DAYLIGHT: Top Ten Brands to Watch According to Whom You Know at the New York Shoe Expo for the Fashion Footwear Association of New York February 3, 2012 Show
Perhaps the best investment the government of Italy ever made was the day they had Peachy Deegan to their horse and pony show at Eataly by the fabulous Boston College (you know the school that had more players in the superbowl than any other) graduate Alejandra Cicognani in December 2010 because they made quite an impression then. Before that day, Peachy Deegan never paid that much attention to where products were from (unless it was Ireland of course and you should all hold onto your hats if that country ever makes shoes as you'll never hear the end of it!) and certainly many brands at trade shows now wish that she was still less aware of country of origin, as many American consumers are. It is not only about style because if you slip and fall because of a poor tread, lousy make, or any myriad of less than commendable points it's not worth it. Also we love shoes that last because inevitably you will never be able to find the same style again if you really fall in love with them-you'll only want to repair them to keep up the upkeep and you know we've got a column for that too: Sole Support. Those days of manufacturing ignorance are not only long gone, but gone forever as we are interested in EXCELLENCE not price point and all she can say when she arrives at FFANY is AMO LE SCARPE ITALIANE! This was the smallest fair we've ever seen and we've been going since we heard of it in 2010 every time and you know who is proud of her perfect attendance in fashion for the piggies....floors 11 to 15 were occupied at The Hilton and although it was smaller we found it more dense-as in fewer brands to pass on therefore the fair was much more efficient and excellent. We thought we died and went to heaven for half of the 11th floor (the right half with elevators behind you) and thought the 15th floor had a strong showing as well. By now, we have many favorites that we have worked with and featured including Mover and Shaker Tony Marinelli, Dana Davis and Paul Mayer. But you knew that already-they are the best....we also like to discover the latest and greatest. We are not recommending the following brands at this point but think they show promise and we hope to tell you more on them...they are not necessarily new to the marketplace but they would be new to potential coverage.
Top Ten Brands to Watch According to Whom You Know
[not reviewed-just based on a glance]
Australia Luxe Collective
Butter/Something Bleu
Charles David
Elizabeth Brady
The Flexx
Gee Wawa
Gidgio at C6 Wholesale
Marchez Vous
Sondra Roberts
Honorable mention: Anything made in Italy-none of you disappointed us!
