Do these shoes make me look pigeon-toed?

PUT your beast foot forward with this bizarre collection of footwear made from dead animals.

The weird range includes high heels made from horse hooves, stilettos made from snakes and sandals sculpted from doves.

German designer Iris Schieferstein claims she felt inspired to know "how it felt" to be an animal.

Artist Iris, 45, said: "I always wanted to know how the body of a horse worked and what they were feeling. The best way was to literally put myself in its shoes.

"People have worn the footwear, and I wear them around the house.

"Needless to say, they're not quite as comfortable as a pair of trainers.

"When I've got the dove shoes on that are made from real birds, I feel like I'm flying."

Iris has now branched out into footwear made from snakes, doves and hedgehogs.

Her controversial designs have even inspired a range from fashion firm Dolce & Gabanna.

Not for the faint-hearted, one pair of Iris's horse boots has cream horse fur with a zip at the front. The hoof is still intact and a BONE is used for the heel.

Another pair, made from a chestnut coloured steed, is the most 'animalistic' and has no heel but relies on the person wearing them to balance their weight on their toes.

The rearing dove shoes each have the stuffed birds - including feet - at the front and the wearer has to slide their toes between the bird's legs.

Iris said she begins by collecting the dead animals from her local butcher in Berlin, Germany, including dead horses, which are used for sausages in the country.

Iris then spends a week stripping out the meat and bones from the animal's feet. The skin is then sent to a tanner to be treated for preservation.

The sculptress then sets the skin - complete with fur still in place - around a shoe model before doing any needlework to add insoles and lining. The hoof is kept in place to act as a sole.

Each pair of shoes can take several months to complete. A similar process is used to make the snake and dove shoes. Sometimes the designer uses replica pistols for the heel to add extra support and style.

The footwear has been displayed at several exhibitions around the world and Iris insists they are for 'aesthetic pleasure'.

She added: "I enjoy wearing the shoes and making them. Taxidermy is one of my passions. Dolce & Gabanna created a range based on my designs but as yet no company has been willing to produce them for the high street.

"The dead animals used for the shoes are easy to come by. My local butcher uses a small percentage of horse meat in sausages.

"He then gives me the legs. Doves and snakes can also be acquired once they have died. I would use roadkill but this is illegal in Germany.

"People are intrigued by the shoes when they go on display. There's definitely something very eye-catching about them."