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with a laugh. I should have known. And although
Crawford has been drawn to shoes since an early
age, he believes that designing shoes is not just
about the shoe. Sounds confusing, right?
"It's not about the shoes. The shoes do what I
wish to do; elongate the leg. Shoes do what other
things cannot: a dress can be cute, a handbag can
be pretty, but they do not change how a woman
feels about herself. It's an empowering feel."
The right pair of shoes can change the whole
way a woman looks and feels. The only problem
is that many women, especially in our current
economy, cannot afford to pay some of their bills,
let alone spend upwards of five hundred dollars
on a pair of heels. Granted, the shoes can be the
most divine, jewel-encrusted or zipper-bedazzled
masterpieces made by man, but spending a lot
of money on heels is just not practical for most
women. Of course, celebrities are photographed
wearing his shoes and they all look spectacular,
but these women can afford to spend five hundred
dollars on a pair of shoes they may never even
wear again. When asked who his favorite celebrity
is, Crawford's reply surprises me.
"It's not the celebrity that I necessarily like. It's the
woman who doesn't know me. She's not on the
red carpet, she's in New York. The celebrities have
the access, but for someone to spend their hard
earned money on a pair of my shoes..." He trails
off. "That's what I like."
This non-celebrity woman, therefore, might
wonder if there is a Courtney Crawford shoe for
them. Well, according to Crawford, there is. He
advises women to invest, just as many other high
fashion magazines suggest. A woman should
spend money on a shoe "staple"; a shoe that
compliments many items in her wardrobe and
in which she feels most comfortable and sexy.
Think of it as the little black dress for the feet. And
this one special shoe may differ from woman to
woman.
"It depends on her personality. My whole line is
alluring, so it all depends on her personality. You
should buy something you can wear often with
many different things."
He is not exaggerating; his whole line really
is alluring; there are bright pops of color, sky-
high heels, and sensuous silhouettes. His last
collection, which in the fashion world means
our current season, speaks for itself. Or at least
the title does. Courtney Crawford's Spring 2009
collection is entitled, "Oysters and Bloody Marys:
The Breakfast of a Backwoods Barbie." I got the
scoop on the upcoming Fall 2009/Winter 2010
collection, entitled "The Kill of the Slant Eye."
"My inspiration [for the line] comes from a certain
look. When you look at someone in lust and/
or anger, you cut your eyes. It's also based on
Japanese culture; I am entranced by the culture...
the Samurai gear and geisha girl kimonos, as well
as origami. Look out for some really high heels."
Crawford's inspiration is not the only international
aspect of his shoe line; his shoes are available all
over the world, ranging from Saks Fifth Avenue
to a store called Muse in India. Crawford also
has a website, although it is currently under
construction. The "coming soon" promise now
being displayed on the website is not a false
promise, Crawford insists.
"I'm redoing it completely. It's going to be my
mentality. You're going to want to know who I am
when you see it. It's going to evoke an emotion.
That's what I want." And as for the structure of the
site? "There will be a look book, and viewers will
be able to add it to Facebook or send an image as
a picture You will have options."
Speaking with Courtney Crawford has gone so
well and has been so fluid that I had to take a step
back and remind myself that I was conducting an
interview. I inform Crawford that he is the most
eloquent interview subject I have encountered yet.
He responds quickly and without hesitation.
"When you speak about passion, you can't speak
of it in segues or sound bites. It comes out as it
comes out. I always mean what I say and I say
what I mean."
It is clear that Courtney's Crawford's passion does
not only involve shoes, but the women that wear
them. He does not only enjoy designing a shoe,
but shaping a woman's body. Shoes are just the
beginning of Crawford's infatuation; his obsession
with movement and his desire to create aesthetic
perfection have more to do with his success than
a five-inch-heel could ever contribute.
So whether you purchase a pair of Courtney
Crawford shoes online, here in the US, or
somewhere overseas, just know your feet are in
good hands. Literally.
LADIES LOVE COURTNEY CRAWFORD, and the
shoes he makes are barely a factor.
