That Helmut Lang designers Nicole and Michael Colovos teamed up with LD Tuttle’s Tiffany Tuttle on a capsule shoe collection isn’t necessarily big news, but the inspiration for the new line is pretty headline-grabbing.   The group looked to HBO’s series Game of Thrones to create its footwear.

Specifically, the capsule collection was inspired by characters called the Rangers of the Night’s Watch.  For the uninitiated, this is a very un-merry group of men sworn to protect a desolate wall in a landscape covered in permafrost.  It’s occasionally a violent job — perhaps that’s why some of the shoes look abstractly blood-spattered?

Well, we’re as into this offbeat sartorial choice as we were enthusiastic about MAC Cosmetic’s most recent line, which looked to Betty and Veronica of Archie Comics. Maybe using unlikely pop culture references as inspiration is just the way of fashion’s future.  At any rate, you can get a hold of the capsule collection before fall via Helmut Lang’s private sale, going on now.