A Match Made in Heaven

When Dune announced that they would be launching a collaboration with my favourite designer, Rupert Sanderson, I was absolutely thrilled. Combined Dune and Rupert Sanderson make up a quarter of my shoe collection, with good reason too, both brands offer what I look for in shoes, that magical combination of beauty, comfort and (relative) value for money. Knowing Rupert, he would only put his name to something that was worthy of his name, so expectations were understandably high. While I love so many styles in this collection, I have followed my head and only permitted myself two pieces, so I would welcome anybody who owns a pair of these or Rupert’s main collection to provide opinions on this too!

Dune London’s first major collaboration, and who better to work with than Rupert Sanderson?

The Dune Loves Rupert Sanderson comprises of four styles of high heels, a flat sandal, a low court and one bag, which is quite a small collection but it’s quality that’s more important. Manufacturing the collection in China allows the pricing of the collection is very appealing to Rupert Sanderson regulars with shoes starting at £145, and the bag £99, though this puts the collection above Dune Black prices. Most of the shoes in this collection are signature Rupert understated elegance, and take elements and inspiration from both his classic and seasonal lines, and have the potential to offer good value for money since the designs are nothing like what Dune have offered ever before. This being a first collaboration of its kind for Dune, understandably it has been very limited release and only the flagships will hold stock.

The well worn catalogue of daffodils from which Rupert takes names for his designs. The Pierre style can be seen in the lookbook below.

Each design in typical Rupert Sanderson tradition has been named after a daffodil, at £99 the Romance bag was too good too turn down, Rupert’s bags have always proven to be great investments so this should be good. Romance is available in a black, red, silver and gold all made from satin with gold embellishment, I chose silver as this promises to be a versatile piece which can accessorise a good number of outfits. It was a little frustrating to find the bag is quite small – similar to a small McQueen Knuckle Duster – that not even a modern smartphone can fit in, so careful planning will be required when taking this bag out. Getting up close the satin isn’t quite the same quality as Rupert Sanderson would expect, I can definitely see the grain on it, also the hinge is just slightly off. There appears to be some fraying happening, however the decorative features do look a little western inspired and may be a deliberate feature.

Romance the bag in the Dune loves Rupert Sanderson collection

It’s a little smaller than expected, my (rather large) iPhone 7 Plus definitely won’t fit. Also the satin fabric appears frayed in the close up, though I think that’s part of the style.

With enough wild shoes in my collection already, it was time to take the opportunity to grab a classic shoe at a really competitive price. Ella, a point toe court is essentially a high version of Rupert’s Pierre from his classic collection, and comes in nude and black. A workplace staple which can easily be dressed both up and down of this quality and design can rarely be found at £160. After getting to know Ella a bit more, they really do not disappoint! The Kid leather is soft from the first wear and comfortable straight away, and will only get even better with age, they’re relatively high coming in at 10cm (3.9 inches), yet feel like they’re half that height. The toe box is unique to this style, and is closer to some of Rupert’s newer styles, so those with longer toes may want to go up a size.

The moment of truth! My Ellas finally here! I loved them so much I actually wore them out the shop!

Had to take some nice pictures before wearing them!

The heel shape is clearly inspired by Pierre from Rupert’s classic line. The toebox (right) is a new style with a slight duck bill appearance, it’s a little narrower than a lot of Rupert’s styles though totally normal for Dune shoes

On the whole this is a fun collection, it’s got some great designs and hopefully will open up a new audience for Rupert Sanderson. So far quality can match the shoes from Rupert Sanderson’s own factory in Italy, though only time will tell how these shoes will fare. I fear that this collection will be a one-off for Rupert but if he changes his mind, then I’ll be first in line for this next adventure onto the high street.