Today’s fashion marketing lesson is brought to you courtesy of Alexander McQueen. He knocked the fashion world off its feet last September with his sky-high “armadillo” shoes, and these outrageous claws have consistently made news in the ensuing months. Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness have worn them to great acclaim, while others – notably the R&B singer Kelis – haven’t quite had the panache to carry them off. Meanwhile, bringing the marketing plan to fruition, the designer’s spring ad campaign features a model – whom I sincerely hope is getting combat pay – wrapped in giant snakes and wearing a snakeskin version of the shoes. Of course, outrageous shoes have long been recognized as an effective way to get PR – the Nicholas Kirkwood strap-wrap thigh-high boots come to mind, as do the Louboutin spike shoes and the fall-offable Prada shoes . But I do believe that, from a marketing standpoint, the armadillo shoes outperform these examples by a long shot. I, for one, am totally looking forward to whatever armadillo marketing techniques will be on display at the upcoming NY Fashion Week. In other shoe news: Bruno Frisoni’s unicorn shoe – whose horn is made of feathers by Lemarié, haute couture’s “ prince of plumes ” – unleashes the magical creature in all of us…Speaking of fairy tales, shoe repair shop owner Fabrizio Pasquale creates couture glass slippers , just in time for the Oscars…Brian Reyes breaks with Manolo Blahnik, chooses limited-edition handmade shoes by English designer Georgina Goodman to accessorize his Fall 2010 collection…Ready or not, clogs and shoes with buckles are looking like unavoidable trends for spring (Perhaps kill two birds with one stone with these shoes )… Christian Siriano’s line of shoes for Payless channel both Alexander McQueen and Nicholas Kirkwood – for fifty bucks…If you’re more interested in the real thing, check out these Liberty-print shoes by Nicholas Kirkwood …Rachel Zoe puts nude pumps and statement flats on her list of 20 Essentials; these Givenchy wedges are probaly not on her list of Essentials, but they’re fun to look at anyway…Speaking of wedges-to-obsess-over, InStyle submits Chanel Carnival Wedges for our consideration…Memory foam isn’t just for mattresses anymore – Banana Republic adds it to their spring flip flops …Jimmy Choo introduces suede and snakeskin sneakers .

Morning Shoe Report: Alexander McQueen Armadillo Shoes