Vivian Infantino, 77; Wrote Column for Footwear News

Vivian Infantino, a columnist for Footwear News who helped the careers of many popular shoe designers, died of cancer March 6, the trade publication said. She was 77.

She began writing the “Viewpoints” column in the 1960s, calling attention to shoemakers such as Kenneth Cole, Stuart Weitzman and Manolo Blahnik.

The weekly covers the market for footwear, accessories and related items.

Infantino was an assistant editor during the 1950s and was the publication’s fashion editor for more than three decades before retiring and becoming fashion director at large in 1996.

She would make pronouncements such as this one, which was quoted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1993: “Pumps are suddenly passe. That does not mean that millions of women who go to work will stop wearing them. But pumps are not a fashion look anymore, and instead you may be looking for a strapped shoe.”