IS THIS THE HOTTEST SHOE TREND EVER?

IN THIS CRAZY modern world, in which luxury fashion encompasses everything from Prada’s giant paperclip to Moschino’s plastic-bag dress – what room is there for innovation? Plenty, judging by Jimmy Choo’s latest venture. In an inspired move as we head into winter, the shoe brand has just launched the world’s first self-heating boot, with a temperaturecontrolled insole operated from your phone. ‘ Wearable technology is still in its infancy, but I’m always keen to explore innovation,’ says creative director Sandra Choi. ‘ We asked ourselves: what tasks 

would you have your shoes fulfil? Heating seemed like the ultimate luxury.’

Charged with trying them out for the day, I can only ask: where were Voyager boots in winter 2016, when I, supposedly a vibrant Millennial woman, got such cold toes that I developed chilblains, an uncomfortable condition last heard of in Victorian literature? With feet that from September to March remain reliably icy – so cold that I sometimes suspect they’re the reason why I’m single – I couldn’t be better qualified to test the Voyagers.

A sturdy but elegant lace-up boot with a thick-grip sole, this is proper winter footwear for city dwellers; on external design alone, I can see they’ll come in handy when I’m navigating icy pavements. But what of the intriguing tech? The heating, which works for up to eight hours, is controlled via Bluetooth from an app on your phone. But first, you need to charge them up, which is why, hidden under the ankle flaps, is a port that connects to a USB charger. It’s unusual to see my boots blinking green alongside my phone and laptop, but this is how we roll in 2018.

Feeling reckless, I wear them with a mididress and bare legs – because who needs tights when you’ve got central heating? They’re shearling-lined, so are warm before I even switch them on. On the rush-hour train, surrounded by unsuspecting strangers wearing their sadly low-tech footwear, I take out my phone and ramp up the temperature from 25 degrees to the tropical upper limit of 45 degrees. Within moments, my toes start to feel cosy – and I start to feel deeply smug.

Are heated boots something I’d ever longed for before? No, but now that I’ve road-tested them, you’ll have to prise them off my cold, Victorian feet.