René Caovilla Sandals

René Caovilla Sandals

René Caovilla is a family house from Fiesso d'Artico, near Venice, where René took over from his father Edoardo and added a couture twist inspired by Venice. Its emblem is the Cleo sandal, the snake that wraps around the ankle, and every pair is made by hand in house. This edit gathers Cleo snake wrap sandals, chandelier and crystal embellished sandals, satin platforms, and slingback pumps.

Collage of embellished heels, jeweled sandals and evening shoes styled with dresses and street looks

Cleo and the ankle wrap

René Caovilla is a family story told in shoes. The house dates its heritage to 1923 in Fiesso d'Artico near Venice, although other sources put Edoardo Caovilla's founding in 1934, and his son René took over in the early 1960s. René kept his father's craft and added a couture twist drawn from Venice: the mosaics of San Marco, Burano lace and crystal chandeliers. In 1968, by the brand's account, he turned a Roman snake bracelet into the Cleo sandal, a snake that wraps around the ankle. It was later displayed at MoMA in New York and is still the emblem of the house. You can see the idea across the first group here. The Cleo appears as the 105mm embellished leather snake wrap, in metallic, in twist, animalier satin, shearling trim and fur trim versions, and as a Women's Cleo embellished sandal. The chandelier sandals in satin and in crystal embellished leather bring in the Venetian glass. The Margot butterfly embellished sandal is the playful one. Wear one dramatic ankle with a straight, plain dress, as in this guide to the sculptural heel.

Model in a crystal drop strapless dress beside a second model's legs in flower wrap stilettos

Crystal sandals and pumps

The second group goes wider, from the Super Cleo to leaf, braid and coil. Jewel Leaf comes in satin and leather at 105mm, the three tone crystal satin braid halter sandal has a halter strap that frames the shoulders, and the embellished ankle coil sandal is another take on the wrap. The 130mm platform snake wrap sandals in satin and in metallic leather give height without a stiletto. For a lower heel, the 80MM slingback pumps in crystal satin and the Onda embellished satin pump are the pairs I would reach for. Production is handmade in house, and from strap making to finished pair it takes four and a half hours and about a hundred precise gestures. What I would skip is wearing a crystal ankle wrap with a pair of sheer tights or a dress with a bold hem detail, since the straps need to show. The Suede Chelsea boot is the one outlier, and strappy silver sandals show how metallic straps look beside a gown. For the tonal route, crystal and satin pumps are a good place to compare.

Model's legs in a leopard print skirt and jeweled ankle sandals in a safari vehicle doorway
Legs in a leopard skirt stepping out of a safari vehicle in gold wrap sandals

The pieces I would build around

The family is now in its third generation, and Edoardo Caovilla is both creative director and CEO. Online shopping arrived in 2017. If I were choosing one pair, it would be a Cleo in satin, worn with a plain column dress and nothing on the arms. For a different red carpet shoe, the Louboutin red sole story is a useful comparison. A mesh ballet flat with crystal details is a quieter way into the same sparkle.

 

If you want to keep going, TKEES Sandals and Giuseppe Zanotti Heels and Sandals pair well with this edit.