Jimmy Choo

Hale Berry and Hilary Swank accepted Oscars in them, and Sarah Jessica Parker wore a strappy lilac pair in Sex and the City. The luxury favourite of the rich and famous, Jimmy Choo shoes have gained cult status in the last ten years and have also come to reflect the personality of their founder, Tamara Mellon - glamorous, high maintenance, and strictly no nonsense.

The daughter of a Chanel model and a successful British entrepreneur, Mellon was Vogue's accessories editor before approaching couture shoe-maker Jimmy Choo and developing a collection of high quality, ready-to-wear shoes. Choo himself is now long gone, having left the company in 2001, but the quality products (now including handbags) live on under Mellon, who put in an appearance in Beijing to launch the brand. Characterised by clean lines, simple palettes and high maintenance stiletto heels, these are shoes for women who have a driver. Prices range from around 6,300RMB for a pair of pink suede kitten heels to a whopping 17,950RMB for a glamorous holdall.