Sexy stilettos for the Cinderella in me

Just call me Cinderella, because I totally have a shoe fetish. But not just any old shoes. It's stilettos and high boots that make my heart go all a flutter and my toes curl in delight (this blue one is my favorite).

And this weekend, I think I met my Prince Charming -- when it comes to fairy tale shoes that is.

Houston wood sculpter Omar Angel Perez has created a collection of stilettos that have left me and other women wishing they weren't just for artistic display.

"All the heels are a perfect size 8 to 9, but you would never be able to really wear any of them. Although, I've had a lot of women tell that they wish they could," said Perez.

That's because the instead of the traditional 3 or 4 inch heels, Perez' stilettos average 15 to 24 inches tall.

The shoes are constructed out of wood and are accented with various items including band saw blades, snakeskin, leather, feathers and Swarovski crystals. His sexy stiletto creations are currently on display at the Houston Center of Contemporary Craft.

Perez's shoes have been on display in Massachusetts, Washington and Georgia. While they are causing quite a stir in the art world, he says the project started off as a joke.

"I made the first pair just over a year ago as a joke and my wife didn't even know about it. I was in the workshop working on them and I said, 'Honey, I got a little something that I need you to take a picture of,'" said Perez. "The first thing that came out her mouth was, 'You are so crazy.'

Then she said, ' I love them.'"

Unlike me, Perez says he doesn't have a shoe fetish. Instead, he believes that stilettos take a woman to a different mindset and transforms her personality.

"I think heels give women a different persona, so I tried to explore that with my stiletto series. Some of them have a little attitude like my biker heels which have spikes on them," said Perez.

Other shoes in Perez's collection are more about bringing women to new exotic locations. In fact, one of the pairs contains Indian currency as part of the design and henna dye.

"I was using the idea of taking a woman to a different place," said Perez.
Another pair of stilettos is dedicated to wine drinking. The shoes contains cork and corkscrew elements, while another unique pair has a 50mm bullet added to the design.

Nicole Kidman's character in Moulin Rouge also inspired a pair of Perez' shoes. The pair is titled "Satine" and in order to portray Kidman's performance of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," the shoes have 100 crystals attached to them.

"I'm really having a lot of fun with the juxtaposition of different elements and how they go together," said Perez. "Stillettos take a woman to a different location, mindset and mood when she wears them --at least that's what I think based on my male perspective."

Omar has sculpted 25 pairs so far and the most expensive pair has sold for $2,400.

Omar's Stillett"O" exhibit will be on display from Saturday August 29 through Sunday October 25 at the Houston Center of Contemporary Craft.

The artist's reception will be held on September 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and is open to the public.