I didn't know what to expect as I sat anticipating
Courtney Crawford's arrival. I was waiting in a
luxuriously vacant loft at 3224 Locust, located
in the top floor of the Cadillac building. The
photo shoot would take place here, and as
everyone bustled around, preparing for the
shoe designer's arrival, I already had an idea
in my mind of how the interview would go:
I would ask questions, I would get responses, and
then I would pack up and go home. I did not know,
however, that I would be interviewing the young
shoe designer while his bare chest was completely
exposed. Nor did I know my questions would not
only be answered, but that his responses were
anything but routine or ordinary; I even blushed
a few times, and I am not one to blush. It can go
without saying, I was in for a delightfully DELUX
surprise.
For many, if not all women, shoes are considerably
the most coveted and lusted after wardrobe item.
Sex and the City made women all over the world
swoon for Manolo Blahniks. Paris Hilton caused
an uproar when she proudly confessed she owned
hundreds of pairs of Jimmy Choos, which can
cost upwards of one thousand dollars a pop. The
Wizard of Oz continues to influence little girls'
obsessions with ruby red slippers and everything
sparkly. You get the idea. Therefore, it takes a
real genius and connoisseur of women to design
an exquisite pair of heels. It takes someone who
knows a woman's desires and knows the contours
of her body. It takes a man who wants a woman
to feel good because of him, someone who
makes his living off of making women shiver with
satisfaction. It takes a shoe designer like Courtney
Crawford to make a killer pair of heels and a stellar
impression on the ladies
For those who are still in the dark, please be
informed that in this case, ignorance is not bliss.
Allow me to indulge you with a brief history:
Courtney Crawford is a shoe designer from our
very own St. Louis. He was raised in a house full
of women, including a "shoe fanatic" mother. He
attended Clayton High School, an answer to the
unique St. Louis question of choice, and studied
Accessories Design at the prestigious Fashion
Institute of Technology in New York. He has also
rubbed elbows with fashion's most elite. Crawford
is on a first name basis with André Leon Talley,
editor-at-large for Vogue magazine, and considers
Talley a close friend and mentor. Let me not
forget to mention, Karl Lagerfeld, the notoriously
eclectic genius who is the creative director and
head designer for Chanel, gave Crawford the
"once over" before insisting Crawford walk the
runway for Chanel's Spring 2007 line. Crawford
also designed the Spring 2007 shoe collection
for major fashion house Missoni. And in this
media-obsessed culture, I cannot forget to point
out that stars like Mariah Carey, Megan Fox, and
Lindsay Lohan, just to name a few, have all been
photographed wearing his shoes on the red carpet
or in their everyday lives. His credentials would
make some jealous and others drool.
So how does an interview with such an individual
unfold? It goes something like this: Mr. Crawford
walks into the room and immediately greets
everyone. He has of course brought along his
own shoes for the shoot, his taste in men's
shoes meeting the criteria for both "street" and
high fashion. Take, for example, the pair of Dior
black and silver sneakers he wears in one of his
pictures, paired with dark denims and a cool
blazer. He looks like he has stepped right off the
runway and into a magazine...which, technically,
he has.
My interview with the designer begins while
he is still partially dressed from taking the first
set of photos, however, I am not in the least bit
uncomfortable; he has already flashed a smile and
made me feel as though I was the only woman in
the room, and even though I was, that is not what
is important. So it comes as no surprise, then, that
Mr. Crawford is not only shy about his love for
shoes, but also for the opposite sex.
"I have an unbridled and undying love for women,"
he confesses without shame or hesitation. "I'm an
observer. I want to see what pushes their buttons."
And what pushes their buttons? Shoes, of course.
"The way a woman feels when she sees a shoe
or slips on a shoe for the first time is orgasmic.
It's like, `I have to have these. It's a point where
women are on the verge of being both heavenly
and devilish."
So if he loves women so much, what made him go
into the shoe design industry? Did he embark on
this career in order to meet women? In order to
seduce women? Barely. Crawford's love for shoes
began when he was a child.
"The first thing I ever drew in my whole life was a
shoe on the back of a piece of cardboard. I drew
shoes first before anything else." I immediately
ask what kind of shoes before realizing the
obvious answer: "Heels. Of course," he replies