Top 10 Most Expensive Shoes Ever

Stuart Weitzman is the man behind some of the most expensive shoes ever made.
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Iconic shoe designer Stuart Weitzman is known for his sumptuous style and sophisticated designs using rare and unique materials. Having designed shoes for celebrities and Oscar red carpet runways, Weitzman is also known for creating some of the world's most expensive shoes -- well eight of the top 10 anyway. The other two pairs on our list should come as no surprise. One is the world's most well known pair of shoes and the other pays homage to the famous heels that helped click a Hollywood icon home. Packed full of diamonds and rare gemstones, these shoes will dazzle your eyes and drain your wallet. For full effect, read aloud in your best Robin Leach imitation.

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10: Stuart Weitzman Diamond Dream Stilettos

The Diamond Dream stilettos worn by Anika Noni Rose at the 2007 Oscars feature 30 carats worth of diamonds.
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If diamonds really are a girl's best friend, these shoes must have walked right out of one of Marilyn Monroe's dreams. Created for the 2007 Oscars and the feet of "Dreamgirls" actress, Anika Noni Rose, Stuart Weitzman's Diamond Dream stilettos are delicate but scream glamour! The shoes, valued the least expensive of the famous designers Oscar creations at $500,000, are studded with 1,420 diamonds. The sandal-style stilettos feature two bands of diamond-encrusted circles at the top of each foot, inspired by the timeless circles collection from Kwiat (rhymes with "Fiat") diamonds where the 30 carats were purchased. The shoes also have a simple silver band across the toes, adding to the delicateness of these sparkly creations. You won't be able to take your eyes off of them.

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9: Original Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz"

Just three pairs of the iconic ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz remain.
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The famous shoes that clicked their heels and found their home at No. 9 on our list are one of three known surviving pairs. The last pair of Judy Garland's famous ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" to be sold at Christie's auction house to a private owner fetched a whopping $612,000. Another pair was set for sale in late 2011 at the Icons of Hollywood Auction, but with a starting bid of $2 million they failed to receive any bids. The third pair is on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of History in Washington, D.C., where you can drool over the fancy footwear free-of-charge. A fourth pair was part of the collection at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., but was stolen in a smash-and-grab heist in 2005, and has yet to be recovered.

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8: Stuart Weitzman "Marilyn Monroe" Shoes

Marilyn Monroe once owned the Swarovski crystal earrings that are now part of these $1 million Stuart Weitzman heels.
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These elegant, nude evening shoes are adorned with a satin rose, which surrounds a cluster of shimmering Swarovski crystals. But these aren't just any Swarovski crystals -- they're a pair of earrings once owned and treasured by Marilyn Monroe. Actress Regina King wore the shoes to the 2005 Oscars, when she was nominated for her role in the movie "Ray." After the red carpet event, Weitzman replaced Marilyn's earrings with replicas and auctioned off the shoes in the Celebrity Rags 4 Charity Riches auction, where the shoes sold for $1 million.

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7: Stuart Weitzman Retro Rose Pumps

Screenwriter Diablo Cody turned down the chance to wear these $1 million shoes to the 2008 Oscars.
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These retro heels Weitzman designed in a 1940s style with a signature t-strap of that era are valued at $1 million. The rose ornaments on the toes are made of 100 carats of 1,800 Kwiat diamonds. Aside from the rose ornaments, there are 400 more Kwiat diamonds incorporated into the shoes themselves. These heels created quite a stir at the 2008 Oscars when Weitzman selected screenwriter Diablo Cody, nominee for best original screenplay for her movie "Juno," to wear the shoes. Cody, who won the Oscar that night, refused to wear the shoes and told reporters that being selected to wear the shoes was a "cheesy publicity stunt."

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6: Stuart Weitzman Platinum Guild Stilettos

Laura Herring arrives in (expensive) style to the 74th Oscars in 2002.
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These gorgeous strappy stilettos were styled from platinum fabric and adorned with a whopping 464 diamonds supplied by jeweler Kwiat. The round and pear-shaped diamonds were designed to be removable so they could also be worn as jewelry. These were the first million dollar shoes to be created for an Oscar nominee to wear on the big night, and lucky "Mulholland Drive" actress Laura Harring was chosen for the honor. With a price tag of $1.09 million, you wouldn't want to be the one to step on her toes.

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5: Stuart Weitzman Ruby Slippers

These red gems also spent some time on display in Tokyo in 2003.
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Valued at $1.6 million, these "Wizard of Oz"-inspired heels are more couture than Kansas. The sophisticated stilettos were designed with a cherry red insole, replete with a delicate upper of red satin and encrusted with an impressive 642 Burma rubies. The settings alone contain half a pound of platinum and boast a total carat count of 123.33. These dazzling delights were scheduled to make their red carpet debut in 2003, but were shelved because of the sober mood due to the war in Iraq. They came out of the closet later that year for display at Harrod's in London.

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4: Stuart Weitzman Tanzanite Heels

These stunning shoes were a design collaboration between Weitzman and high-end jewelry designer Eddie Le Vian. The evening sandals were crafted from silver leather and topped with an ankle strap that more closely resembles a necklace worn by royalty than an ankle holster. Encrusted with 185 carats of gorgeous bright blue tanzanite gemstones and embellished with 28 carats of diamonds, the ankle strap is crowned with a dangling 16 carat tanzanite drop -- think pendant on a necklace. A delicate toe strap trimmed with tiny diamonds rounds out the design. And for a cool $2 million, they can be all yours.

