square-toe boot; the most culturally significant footwear of the 2019–2021 period; alongside the archive footwear of the Tomas Maier era. Both represent exceptional material quality and design significance at secondary market prices that still undervalue their historical importance.

Celine

The square-toe mule and ankle boot from the Phoebe Philo era; perhaps the most sought-after vintage footwear category in contemporary fashion at any price point; alongside the more restrained and equally excellent shoes of the Slimane era. Philo-era Celine shoes are among the most actively traded pieces in our entire footwear selection.

Rick Owens

The Geobasket sneaker in black calfskin and the archive lace-up constructions, some of the most architecturally distinctive and most devoted-collector-focused footwear in our selection. Early Rick Owens footwear in excellent condition is increasingly rare and commands significant premiums on the secondary market.

Maison Margiela

The Tabi; the split-toe boot and shoe that has been in continuous production since 1989; in its earliest iterations and in the most sought-after archival leathers and colourways. Also the German Army Trainer reinterpretations and the Replica series that applies Margiela's conceptual approach to footwear history.

The Attico

The Devon block-heel mule and the Friday flat mule, the two footwear designs that established The Attico's reputation as the most glamorous and most wearable Italian luxury newcomer of the 2010s. First-season examples in limited colorways are consistently among the most sought-after pieces in our contemporary footwear selection.

How we authenticate every shoe we sell

Every pair of shoes in our selection undergoes the same rigorous seven-point evaluation before being offered for sale.

1. Label and authentication marker verification

The brand name, size marking, country of manufacture and any serial number or production code on the insole or heel are verified against our database of confirmed authentic examples for the specific house and era.

2. Leather and material assessment

Upper leather quality; grain regularity, suppleness, natural scent, colour consistency; is assessed by hand and eye. Suede nap evenness, patent leather condition and the quality of any fabric or technical material uppers are assessed specifically for each material type.

3. Sole and heel assessment

Sole condition (outer sole wear pattern, any delamination), heel condition (tip condition, structural integrity, any lean for stilettos), and any previous resoling or heel repair are assessed and disclosed.

4. Construction analysis

The quality of stitching, the integrity of the welt where sole meets upper, the condition of any closures or hardware, and the overall structural integrity of the shoe's construction are assessed throughout.

5. Interior condition

The insole or footbed condition, the interior lining quality and cleanliness, and any imprinting from previous wear that might affect fit for a new owner are assessed and disclosed.

6. Condition grading

We grade every pair for condition; Unworn/Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good; and document all wear points, any repairs, and any condition factors that affect wearability, with complete honesty.

7. Wearability assessment

We specifically assess whether every pair of shoes is genuinely wearable by a new owner, distinguishing between shoes that are immediately wearable, those that require minor intervention (resoling, conditioning), and those that are primarily collectible rather than functional.

Our guarantee: at Les Enfants d'Edouard, we guarantee the authenticity and honest representation of every shoe we sell. Every pair comes with our certificate of authenticity, a detailed condition description, and 14 days to return if the piece does not meet your expectations.

Comprehensive shoe size conversion guide

The essential guide to pre-owned shoe sizing

Pre-owned shoe sizing requires more careful attention than any other vintage garment category, for several reasons that compound each other. First, sizing conventions differ significantly across countries and eras; Italian sizing (used by the majority of luxury footwear producers) runs approximately half a size smaller than French or German sizing for the same foot length, and both run differently from UK and US sizing in ways that vary across shoe categories. Second, vintage shoes pre-dating 1980 frequently run significantly smaller than their marked equivalent today. Third, different shoe constructions require different sizing approaches: pointed-toe pumps require sizing up relative to round-toe styles; stiletto heels cause the foot to slide forward and may require sizing up half a size relative to flat shoes; mules and sandals may need to be sized differently from enclosed shoes of the same last. Fourth, shoes that have been worn by a previous owner have shaped to that owner's specific foot, this shaping may or may not be compatible with a differently dimensioned foot. We provide insole length measurements for every pair in our selection and strongly recommend using this measurement, compared against your own foot length, rather than any size designation.

The vintage shoe investment guide

Vintage footwear occupies a complex position in the secondary luxury market: some categories (archive designer sneakers, Maison Margiela Tabi from early production) are tracked and traded with the same intensity as the most sought-after bags; others (ballet flats, classic leather loafers) are valued more for their practical utility than their speculative appreciation potential. Understanding which vintage shoes represent the most compelling investment propositions requires the same combination of knowledge, taste and market awareness that applies to any other category of luxury collecting.

The most consistently appreciating categories in vintage footwear are: archive designer sneakers in first-edition colorways (Balenciaga Triple S, Rick Owens Geobasket, Prada America's Cup); Maison Margiela Tabi from early production years in the most desirable leathers; Celine Philo-era mules and boots, which now trade above or at original retail for the finest examples; Gucci Horsebit loafers in solid-metal hardware from before 2000, whose secondary market value continues to grow as the design's historical importance is recognised; and archive evening shoes from the great designers (Manolo Blahnik, Alaïa, Valentino Rockstud first seasons) in documented excellent condition.

For those wishing to sell shoes from their collection, we offer an expert consignment service across all the categories and houses represented in our selection.

Our shoe selection in Brussels, avenue Louise

Our boutique Les Enfants d'Édouard, 175 avenue Louise, 1050 Brussels, carries a continuously updated selection of vintage footwear across all categories, sourced from European collectors and private consignors. We receive new pieces throughout the week and update our online selection regularly.

We welcome you Tuesday to Saturday to try pieces in person; the only adequate way to evaluate a shoe; and receive specialist advice on sizing, condition and styling. For focused searches, we offer private appointments outside regular opening hours during which our team can prepare a pre-selected range based on your specific requirements, size and preferences.

Care and maintenance: the universal principles for pre-owned footwear

Shoe trees: use cedar shoe trees in every pair of shoes after every wear. This is the single most important maintenance action available for leather footwear; shoe trees absorb moisture, maintain the last shape, prevent creasing and extend the shoe's life more effectively than any other intervention. Every pair of shoes in our selection benefits from shoe trees during storage.

Conditioning: condition leather shoes periodically; approximately twice a year for shoes in regular use; with a colourless leather cream appropriate to the specific leather type. Over-conditioning is counterproductive; the goal is to nourish and protect the leather, not to saturate it.

Resoling: have leather-soled shoes resoled before the sole wears through to the welt. This is a standard cobbler's procedure that costs very little and extends the shoe's life by decades. Heel tips on stiletto heels should be replaced as soon as they show significant wear; worn-through tips can damage the steel core irreparably.

Storage: store shoes in individual dust bags or their original boxes, never stacked or piled. Keep away from direct sunlight and heat, which can dry and crack leather and fade dyes. For boots, use boot shapers or stuffing to prevent shaft collapse during storage.

Cleaning: clean leather with a soft brush or slightly damp cloth for surface dust. For more significant cleaning, use products specifically formulated for the relevant leather type. Suede should be brushed with a suede brush after each wear. Never use household cleaning products on leather footwear.

Frequently asked questions about our shoe selection

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• ✓ Guaranteed authentication: every piece certified
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• ✓ Boutique at 175 Avenue Louise: 1050 Brussels