Towering 12-inch boots on Paris catwalk that were NOT made for walking...

These bizarre shoes would be a tall order for any woman to walk in. They may be the height of chic, but it’s unlikely that British designer Alexander McQueen tried out his own creations ahead of their unveiling in Paris last night. Instead he left it to his models to gingerly make their way along the catwalk in crystal-studded shoe-boots with 12-inch elevations. The platform shoes were part of a collection inspired by Charles Darwin’s The Origin Of The Species

But the fantasy fauna inspired fashion didn't end there. Models with their hair teased into devil-like horns, strutted the catwalk in minidresses decorated with all manner of colourful, elaborate skins

Ruffled hemlines were frilled to resemble feathers, and vibrant fabrics were printed to resemble amphibian-like breastplates. The high-tech show set then morphed into a prehistoric underwater scene, lending something of an otherworldly feel.

Fantasy fauna: The eerie mood was heightened by models' shaved eyebrows and gills painted on their temples