Sole Commerce Buzz is your exclusive insight to this year’s fair. The show, held at the Javits Center in Manhattan, ended today.
Another Sole Commerce has come to an end, but we’re still buzzing about everything on display. Ahead of the show Leslie Gallin, president of footwear at UBM, predicted that chunky heels and embellished footwear would be a trend to watch. She was spot on (hey, she’s president of footwear for a reason!).
“Block heels are very important [this season] as well as your basic dressy pumps, which still sells very well for us,” said Mary Cummins, director of sales at Kenneth Cole. So what makes chunkier heels such a crowd pleaser? “It’s tall and gives you that nice height but it’s still very comfortable, wearable,” Cummins explained. “You can wear it all day.”
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- (Jenna Bascom Photography)
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- (Jenna Bascom Photography)
Also interested in comfortable block heels was Sole Commerce newcomer Dr. Joan Oloff of Joan Oloff Shoes. “We started with a fifty millimeter block heel this past fall that was so successful that we’re redoing them in a lot of different colors and materials,” she said. “What’s most gratifying for me is women who buy that four inch ankle bootie. They think it’s a sitting shoe and they realize they’ve been wearing them all day and they forget to take it off because their feet don’t hurt.”
Lexi Cross, the footwear and branding expert behind Shoes of NYC, was seen walking around the floor, photographing her favorite styles and speaking to vendors. The social media maven took over the Daily‘s Instagram stories on day one, and highlighted some of her favorite shoes. What caught her eye? Retro platforms at Bill Blass, cowboy boots at Lucchese, and fun sneakers from Flower Mountain. We can’t wait until next season when we get to wear these kicks!
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