'McQueen’s most celebrated footwear creation, the 30 cm high ‘Armadillo’ boot from Plato’s Atlantis (Spring/Summer 2010), combined a claw-like menace with the beauty of a ballerina’s en pointe. Performance pieces on the world’s catwalk, in keeping with McQueen’s love of theatricality, the boots appeared utterly futuristic. However, the exaggerated silhouette of the ‘Armadillo’ does have a historical precedent in the extraordinary form of sixteenth-century Persian riding boots which, with their rounded vamp (ending in a slight upturned toe) and inward curved heel were designed to facilitate a secure fit in the stirrup'