Worm eats apple. Bird eats worm. Woman hunts bird, stuffs it, and turns it into a high priced pair of pumps. It's the new circle of life, apparently.
Divya Anantharaman's love of taxidermy is no secret. The Brooklyn-based designer debuted her dead animal obsession on TLC's My Strange Addiction and discussed scavenging for dead creatures off the streets of New York and filling her apartment with the prepared bodies and skulls of birds, mice, deer, rabbits -- even a lone monkey head.
See also: Cecilia Valentine Creates Live Animal Accessories
Now her deceased critters are taking to the catwalk in a new line of taxidermy footwear. At the Bedford + Bowery Bazaar in New York, Anantharaman gave a sneak peek at her first line of lifelike shoes, which featured a set of six-inch sparrow heels with silver scales, feathers, quartz crystals, and, yes, actual dead sparrows.
The shoe line is set to be released this fall, with each pair costing $2,500 to $3,000, and is geared for more high-end occasions such at the Met gala or simply as statement pieces in the home.
In order to win the approval of her future customers, Anantharaman plans to downplay the odor of dead animal by infusing the soles of the shoes with perfume oil -- because obviously that's the only thing stopping us from wearing them.
While recycling animals into fashion is certainly nothing new, there's something about seeing faces on your feet that takes couture to a whole new level of creepy.
