Givenchy's Shark boot goes back to Riccardo Tisci's 2012 collection, and Matthew Williams, who was creative director from 2020 until 2024, gave it the Shark Lock: an oversized metal clasp that looks structural and mostly is. Williams came to the house from 1017 ALYX 9SM, where hardware was the entire design language, and the lock is the clearest transfer of that thinking into a luxury context. It landed at the moment the market wanted something with visible engineering after several years of minimal footwear. The silhouette itself, with its pinched shaft and pointed toe, is where the name comes from.

In the first grid the Pinch is the shape to look at. The ivory and leopard pony-effect knee-high boots are the most striking finishes, while the burgundy and leopard ankle boots are the shorter versions of the same shape. I would wear any of these shark boots with plain, close-fitting trousers so the shaft stays visible.

The second grid moves to the taller and heavier pairs. Shark Pinch over-the-knee boots in black are the tallest and most dramatic piece here, and Shark 95 knee-high boots in brown and mid-calf boots in beige are the more conventional builds. The Shark Lock ankle boots in red are the most colour-forward and the clearest view of the hardware. The Shark Lock 100mm, the two 85mm pairs and the stiletto over-the-knee boots are where the padlock is the whole point.

More Shark 95 and Shark Pinch heights follow: the 95 in black, brown and burgundy, in knee-high and mid-calf, and the Pinch knee-high boots in black, tan, burgundy and beige. If shark boots are new to you, I would start with the black Pinch and pick the heel height you can walk in.

Large metal hardware adds real weight to a boot, which is the trade for how it looks. The lock is a heavy piece of metal, so I would work it gently. Pony-effect finishes wear flat at the ankle crease, and over-the-knee heights depend on your leg, so measure the widest part of your thigh before ordering. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Knee High Boots for Petite Women and Knee High Boots And What Actually Makes Them Work.