Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman shoes “are weapons”, a costume designer has revealed.

Lindy Hemming explained that two pairs of boots were used on the set of upcoming Batman instalment The Dark Knight rises to avoid injuries.

“Her heels are weapons and I mean, there are fashion shoes like that, but (these are) like knives, so she uses them,” she told movie website Collider.

“(During filming) we have to have rubber heels and we have to have metal heels, obviously, otherwise we’d kill.”

The Oscar-winning costume designer also discussed what inspired the latest Catwoman incarnation’s other accessory, a pair of functional and stylish “cat ear” goggles.

“Between Christopher Nolan and I, we were trying to work out why a woman who is modern and trendy and cool would go around wearing (cat) ears.”

“The logic behind the ears: when the goggles go up, the shape of the goggles 'make' the ears, and we think it’s really cool.”

“When you go to the dentist - that was my inspiration. When you’re at the dentist they’ve got the thing that looks into your mouth and they’ve got magnification and everything.”

Lindy also spoke about what inspired the overall look of Anne’s wardrobe.

The original Catwoman character from the 1960s series, played by Julie Newmar, was a big influence on the updated version of the iconic catsuit and the actress’s look in general.

“We like the silhouette of her a lot, we like that look a lot, and it seemed to suit Anne to go that way. I was keen to go with Thierry Mugler, the designer, and have much more of that shape in her costumes generally. You’ll see that she’s got a look that goes through her day-clothes and into her Catsuit, and it’s all quite minimalist…” she said.