Designer Alecia Guevara once studied tropical architecture in Cuba, and it shows: her avant-garde creations, dubbed “confections for the feet” by one fashion journalist, are a mixture of flamboyance and solid design. Manufactured in South America, some of these striking numbers come with a splash of tropical colour, but on the whole, Guevara favours classy earth tones (brown, beige and bronze). And though she also imports Marco Aurelio handbags and shoes from Brazil, her sensibility is not confined to one culture: from medieval slippers to Turkish mules. You name it, she makes it: flats, slingbacks, pumps, mules, sandals, boots and stilettos, all available in a variety of widths. Guevara’s favourites du jour include classic black pumps ($290), ballet slippers ($240), and woven leather shoes in countless styles and colours ($250-$330).