Rachel Zoe's Secret Weapon

If you're a fan of Rachel Zoe, then you know she is BFFs with shoe designer extraordinaire, Brian Atwood. She dresses all her important clients such as Demi Moore, Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway in his shoes and I'm so thrilled that she has been able to give him such widespread recognition. Yes, as an editor, I too gave Brian tons of editorial coverage and therefore lots of exposure. But it hasn't been until recent years that Brian has received all the accolades and attention that he has been deserving all this time. This photo of Rachel, Brian and me was taken during Milan fashion week in the fall of 2006. I'm wearing this crazy Gaultier coat I borrowed from my friend Dawn Christie to wear while we were all having after dinner drinks.

I love this little video snippet from Bravo because it shows Rachel going up the stairs to Brian's studio (I have walked up those stairs out of breath too!) and the end results of the beautiful boots that they designed together.

When Trocadero first opened in 2007 we carried Brian Atwood shoes. It was never a doubt in my mind they would be on my shelves. Unfortunately, it was at a time that his name wasn't known enough around here that people would buy the shoes. I sold many pairs on sale and some at such reduced prices it almost made me cry! Luckily for the owners, they now have shoes that will last them a lifetime. (Side note: one of my interns happened to find a pair of his shoes at a Goodwill out in west Omaha and they were priced at $3.99!!! Can you believe it? Seriously, people!) I would LOVE to be able to stock Brian's shoes again but I just don't think the audience is here locally. Reasons why I would love to take my store online...

Here is a picture of me and Brian back in 2003 during one of his viewings of his resort collection. We're outside on a rooftop of a hotel in midtown. We pretended we were in the jungle looking for shoes!

Congrats to Brian for getting the recognition he deserves. And congrats to RZ for becoming a Mommy too! Looks like Uncle Brian's got his hands full of new babies!!