Nina Christen did not arrive at her own label as a beginner. The Chilean-Swiss designer built her reputation designing footwear for The Row, Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Celine under Phoebe Philo and Saint Laurent before launching Christen in 2024, and she still works as Design Director of Shoes at Dior alongside her own line. That range of houses shows up in how deliberate the sandals here feel. The Edge T-strap 75 sandals and the Edge 95 suede sandals both trade the expected soft summer shape for something more architectural, straps placed like they were engineered rather than draped.

The Helix 75 thong sandals and the buckled leather flat sandals are the easier entry points, still sharp in outline but simpler to wear on a normal day. Nothing here reads as a familiar comfort shoe, and that seems to be the whole idea.

The boots carry the same sculptural instinct into a heavier shape. The Tabi split-toe leather knee boots and the Tabi stretch-leather knee boots take the most recognizable silhouette in the grid and keep it precise rather than exaggerated, while the Santiago leather knee boots and Classic Square leather knee boots stay closer to a traditional line. The Helix stretch-suede ankle boots are the most wearable of the group, a shape built for actual daily rotation rather than a single outfit moment.

Even the shearling lined pieces, like the Big Boot shearling ankle boots, keep that same finished, engineered look rather than going soft and casual.

The pumps are where Christen's training at houses built on precise construction shows up most clearly. The Helix 95 croc-effect leather pumps and the Helix 95 croc-effect patent leather pumps both use texture instead of color to stand out, and the Edge 95 mesh pumps trade leather for something lighter without losing the sharp line. The Tabi split-toe leather ballet flats bring that same split-toe detail down to a flatter, easier shoe.

I would treat the 75 stretch leather wedge mules as the most forgiving shoe in this block, the one to wear when the sharper pumps feel like too much for the day.

Christen is not a label built around familiar comfort shapes, and going in expecting that will lead to disappointment. Christen designed for years at houses known for engineering over ease, and it shows in every silhouette here, so the right first purchase is whichever shape feels most like you rather than whichever sounds most practical on paper. I would start with a sandal like the Edge 95 suede, since it is the easiest way to feel the brand's sharper angles without committing to a full boot or pump. Skip the label entirely if you want a shoe that disappears into the background of an outfit. This is footwear for someone who wants the shoe itself to be the point, not just the finishing touch.