Darmaki goes feet first into Paris Fashion Week

The London-based Emirati shoe brand Darmaki, created by the Abu Dhabi-born Sultan Rashed Al Darmaki, returned to London Fashion Week, with a second showing with Toujouri during Paris Fashion Week, after a self-imposed hiatus to freshen up the design.

The spring/summer season's shoes have some of the luxury of previous collections as well as simpler pieces, including nude and python-skin pumps.

And while last season was Ottoman-inspired, this time it is all about the baroque styles of Imperial Russia, with laser-cut curlicues in red, orange, silver, jade, black and gold, and gold or silver piping on purple and jade sandals with bold ankle straps. The trademark laser-cut pattern makes an appearance in strong black over nude leather.

With thicker heels and lower platforms (often completely hidden in a peep-toe pump), it's a more sophisticated take on the Darmaki style: there simply isn't as much to prove this time round.

But there are innovations, too, such as pumps that look like gilded stingrays and made of soft basketball leather in silver-tinged coral and pistachio. Lovely and saleable, they might just help hit the collection right out of the ballpark.

ALL DRESSED UP

The National's fashion correspondent Gemma Champ is writing every day from Paris Fashion Week. See our fashion blog All Dressed Up to read her posts, as well as her letters from London and New York.