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3: Stuart Weitzman Cinderella Slippers

Priced at $2 million, they may not be made of glass, but they certainly contain a lot of ice.
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Inspired by the peasant-turned-princess Cinderella, these sparkly shoes were made of Italian leather. The ankle and toe straps were crafted into an intricate lacelike design created from 565 Kwiat diamonds in platinum settings. The right slipper hosts a rare, 5 carat amaretto diamond that alone is valued at more than a million dollars -- and provides the only sliver of color in the shoes. Country singer Alison Krauss was the lucky princess to wear the slippers to the 2004 Oscars. The 4-inch clear stiletto heels were designed to disappear, leaving the masses of glittering diamonds in the limelight.

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2: Stuart Weitzman Rita Hayworth Heels

Singer Kathleen "Bird" York wore these expensive stunners to the 2006 Oscars.
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The aptly named Rita Hayworth heels were inspired by a favorite pair of earrings worn by the late actress. The open-toed heels were created from rust-colored satin (that would be called burnt sienna if it were a Crayola) and adorned with rubies, sapphires and diamonds nested in a satin ruffle at the toe. These beauties are worth a staggering $3 million, but they're not for sale -- they're owned by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Rita Hayworth's daughter.

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1: Harry Winston Ruby Slippers

In 1989 Ronald Winston, son of the famous jewelry designer Harry Winston, wanted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz" in the most opulent way. After two months of tediously placing 4,600 rubies, the House of Harry Winston unveiled its own version of the famous ruby slippers from the classic film. The over-the-top shoes not only boast 1,350 carats of rubies, but also 50 carats of diamonds to really put them in a category all their own. With a price tag of $3 million, they are far more lavish than the original shoes, which were adorned only with simple red sequins. They could, however, be surpassed in value one day by a real pair of the ruby slippers.

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Related Articles

  • Associated Press. "'Juno' Writer Diablo Cody Rejects $1M Diamond-Encrusted Stuart Weitzman Shoes." Fox News. Feb. 25, 2008. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,332356,00.html
  • "Item 639: Judy Garland 'Dorothy Gale' screen-worn ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz." Profiles in History. Dec. 16, 2011. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://bid.profilesinhistory.com/Judy-Garland-Dorothy-Gale-screen-worn-ruby-slippers-from-The-Wizard-of-Oz_i11537055
  • Kindelan, Katie. "'Wizard of Oz' Ruby Slippers Could Be Yours." ABC News. Sept. 23, 2011. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/09/wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-could-be-yours/
  • Lee, Lisa. "Cinderella Krauss Tries On Her Slippers." Cmt.com, February 27, 2007.http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1485404/cinderella-krauss-tries-on-her-slippers.jhtml
  • "Memorabilia from two Hollywood icons auctioned." NewsAhead. Dec. 15, 2011. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://www.newsahead.com/preview/2011/12/15/united-states-15-dec-2011-memorabilia-from-two-hollywood-icons-auctioned-/index.php
  • "Most Expensive Shoes: Stuart Weitzman." Newluxuryitems.com, 2010.http://www.newluxuryitems.com/most-expensive-shoes-stuart-weitzman.html
  • "Shoes Created Exclusively for the Oscars." Stuart Weitzman. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://international.stuartweitzman.com/about/theoscars.aspx#
  • "Stepping on gold: The world's most expensive shoes." Megaking.com, January 11, 2010.http://www.megaking.com/?p=208
  • "Stuart Weitzman Announces Anika Noni Rose to Wear Diamond Dream Shoe to the 79th Annual Academy Awards." PR News Wire. Feb. 23, 2007. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stuart-weitzman-announces-anika-noni-rose-to-wear-diamond-dream-shoe-to-the-79th-annual-academy-awardsr-58068727.html
  • "Stuart Weitzman Diamond Shoes Worn by Academy Award Performer Alison Krauss." Ruggedelegantliving.com, 2010. http://www.ruggedelegantliving.com/sf/a/002363.html
  • "Stuart Weitzman - Most Expensive Women's Shoes." Lifeofluxury.com, July 24, 2008.http://www.thelifeofluxury.com/stuart-weitzman-most-expensive-womens-shoes/
  • "Style Watch." People. March 7, 2005. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20147040,00.html
  • Tanzanite, the birthstone." Tanzanitefoundation.com, 2010.http://www.tanzanitefoundation.com/tanzanite_birth.htm
  • "'The Wizard of Oz' ruby slippers head to auction." CBS News. Sept. 28, 2011. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20112739-10391698.html
  • "Top 10 Most Expensive Shoes in the World." Pastryshoescollection.com, January 6, 2009.http://www.pastryshoescollection.com/2009/01/06/top-10-most-expensive-shoes-in-the-world/
  • Tschorn, Adam. "All The Rage." LA Times. Sept. 22, 2011. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2011/09/screen-worn-ruby-slippers-from-the-wizard-of-oz-to-hit-the-auction-block.html
  • "Weitzman's Million Dollar Shoe On Ice For 2010 Oscars." Blog.taragana.com, December 22, 2009.http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/12/22/weitzmans-million-dollar-shoe-on-ice-for-2010-oscars-72535/
  • "World's Most Expensive Shoes." Yahoo News. Oct. 6, 2011. (Dec. 23, 2011) http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/galleries/g/10414536/world-s-most-expensive-shoes/10414553/

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