The Jimmy Choos you are meant to get muddy

By Rebecca Camber for the Daily Mail
Updated:


Jimmy Choo wellies

Glam: Wellies costing £235 made by Hunter and Jimmy Choo

After spending £235 on a pair of shoes, most of us would be very careful not to walk through any puddles. But that's exactly what Jimmy Choo is encouraging women to do.

The shoemaker - which is better known for its strappy red carpet numbers - has teamed up with traditional boot-maker Hunter to produce the most fashionable wellies ever.

More than 4,000 fashionistas have already joined a waiting list for the boots, which go on sale on June 22.

The new design is quite a departure for Hunter, which was founded in 1856 by an American entrepreneur who moved to Scotland.

Its famous green wellies, designed for walking in the country's rugged terrain, are a favourite of the Queen's.

However, it is unlikely that the practical - and parsimonious - monarch would choose the limited edition Choo version for pheasant shoots at Balmoral.

The luxurious boots are made of glossy black rubber embossed with signature Jimmy Choo crocodile print.

They have a gold buckle on the top and a distinctive leopard-print lining which is repeated on the inside of their presentation box.

Jimmy Choo president Tamara Mellon said she had been inspired by stylish festival-goers such as model Kate Moss, who created a storm when she wore her old Hunters with hotpants to Glastonbury in 2005.

'I was inspired by images from the festivals of the hip Brit girls in their wellies,' Miss Mellon said.

Elizabeth Hurley
Kate Moss

Liz Hurley wearing the Jimmy Choo and Hunter wellies for a Tatler photoshoot, and Kate Moss at Glastonbury in Hunter boots in 2005

'This led to our collaboration with Hunter to produce a sleek interpretation of the British classic.'

Liz Hurley has been photographed wearing the new designer version - in a photoshoot to accompany an article in Tatler magazine about the sexiness of country life - and U.S. television star and style icon Rachel Bilson has also been spotted in them.

Since the waiting list opened a fortnight ago, a recession-busting £1million worth of orders have been taken.

Hunter chairman Peter Mullen said: 'We are delighted to work with Jimmy Choo to create a superbly sophisticated incarnation of our original Wellington boot.

'Both brands have a strong visual identity - and the resulting boot has a unique DNA of luxurious practicality.'

As the name suggests, wellies were worn and popularised by the 1st Duke of Wellington in the early 1800s.

Based on an earlier style, Wellington boots were originally made in soft calfskin leather with a low heel, allowing them to be worn on the battlefield and at dinner.

The style became even more practical after a business associate of Charles Goodyear - the man who perfected the vulcanisation of rubber - applied Goodyear's invention to the production of footwear.

During the First World War, the North British Rubber Company - now the Hunter Boot Ltd - was asked to make more than a million waterproof boots to help soldiers cope with flooded trenches.

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