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Take a Walk in These Shoes > Back
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EVER SINCE "Sex and the City" took
its final bow in late February, purveyors of high-fashion shoes
have been singing the blues.
" 'Sex and the City' kicked off this love
affair with fabulous shoes. What are we going to do without it?"
says Debi Rodi, owner of Heelz, a year-old shoe boutique inside
her Nicole Miller store in Winter Park, Fla.
Judging by the way many women have embraced trendy,
costly shoes during the past few years, Rodi and other upscale
shoe retailers are likely to do just fine. Certainly the HBO series,
which debuted in 1998, did much to glamorize high-heeled, high-priced
footwear. And Carrie Bradshaw, "Sex and the City's"
shoe-obsessed character, helped inspire the desire for flashy,
strappy stilettos that cost as much as a month's rent on a studio
apartment in Orlando. But Sex and Carrie are not the only reasons
for the proliferation -- and popularity -- of high-end shoe boutiques
in the Orlando area, especially over the last three years.
"Orlando is becoming more fashion forward,"
says Willow Shambeck, co-owner of Shou'Ture, a new designer-shoe
boutique in Winter Park. "Maybe we owe a little of that to
'Sex and the City' and 'Queer Eye,' which are about upgrading
our wardrobes and homes. But basically, Orlando's grown to a point
where we're a big city with a big-city fashion sense." Her
customers want the latest looks and they don't mind footing the
bill, says Shambeck, who sold her first pair of $500 shoes on
opening day last October.
"A lot of women bond with shoes. They see
'em and have to have 'em," she says. "And these days,
more women have their own income. They can afford expensive shoes."
Women also appreciate the little extras offered
at exclusive boutiques such as Shou'Ture: a free pedicure with
each purchase exceeding $150; tea or champagne served by Shambeck
and her business partner, Melixa Carbonell; and brands such as
Lily Holt, Constanca Basto and Hollywould, found nowhere else
in town.
"It's not just buying shoes, it's a whole
wonderful experience. They treat you like a queen," says
Christina Dickson, 53.
The prices are high, "but you pay for what
you get," Dickson says. But $500 for a pair of shoes? Especially
shoes that consist of little more than a couple of straps and
a few decorations? There are two reasons for prices that teeter
like stiletto-wearing women on the point of absurdity, say retailers:
quality and style.
There's the quality of the hand-dyed leathers,
the real-gemstone accents and the handcrafted detailing. There's
also the distinctive styling that turns shoes into look-at-me
accessories.
If women want nice shoes, and shoes that are
a little different, they know they're going to have to pay,"
says New York designer Bettye Muller. "My designs are eclectic
like me -- a little city, a little country, a little rock 'n'
roll. You won't find them all over the place. I have a little
culty following, and that keeps them special."
The arrival of high-end shoe shops in the Orlando
area coincided with a major shift in fashion away from the minimalist
styling of the 1990s -- and toward the all-out glamour epitomized
by "Sex and the City's" foursome of Carrie, Miranda,
Charlotte and Samantha. As clothing became more feminine, flirty
and colorful, shoes kept pace. Higher heels, thinner straps and
flashier embellishments replaced plain-Jane pumps. Even lowly
flip-flops were jazzed up with rhinestones, ribbons and $100 price
tags.
"People are looking for novelty, for the
latest designs" and the trendiest colors, says Georgiana
Ungaro, public relations manager at Neiman Marcus.
And they don't blanch at the price, she adds.
"Manolos have everything the customer wants: the quality,
the detailing, the styling and the high name recognition,"
she says. When the store held a Manolo Blahnik trunk show in early
March, "we sold hundreds," she says. Average price:
$450 a pair.
At the chi-chi Jimmy Choo boutique, where shoes
range from $300 to $670, manager Pamela Branstetter's customers
include Rollins College students and their mothers, professional
women, well-to-do matrons -- and high-school students "who
just come in to ooh and aah," says Branstetter.
Once you own a pair of Jimmy Choos, "you
never go back to ordinary shoes," says Annamarie Vieira of
Windermere, Fla. "They make you feel like a million bucks."
And speaking of bucks, "They're worth every
penny," Vieira says
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