News & Happenings

Most everyone knows the best shoes are made in Italy. The highest quality shoes proudly announce it on their soles and boxes (including us). But what’s it all about? Can’t a shoe company just set up shop anywhere?

The main reason we chose Italy to make our new Signature Collection (and every other shoe we make) is the people. Making handcrafted leather shoes is truly an art form and one that has been refined and passed down from one generation of Italian families to the next. The techniques are highly specialized and labor intensive making them difficult to duplicate elsewhere.

While most shoes are made by machine in large factories using glues and synthetic materials, the small percentage from Italy are made using only the finest materials and are crafted by hand. First, the leather is carefully selected for each shoe from world-renowned Italian tanneries. It is then hand cut and stretched on a last (called a forma in Italian) for days, and then sewn together, never glued.

The factories we use are small factories in Tuscany that have been owned by the same families for generations. While we say the Signature pumps have been ten years in the making, they’re actually the culmination of over a hundred years of Italian shoemaking.

To really feel the difference “Made in Italy” makes, why not try on a pair?

To try on the Camille, click here.

To try on the Angel, click here.

(The Angel, and soon the Camille will also be available at Nordstrom and select retailers)

One of first things people notice when the look at the Signature collection is the textured outsole. While this gives the shoes a more modern, trendier style, the outsole is designed this way with a purpose. Two purposes actually.

The first is traction. When you’re four inches up in the air, the last thing you want is to slip and lose your balance. At best you have an awkward moment, and worst you could really hurt yourself. Because traction for the outsole is so important, we created a ridged texture that grips the floor. The XL Extralight material itself is also non-slip.

The second reason is cushioning. Think of one of those egg-crate mattresses. It’s kind of like that. In addition to over an inch of space-age polymer memory material, each tread in the outsole acts as a little spring that absorbs the shock of each step. Because unlike most designers of stiletto heels, we want to you actually be able to walk in them.

Curious about how this new kind of outsole feels? Click below to try a pair.

To try on the Camille, click here.

To try on the Angel, click here.

(The Angel, and soon the Camille will also be available at Nordstrom and select retailers)

We’ve shot photos, created videos, and written long descriptions about all that has gone into the Signature Collection, but no photo can compare to actually trying them on.

When you first pull them out of the box, they look like basic high-end pumps (basic in a good-way as in will go with everything kind of way. But when you first slip them on and stand up, it is a completely unique experience. You expect to feel that familiar crunch of the toes, ache in the arch, and wobble in the heel that comes with heels of this height, but it’s just not there. Instead, it feels a bit like you’re floating above the ground a bit. The toe box should feel snug, but not tight. You should be able to move your toes independently and feel your arch lifted and supported.

Just move your weight onto the ball of your foot and you’ll sink in a bit into multiple layers of polymer memory cushioning. The molecular structure of these polymers allows the footbed to support then bounce back with every step. The outsole is made from XL Extralight, another high tech material that provides further buoyancy and has a spring-like tread as well.

When you walk about the room, put your attention to your balance. Most high heels have the heel positioned too far back, so they don’t actually hold your weight. The heels for our Signature shoes are positioned right at the center of gravity, so you’ll feel secure even four inches off the ground. We believe no matter how beautiful the shoe, if a woman looks like she’s walking on eggshells, that’s not a good thing. The heel should feel like it is lightly gripping without your foot slipping up and down.

Just order your size or a couple sizes to try them on. We have free shipping and free returns, so there’s no commitment. Also, join our mailing list for announcements of pop-up shops to shop the whole collection in person. If you have any questions about the fit of your Signature shoes, please call Linda, our customer service representative and she can talk you through it.

To try on the Camille, click here.

To try on the Angel, click here.

(The Angel, and soon the Camille will also be available at Nordstrom and select retailers)

Trying to decide which of the Signature shoes to try out? The two shoes are similar in fit, but have some differences in style. They both have the same inch of polymer cushioning, same spring-like outsole, same balanced engineering.

The Angel comes in two colors, gold pitone and soft black nappa leather which is more of a matte black. And the Camille comes in a glossy black patent leather.

The vamp, which is the part of the shoe that covers the toes, comes up a bit higher on the Angel. The Camille has a slightly lower vamp to shoe some toe décolleté and a small Mary Jane strap with button enclosure. The strap has a hidden elastic for a more customized fit.

So which to get? Why not get both?

To try on the Camille, click here.

To try on the Angel, click here.

(The Angel, and soon the Camille will also be available at Nordstrom and select retailers)