Shoes
Shoes
Odissi
Odissì is a footwear label built in 2024 by HIM Co., an Italian manufacturer near Venice with about sixty years of shoemaking behind it, as a way to move from private-label production into a brand of its own. The label is built around a stated idea of Italian craft filtered through global references.
Sandals, Sorted: Flat Slides, Kitten Heels, Platforms and Wedges
A field guide to sandals in three groups: flat slides and thong sandals, heeled pairs, and platforms and wedges. I name the shapes I would reach for and the ones I would leave on the shelf.
Toteme
Elin Kling, a Swedish fashion journalist, and Karl Lindman, an art director who had worked with Interview magazine, founded Toteme in New York in 2014, the same year they married, before moving the company back to their native Stockholm in 2016. The name started as Totem until Kling suggested softening it with a final e, and the label built its identity on pared-back Scandinavian tailoring: poplin shirtdresses, boxy bouclé jackets and a signature fringed scarf detail.
Merrell Shoes: From Randy Merrell's Cowboy Boot to the Moab
This Merrell shoes edit covers Moab hikers, trail runners, slip-ons, waterproof boots and leather sandals for women. I would build it around the Moab and the Jungle Moc, the two shoes the brand is known for.
Giuseppe Zanotti Heels Are Engineered For The Entrance
Giuseppe Zanotti trained as a shoe designer in the Riviera del Brenta, the stretch of Veneto where most of the world's luxury footwear is actually made. Giuseppe zanotti heels come out of that technical tradition, which is why the extreme shapes still balance. The theatrics are engineered rather than improvised.
Clarks: The Somerset Shoemaker Behind the Wallabee
Clarks: a 40-pair edit spanning Wallabees, desert boots, loafers, boots, clogs and sandals, framed by a story that starts in Street, Somerset. I trace the brand from its 1825 beginnings to the moccasin shape that still catches my eye.
Louboutin Heels: The Red Sole Story, From Pumps to Mules
A first-person guide to Christian Louboutin heels, from the red sole story to the pumps, heeled sandals, slingbacks and mules worth knowing. It covers Louboutin styles and how to try them on.
Kenneth Cole: The Shoe Truck That Made an Entrance
Kenneth Cole shoes, from the 1982 trailer-showroom origin to a fall-minded edit of boots, heels, flats, sneakers, bags and coats. I like how Cole's sharp product instincts and public-minded advertising share the same New York nerve.
Timberland Boots: From the 1973 Yellow Boot to Platforms and Chelseas
Timberland boots began as a waterproof work boot in 1973, and this edit sorts the 6-inch classics, platform and heeled pairs, and chukkas, hikers and chelseas by how they wear. I say when I would reach for each one and what to check in the fitting room.
Hoka Shoes: The Maximal Cushion That Started on a Mountain
Hoka shoes began in the French Alps in 2009, when two athletes set out to make downhill running feel like flying. I sort them by where they go, from Bondi, Clifton and Arahi to Mafate and Speedgoat trail shoes and Kaha hikers.
HOKA Bondi 9: Cushioned Colorways, Plus the Hokas Worth Wearing Next
The HOKA Bondi 9 is the max-cushion road shoe from a brand that began with two hikers in the French Alps, and this edit sorts its colorways, then the Clifton and Mach road shoes, then slides, trail and walking pairs. I say when I would reach for each one and what to check in the fitting room.
Charles & Keith: The Singapore Shoe Shop That Learned to Listen
Charles & Keith began as a Singapore shoe shop and grew from its founders’ customer-led designs into a wardrobe of bags and shoes. I would start with the shoulder bags, then choose a heel, flat, or boot around the day ahead.
Ariat Boots: Western, Chelsea and Work Pairs Named for a Racehorse
Ariat boots started with a racehorse and an idea about athletic shoe technology, and this edit sorts western, chelsea, riding and work pairs by how they wear. I say when I would reach for each one and what to check when you try them on.
Alaia Mesh Flats: Sizing And Whether They Survive A City
Mesh ballet flats look weightless in a photograph and then meet a real sidewalk, which is a different test entirely. This guide compares Alaia's suede-trimmed, perforated and crystal-embellished pairs for how they actually hold up on daily errands versus an evening out. The angle is city wear first: fit, edge and sole, not just the shine of the mesh.
Sam Edelman Ballet Flats Are The Commute Shoe That Dresses Up
Sam Edelman ballet flats make the commute feel considered, with pointed and round toes, velvet, mesh, suede and woven leather options. This guide sorts the Sam Edelman flats by toe shape and material so you can pick a pair for work and weekends.
Sam Edelman Shoes: A Horse Trader's Flats, Riding Boots and Slingbacks
Sam Edelman shoes have a story that runs from a riding-inspired line in 1975 to a brand launched in 2004. This edit sorts the flats and loafers, the boots and booties, and the pumps, slingbacks and heeled mules by name.
Sam Edelman Flats: Ballet Shapes, Loafers and Mary Janes Sorted by Mood
Sam Edelman flats come from a couple whose earlier label took off with a ballet flat, and this edit sorts the ballet shapes, the loafers and the Mary Janes, mules and slingbacks. I go through the styles by name and how I would wear each one.
Women New Balance Sneakers To Know
New Balance went from a shoe your father wore to the default sneaker in about four years. Women New Balance sneakers are the sharp end of that, because the brand kept the dad-shoe proportions and the market changed around it. This edit takes the everyday classics first and then the running side.
YSL Loafers: The Saint Laurent Pairs I Would Actually Wear Every Week
YSL loafers start with the Le Loafer penny loafer, and Saint Laurent also makes velvet, croc-effect and logo plaque pairs plus backless mules. I go through the pairs I would actually wear every week and how I would choose one.
Saint Laurent: The Paris House Founded in 1961
Saint Laurent is the Paris house Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé opened on December 4, 1961. I go through the accessories and shoes worth a look.
Gucci Slides: From a Loafer in 1953 to the Pool Shoe With a Saddle Stripe
Gucci's slide began as a 1953 loafer and ended up as the pool shoe with the saddle stripe. The black leather Double G is the one I would buy first, with one loud pair beside it.
UGG
Brian Smith, an Australian surfer studying business at UCLA, founded Ugg Imports in Santa Monica in 1978 with Doug Jensen, betting that the sheepskin boots Australians wore after cold surf sessions could find an American market. The company sold just 28 pairs its first season, and Smith kept building the brand himself, including selling boots out of the back of his van at Malibu, before selling it to Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 1995.
UGG Boots: The Ultra Mini, the Classic Tall and Every Height in Between
A guide to UGG boots for women, from the Classic Ultra Mini to tall, platform, lace-up snow and leather styles, sorted by height and shape with notes on how each one wears.
Puma Terrace Shoes: The Palermo Vintage and Its Gum Sole
Puma terrace shoes mean the Palermo Vintage: low profiles, suede and leather uppers, and gum soles in classic and bright colorways. I explain why the gum sole does most of the work and how suede and leather change the shoe.