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View all search resultsA la mode: Chic, Elegant, Joyful and Comfortable
Photos via on pedderAWARD WINNING DESIGNER PAUL ANDREW KNOWS WHAT WOMEN WANTPaul Andrew is best known for an apparent contradiction: Comfortable stilettos
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Photos via on pedder
AWARD WINNING DESIGNER PAUL ANDREW KNOWS WHAT WOMEN WANT
Paul Andrew is best known for an apparent contradiction: Comfortable stilettos.
The British-born designer, who spent 15 years at iconic houses such as Donna Karen, Calvin Klein and Alexander McQueen, won the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2014 along with a year-long apprenticeship under Tory Burch.
Speaking with JPlus before a personal appearance at the On Pedder boutique at Plaza Indonesia,
Andrew talks of his penchant for architecture, craftsmanship and
comfort that have made his shoes a favorite of fashionistas from Singapore to San Francisco.
'When
you hear women saying they bought the shoe, they wore it all night
long, then they went dancing in it'and they weren't taking the shoe off
and cursing my name at the end of the night'it's such an honor,' Andrew
says. 'That only encourages me to push forward and make it better.'
AT EASE
Andrew commutes between New York and Italy
every two weeks, outlining the first pattern and making the first heel
prototype for every shoe'a relative rarity among contemporary designers.
'There's nowhere I'd like to be more than working with these people,' he says of the artisans in his factory in Parabiago, in the northwest of Milan.
'They've followed in the footsteps of their fathers and their fathers
before them. There's a real sense of pride in what they do'and such
passion.'
However, it's been tough getting the traditional
workers to adapt to his vision for contemporary shoes, which is based on
a survey of 500 women around the world done before launching the brand.
'Everyone's
feet have changed so much,' Andrew says. 'Now everyone wears a
[expletive deleted] sneaker'and everyone does sports and yoga. Feet have
really changed.'
He said he had to convince the artisans that
the modern woman had less cushioning collagen in the balls of her feett,
which were wider and more arched.
''We need to change the
inclination of the insole and add more padding',' Andrew said he told
the artisans'and it paid off. 'It was a real struggle, because, of
course, they felt that they knew better'but now that we're seeing such
results'and women really do come to me and tell me how comfortable the
shoes are-it's energizing for them.'
TRAVEL AND TRENDS
Also infused in Paul Andrew's shoes is the spirit of wanderlust.
'My
whole creative process is informed by my travels,' Andrew says. His
shoes tell the story of a city, with each season inspired by a
metropolis he's visited, such as Athens, New York or Istanbul.
His Spring 2016 collection, for example, had its origins in Andrew's first trip to Hong Kong.
'It
was such an inspirational city,' Andrew says. 'This incredible
architecture wherever you looked. This modern metropolis'yet on the
street you really feel the history and the culture of both China and the colonization of England.'
He continues. 'I went home and watched by favorite film, In the Mood for Love, by Wong Kar-wai'and
that really triggered [the] collection. Many of the jacquards and the
prints and the embroideries are based on those of the cheongsam dresses
of Maggie Cheung in that film.'
For Hong Kong, Andrew said
he indulged in sculptural heels for plain or patterned-cheongsam
black-suede stilettos with skyscraper-spire chromed heels.
A
liking for bright colors shines through in Andrew's Chrysanthemum pink
suede wedges, Green Tea Lurex Raffis heels and a kitten heel in Indigo
Blue, while he plays with drama for gladiator stilettos with
transparency and lightness in mesh heels in Nude or Dragon Red.
MAKING MOVES
Andrew
recently announced his move into men's shoes, where his love of
architecture and construction would be more evident. 'In men's shoes,
[this] really comes through much more obviously. These bench-made
details-hand-stitched soles and hand-polished and hand-stained
leathers'all of those things interest me.'
Sporting wine Oxford laced boots, however, Andrew says he's no Imelda Marcos
when it comes to his own footwear. 'I'm a creature of habit. I believe
in buying the same pair of shoes in multiple colors'even the same color.
I've actually sort of streamlined my life.'
Meanwhile Cate Blanchett, Jessica Chastain, Lupita N'yongo and Emma Watson
have all been seen in Paul Andrew shoes on the red carpet this awards
season, although the designer remains humble when discussing his A-list
clientele.
Andrew says that while he's been fortunate to call
some of those stars friends, there'll be no one-off celebrity requests
diluting the brand. His focus remains on the contemporary woman, whether
in Asia or the West, although he has his limits.
'There's certain cities where they only want kitten heels and flats'and then there's certain cities like Dallas and Miami and Toronto,
where women don't seem to walk anywhere. They have a driver and they
can stand for a few moments,' Andrew says, 'They've really been pushing
me to do staggeringly high heels-and that's not something I'm really so
interested in doing.'
I think that women look more comfortable
when then can actually walk. There's nothing less attractive than a
woman struggling down the street in cripplingly high heels.'
Paul Andrew Spring 2016
Available at On Pedder
Plaza Indonesia, First Floor
Telp. +02131927853
10 a.m. -9 p.m.
