Shoes are usually designed for comfort, fashion or performance, but at the very top of the luxury market they can become multimillion-dollar collector pieces. Rare diamonds, gold, platinum, famous ownership and one-of-a-kind craftsmanship can push a pair of shoes far beyond the price of even the most exclusive designer footwear.
Some of the world’s costliest shoes were created as high-jewellery showpieces, while others became extraordinarily valuable because they were worn in legendary films or historic sporting moments. That means the prices below include a mix of documented auction results, official valuations and reported launch prices.
So, let’s check out the Top 10 Most Expensive Shoes in the World and see what makes these extraordinary pieces of footwear worth millions of dollars.
1. The Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers – $32.5 Million
The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz became the most expensive shoes ever sold at auction when they fetched $32.5 million at Heritage Auctions in Dallas on December 7, 2024.
Made by the Innes Shoe Company, the shoes are covered in red sequins rather than genuine rubies. Their value comes from cinema history, extreme rarity and an extraordinary provenance. Only a small number of authentic pairs from the production are known to survive.
This particular pair has an especially dramatic story. It was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota in 2005 and recovered by the FBI 13 years later. The combination of Hollywood importance, rarity and the famous theft helped drive bidding far beyond previous footwear records.
2. Moon Star Shoes – Antonio Vietri – $19.9 Million
Italian designer Antonio Vietri unveiled the Moon Star Shoes in Dubai in 2019 with a reported value of $19.9 million. Before the 2024 sale of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers, they were widely described as the world’s most expensive shoes.
The dramatic high heels combine solid gold, around 30 carats of diamonds and a small piece of meteorite said to come from a meteorite discovered in Argentina in 1576. The design was presented during MIDE Fashion Week aboard a yacht in Dubai Marina.
Their price is driven almost entirely by extraordinary materials and one-off craftsmanship. Rather than ordinary luxury footwear, the Moon Star Shoes function more like wearable jewellery and sculpture.
3. Passion Diamond Shoes – Jada Dubai & Passion Jewellers – $17 Million
The Passion Diamond Shoes were unveiled at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab in 2018 with a price tag of $17 million. Jada Dubai created the pair in collaboration with Passion Jewellers.
The pointed stilettos are made from gold and decorated with 236 diamonds. The centrepiece of each shoe is a flawless 15-carat D-colour diamond near the toe, immediately explaining why the pair costs more than many luxury homes.
Unlike some record-setting auction shoes, these were conceived from the beginning as an ultra-luxury product. Their value comes from the two enormous flawless diamonds, precious-metal construction and bespoke jewellery work required to build the pair.
4. Debbie Wingham Diamond Stilettos – Around $15.1 Million
British designer Debbie Wingham created one of the most elaborate pairs of heels ever commissioned, widely valued at around $15.1 million. The shoes were reportedly made for a private client in Dubai as a special birthday commission.
The stilettos incorporate rare pink and blue diamonds along with additional white diamonds set in platinum. Gold is used throughout the construction, including on the soles, zippers and stitching, while parts of the leather were finished with 24-carat gold paint.
The result is less like conventional footwear and more like a custom jewellery artwork. Rare coloured diamonds account for a large part of the valuation, while the bespoke design and labour-intensive handwork add to their exclusivity.
5. Michael Jordan Dynasty Collection – $8.03 Million
Michael Jordan’s Dynasty Collection set a global auction record for game-worn sneakers when it sold at Sotheby’s for $8,032,800 in February 2024.
The collection contains six individual Air Jordan sneakers worn by Jordan during the championship-clinching games from each of the Chicago Bulls’ six NBA titles: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Several of the shoes are also signed by Jordan.
This is a collection rather than a conventional pair, but its place in footwear history is difficult to ignore. The value comes from direct association with one of basketball’s greatest players and from the fact that the six shoes document every championship of the Bulls dynasty.
6. Rita Hayworth Heels – Stuart Weitzman – $3 Million
The Rita Hayworth Heels by Stuart Weitzman are valued at approximately $3 million and combine Hollywood history with high-end shoe design.
