Shoe Lust

Leila Kerze and her friendly Italian cohort, Nico.

Shoes. I love them. 

At any given time, I'm about two pairs away from becoming The Crazy Shoe Lady. But I rationalize my habit by buying vintage, which usually rings up less spendy at the cash register than buying new (plus, it's in line with my reduce-reuse-recycle philosophy). Krze Studio's new line of shoes kind of ruined all that for me.

J'adore the tough-girl aesthetic of these boots.

Leila Kerze's shoes capture the essence of the  LA girl; glam, beachy,  and fashionably outdoorsy.

Sparkly Cinderella shoes for the conscious girly-girl.

A wedge with edge.

Leila and one of her studded bags, which retails for (gulp) around $700.

Leila Kerze is the woman behind this new, high-end vegan shoe line. Her background is in design (she's worked on footwear lines for BCBG Max Azria and  Donald J Pliner), and her passion is creating beautiful shoes (and gorgeous handbags) that borrow from the tradition of artisan shoe makers in Italy, but without resorting to using animals in their production.

Statement-making red shoes with shine.

This one's for the fellas.

I met Leila last week at Who's Next, the big retail fashion expo at the Paris Expo center, and got to fondle some of her wares with my own hands. The most intriguing thing about each pair are the tiny details; each buckle, stud, and zipper has been chosen for its function, style, and quality, too. Leila takes particular pride in her shoes' insoles, which were created with breathable, comfortable, synthetic materials that outperform their leather counterparts.

Hey! More shoes.

Side view of the fancy bag, which, like  Krze Studio shoes, sports high-quality details.

Flashy footwear for the confident man (and woman).

I just noticed it says "ware"--is it a typo? Not sure!

All this beauty and function doesn't come cheap; shoes, boots, and a gorgeous line of bags start in the hundreds-of-dollars range, but, then, she's out there competing with the luxury fashion-house brands whose prices are in that same range.

When I land my next big book deal, I'll be investing in a pair. Until then, I'll be over here, ogling from a safe distance.