How high? Extreme shoes at Harvey Nichols

SJP donned a pair throughout the Sex and The City promo, fashion editors around the globe rave about them, and for one day only, ladies in Manchester were given the chance to get their manicured mitts on a pair of Nicholas Kirkwood shoes.

Normally, the vertigo-inducing platforms don’t stray from the hip and prestigious London department stores and boutiques. On Tuesday though, Harvey Nichols treated their VVIP clients to a try-before-you-buy afternoon, but not before introducing Mr Kirkwood to us journos over brunch.

With heels exceeding five inches and an aesthetic that’s as fierce as you like, Kirkwood's self-confessed “extreme shoes” aren't for the faint-hearted.

He told of his days spent working for the hat-extraordinaire, Philip Treacy (“mainly sleeping behind the till”) and lodging at the late Isabella Blow’s house.

“I’ve always tried to avoid rehashing vintage shoes, and as Philip Treacy used to say, ‘not celebrating mediocrity’,” Kirkwood told us.

And mediocre these shoes certainly are not. Although they're more divisive than Marmite, everyone will agree that they’ll get you noticed on a night out. Bereft of a Browns, Libertys, or anything akin to Dover Street Market, being unique takes a little more effort up north.

With this in mind, every fashionista worth her salt will no doubt clamour to pay £600-plus for the Victorian-esque and screen printed shoes to go with that Abu Dhabi tan.

For the rest of us, we’ll have to keep our shoe-envy in check and make do with the copies Topshop et al churn out, telling ourselves that our ankles are all the more safer.