The rust-coloured satin heels incorporate a pair of earrings once owned by actress Rita Hayworth. Diamonds, sapphires and rubies from the earrings are arranged within decorative satin details at the front of the shoes.
Their value comes not only from the gemstones but also from their connection to one of classic Hollywood’s best-known stars. The heels are owned by Hayworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, and are not generally available for sale.
7. Harry Winston Ruby Slippers – $3 Million
Harry Winston created a spectacular real-gemstone interpretation of Dorothy’s ruby slippers in 1989 to mark the 50th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. The pair has been valued at around $3 million.
Unlike the original film shoes, which use sequins, the Harry Winston version is covered with genuine precious stones. Approximately 4,600 rubies were used, along with diamonds, creating a total gemstone weight measured in the hundreds of carats.
The shoes took weeks of specialist work to complete and were designed as a high-jewellery tribute rather than practical footwear. Their combination of rubies, diamonds and a famous cinematic reference explains the multimillion-dollar valuation.
8. Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals Air Jordan 13s – $2.238 Million
A pair of black-and-red Air Jordan 13 sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $2,238,000 at Sotheby’s in April 2023.
Jordan wore the shoes during his final championship season with the Chicago Bulls, a period remembered as the ‘Last Dance.’ After the game, he signed the sneakers and gave them to a ball boy, creating unusually strong provenance for collectors.
At the time of the sale, the pair set a new world auction record for sneakers. Their value comes from the Jordan name, direct game use, signatures and association with one of the most famous seasons in basketball history.
9. Cinderella Slippers – Stuart Weitzman – $2 Million
Stuart Weitzman’s Cinderella Slippers are valued at about $2 million and were created as a modern luxury interpretation of the famous fairy-tale glass slipper.
The shoes use Italian leather and are decorated with 565 Kwiat diamonds set in platinum. The right shoe carries a rare five-carat amaretto diamond, which alone contributes substantially to the overall valuation.
Singer Alison Krauss wore the slippers to the 2004 Academy Awards. Their almost transparent high heels were designed to keep attention on the intricate diamond-covered straps, making the shoes look closer to fine jewellery than ordinary red-carpet footwear.
10. Tom Ford Diamond Shoes – Jason of Beverly Hills – $2 Million
Jeweller Jason Arasheben of Jason of Beverly Hills transformed a pair of Tom Ford slip-ons into $2 million diamond shoes for entertainer Nick Cannon in 2014.
More than 14,000 full-cut round white diamonds were individually set into white gold, with a combined weight of about 340 carats. The work reportedly took nearly a year and more than 2,000 hours to complete.
Cannon wore the shoes during the finale of America’s Got Talent. Their value came primarily from the enormous quantity of diamonds and the custom jewellery workmanship added to the Tom Ford base shoes.
What Makes the World’s Most Expensive Shoes So Costly?
At the extreme end of the footwear market, the brand name is only one part of the price. Gemstones can be the biggest cost. Large flawless diamonds, rare coloured diamonds, rubies and other precious stones may be worth millions before they are even attached to a shoe.
Provenance can be even more powerful. Judy Garland’s ruby slippers and Michael Jordan’s game-worn sneakers prove that a historically important pair can sell for far more than its materials would suggest. Film history, sporting achievements, signatures and documented ownership can transform footwear into museum-level memorabilia.
Rarity and craftsmanship also matter. A one-off commission made from gold and diamonds requires specialist jewellers, designers and hundreds or thousands of hours of handwork. When only one pair exists, wealthy collectors have no easy alternative if they want that particular piece.
Final Word
The world’s most expensive shoes come from two very different worlds. Some, such as the Moon Star Shoes and Passion Diamond Shoes, were deliberately created as extravagant jewellery pieces where gold and diamonds dominate the price. Others became valuable because of the stories attached to them.
The $32.5 million Wizard of Oz ruby slippers now sit at the top because they combine cinema history, rarity and a remarkable provenance that no newly created luxury shoe can reproduce. From Hollywood and basketball to diamond-covered couture, these shoes show that at the highest end of the market, what a pair represents can be just as valuable as what it is made from.
