Page 12 - Real Style December 2017

Fancy Footwork
“oh my, gosh! you can’t make me pick a shoe,” exclaims sarah Jessica parker (sounding just like her Sex and the City char- acter Carrie Bradshaw), when asked to choose the holiday fête-approved pair from her sJp Collection. “here’s the thing...all these must- haves...it depends on who you are. [some] people love wearing 70 mm high heels, [oth- er] people want a party for their foot, but they can only wear ats—I think a Christmas shoe is what makes you
feel festive,” parker decides. perhaps nir- vana, an iridescent, sparkly version of a Mary-Jane, or trois, a milky-white leather high-heel bootie, or Fawn, a perfect pump in a pale, blush vel- vet, will make our gift wish list and an entrance (or two) at a seasonal soirée.
strutting into its
fourth birthday, the
SJP Collection label—
a partnership between
parker and George
Malkemus iii, who is also the Ceo of Manolo Blahnik USA—delivers shoes ( rst and fore- most), handbags, and an lBd. “it’s a small company. there’s only four of us, really, and we do literally every single thing ourselves,” says parker. “every sample, every design, every market, and every sales appointment. We are in complete command of marketing and public relations with the limited dollars we have. it’s a very, very, hands-on business.”
speaking of handsy, so are ladies, nabbing the handmade in italy, single sole, eye-catch- ing array of fabulously sparkly, vibrantly jew- el-toned, or rich velvety styles. the new york City-based parker regularly works the sales oor at Bloomingdale’s locations in Man- hattan—not of cial public appearances with glam squad and paparazzi, but rather just sa- rah Jessica running to the stock room, pulling shoes, putting them on feet, and talking to her
customers. “i’m well aware that i wouldn’t have this experience and this opportunity if it weren’t for the mil- lions and millions of women who spent a lot of time with me for many years,” she says with gratitude. “We had this relationship and i’ve never had an opportunity to meet them and to know them. they’re a huge part of this collection. they’re a huge part of what we think about when we design.”
shoe lovers can open shoe box after box at a host of retailers, including hudson’s Bay, as well as at sJp by sarah Jessica parker bou- tiques at the Bellagio resort and Casino in las Vegas, nevada, and MGM national har- bor in oxon hill, Maryland. But it’s an l.a. story (yes, parker also appeared in a movie of the same name—couldn’t resist!) that has Parker ashing back to (around) 1985 to when she met Manolo for the rst time; an encoun-
12 Real Style December 2017