A Step Ahead
IN 1410, EDWARD IV of England put his royal foot down on the kingdom’s current shoe rage, the crackow -- shoes with toes that extended 24 inches beyond the foot. Noblemen kept the tips up with chains attached to their knees, and their inevitable mincing walk and frequent accidents infuriated the king. He banned toe lengths exceeding two inches.
Shoe fashion is more sedate today, yet it still reflects the culture of our time. Southern California designers reject the stuffy, closed-up pump so popular on the East Coast and in Europe. Instead, they experiment with shapes and unusual combinations of colors and fabrics. “Los Angeles shoe designers are absolutely defying the rules by taking chances,” says Meg Rottman, West Coast editor of Footwear News.
One such risk taker is Nathalie Marciano, 24, who grew up discussing shoes at dinner. Not surprising, considering that her father is Charles Malka, owner of the Charles David shoe stores.
Marciano designs her own footwear line, Nathalie M, and 90% of the Charles David shoes featured in Los Angeles. She takes the classic pump, sandal or boot and plays with its cut, materials and colors. “I’m addicted to suede. It’s very rich and makes feet look softer,” she says.
Like Marciano, Albert Assanti, 36--who lives half the year in Ancona, Italy, and the other half in Brentwood--started young. When he was 10, he began working in his uncle’s Ancona shoe factory. Now, Assanti owns Chantal International Footwear, and for the last 10 years has created classic dress shoes and boots--covered with rhinestones, satins, black velvets, reptile skins and kidskins--for women 30 and older. He emphasizes comfort in his designs, and molds his lasts, or foot forms, with the advice of a podiatrist. “I want to give the lady who wears my shoes something special,” says Assanti.
American Eagle designer Jann Ricca, 39, creates styles for the junior market: ages 15 and up. Ricca, once an elephant-riding showgirl in a circus, says that “living in L.A. affects my sense of style and design. Here, we’re more playful, more spontaneous.”
Melissa Welles and her fiance, Nicholas Chase, both in their early 30s, are among the few designers who also manufacture their shoes. With the help of a small staff, they make, by hand, about 900 pairs each month, which they sell in their store--2 to Tango (formerly Ciao) on Melrose Avenue. “Our clientele wants sexy-looking but not trashy styles,” says Welles. “They want to look romantic, yet be comfortable and relaxed--that’s the Southern California attitude.”
