TEXT, VIVIAN G. KELLY-VAN ZUTPHEN
There are women who claim, “Manolos and Jimmys are like sneakers/trainers to me. I can run around all day in them.” We know a few of these rare creatures, like makeup whiz, Charlie Greene, who can easily do 10 hours on her feet in 4-5” stilettoes. We tried, gamely agreeing with the shoe salesman at Bergdorf that a 3 1/2" thick heeled loafer was "reasonable". Eventually, 2 bunion surgeries followed and since then, we have been on the hunt for shoes that look pretty AND are comfortable to add to our collection of MICHAEL KORS flats, KEDS, TOM'S, and BJORNS . It’s taken 8 long years of looking, but now we can close the case file on this one.
FOUND – Glory Chen’s “Apple” round toe pumps in candy apple red.
While on a press visit to Dooney & Bourke in the cavernous 601 W 26th St. space, PR Michelle Iacovelli of Atelier PR told us to stop by and visit with her brother and co-owner, Lou and check out the Glory Chen shoe line.
The designer is a grad of Academy of Art University where we teach online fashion journalism classes. That fact alone, immediately made us pay close attention. We loved her avant-garde yet wearable design esthetic - 2 great things rolled into one.
Joy designs 2 lines – GLORY CHEN - which is the more artistic + high-end, "concept" line. One of our favorites currently available in store is the cream "Fauna" pump with rainbow sole.
The second line is JOY CHEN - with a lower price point and an abundance of designs and color ways. Our pick from spring/summer is "Lacquer", an open-toed heel in a check brown calf.
TWO WEEKS LATER we emerged off the downtown #6 and walked over to the shotgun boutique in Soho. Our challenge – to try on as many pairs of Glory Chen’s until we found a pair we actually believed we could spend a day walking a whole Fashion Week in. It took some time, but we stayed open and tried pairs on that were NOT ballet flats and were shocked at how sneaker-like the Apples felt. Those went home with us and gave us a nice forties' addition to our wardrobe. Every time we slip them on, we feel a little bit like Betty Boop and imagine a little bit of the era's BLACK DAHLIA "Film Noir" glamour rubs-off on us. Apple is such a hit that it's offered every season. Our only regret is that they were out of the hot pink [fuchsia rose"] , but I'm considering picking up a bright yellow pair, because like perfect jeans, the perfect shoe is hard to find. At $250 a pair, you can buy more than one pair. Stay tuned.
To read about the designer and for product info, visit www.glorychen.com
To order, contact one of the stores.
New York: 2126772938
San Francisco: 4157688168
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