Terry de Havilland Does Couture
Published 24 months ago
Terry and Liz de Havilland talk about their new bespoke range, nearly 50 years in shoemaking and collaborating with Swarovski.
- Text by Mimi Haddon
Terry and Liz de Havilland have some plans up their sleeves that involve a new couture range launched last week and reclaiming control of Terry de Havilland, the name. Dazed talk to the master and mistress of the platform shoes about fetish Morris dancers and offending the cloth.
Dazed Digital: What made you want to hand over the reign to the customer?
Terry and Liz de Havilland: We’ve always done it but no one knew about it. We like working with customers, it’s what it’s all about. We set out the template then discuss ideas, pick fabrics, colours – it’s very hands-on in that sense.
DD: Have you had any orders in yet?
Terry de Havilland: I’m working with Shingai from the Noisettes and we’ve got quite a lot of unconventional brides – one bride wants a black and red wedge with tattoo detail for her wedding.
DD: Tell us about the collaboration with Swarovski
Terry and Liz de Havilland: Recently we made some shoes for Martin Gore from Depeche Mode. He wanted creepers but they’re not flexible enough on stage so we decided on a crystal creeper! It shouldn’t work but it does! We’ve done them with different coloured stones – holographic aurora borealis, a silver pair and marine green. Everyone wanted a pair, even Dirt Box - that Soho character - he looked really Clockwork Orange, really sinister. You wouldn’t imagine that they could look tough but they do.
DD: What’s your inspiration?
Terry de Havilland: Every culture! It’s my 50th year of shoe design next year, I’m 71 years old, I’ve been making shoes forever so I’ve gone through all the cultures. When I was 5 my Dad made black market shoes during the last world war and his customers were Windmill girls. All these women would come in with ankle straps, I guess that’s why I do so many ankle straps, it’s in my psyche.
DD: Why do you think your shoes appeal to musicians?
Terry de Havilland: It’s about performance. It’s always been theatrical, not for the faint-hearted.
Liz de Havilland: We have a lot of fun with it. We’ve been played around with piercing jewellery recently, with William Llewelln Griffiths. We tried nipple shields just because they look so kind of cool on the back of a shoe. It’s funny, you get all these lovely ladies saying, ‘oh, that’s a nice piece of jewellery...’ It’s kind of subversive.
Do you think feet attract a lusty crowd?
Liz de Havilland: Well, we’re not scared of bank managers; we know what they get up to.
Terry de Havilland: When we got into fetish we couldn’t understand why we had orders for size 8s, then we realised it was because boys wanted them. When I had a factory in Whitechapel, they used to come down from the City and try something on, knee high boots usually. We don’t get as many men these days, although Jodie Harsh is one of my muses. Miss Kimberley once told us we’d be "amazed at what trannies can get into with ice cubes and butter."
DD: Who has been your strangest customer?
Terry and Liz de Havilland: Apparently the Pope was so unhappy with his shoes that he sacked the ancient Papal tailors and requested a new one. I was recommended but quickly rejected. They must have Googled me. We also had fetish Morris dancers - the D rings were perfect for hanging their bells on...
