By Chrissy Iley
I have an intense relationship with shoes. It’s not really love/hate, it’s more love/torture. I love shoes that torture me. They end up being shoe ornaments and like little postcards they sit on shelves, reminding me of the time and place I bought them, the hopes I had that these really were the holy grail of heels and I’d be able to run in them. And what happens – I end up in the same old boots with a slight heel. These boots are so old they’re falling apart and I have literally hundreds of other pairs of shoes. What was the solution? Buy more shoes of course.
I had a wedding coming up – a big wedding where everybody would be the right side of fancy. It definitely involved a dress and not a dress that would go with these ankle boots. Of my many, many pairs of heels I knew it would be pointless. The shoes would be off before the first dance. I remember wearing some fantastic Gucci heels to an Oscar party. I took them off. The person I was with said that it made me look old. At a party the next day for Elton John, Annette Bening had slung her Louboutin’s over her shoulder so I pointed that out to my friend saying I was starring a trend but she pointed out Annette Bening is really old. point taken. Why can’t I carry flip flops in a bag? Because I hate carrying anything. Too much to carry means I lose it, no matter how much I love it, so I found another solution.
When I stepped into Calleen Cordero shop in Sunset Plaza it was a euphoric homecoming. The Holy Grail. Sexy, rock n roll shoes that were high and comfortable. Cordero is known as the Queen of Studs. She like a studded look and how those studs can go wedding to gig to Wholefoods. They come in low, they come in high, they come in higher, they come in wedge, they come in luxury handmade and everything locally sourced. They are a five star farmers market of shoe cuisine. Not farm to table but farm to foot. They are light, the suede that lines them is the softest, sole kissing of suedes. I found the perfect pair and get this for ease – the straps are Velcro. Cordero shoes redefine ‘easy is sexy.’ Of course it wasn’t simple. There was torture. I wanted every pair. I went for grey strappy sandals with bronzey and silvery studs and a velcroed strap on the grounds that they would go with any dress that I would eventually choose.
Do people normally chose outfits shoes up? I remember Lionel Richie telling me he did and it made me like him more. I’m not a bag person. I’ll carry round the same bag until it literally falls apart, till people are literally sick of seeing it. I’m not a person that matches anything with anything but the studded and fringed bags here are quite irresistible. Individual, beautifully made, each one of them a work of art. But the shoes. I may not ever shop anywhere else again. I’m already having a shoegasm at the thought of the winter boots that may appear. But this is beyond trend, beyond beauty even. The shoes were that miracle blend of heel and comfort that I searched for for so long. They went to the wedding, they stayed on all night. They walked, they danced and maybe one day they’ll even run.
Visit https://calleencordero.com/ to see their collection