Gifts That Give Back

One of the hugest perks about being a fashion editor in New York was all the presents we used to get! Not only during Christmas but also just throughout the year. A most favorite annual gift were the hand painted and embroidered pillows from Manolo Blahnik. I love that they're very limited edition and dated for each holiday year. It looks like I received 6 in total (there is one not pictured that has a green background and is sitting on a chair) and I cherish each one. As you may be able to see, the one of the far right has American flags on it; this one was 2001, the first Christmas after 9/11. On the side of the pillow is written: U.S.A. We Love You.

I love how the small square pillow looks like Annabel is wearing her first pair of Manolo Blahniks! Perhaps I should try to shoot that photo again with the pillow sitting lower towards her feet!

Creating a wonderful backdrop to the pillows on the back of our couch is a wonderful Sari Bari blanket that was a gift from our dear friends C+P. What is Sari Bari? It's an amazing charitable organization that restores the lives of women and children who have been rescued from the sex trade in India. Each blanket is handmade from vintage saris by these women and children so that they can lead a life off the streets and have a safe, place of employment.

Who knew that the Manolo Blahnik's Christmas pillows would set the stage for this Sari Bari blanket and inspire some holiday gift giving? As I snapped away at Annabel, I realized that the perfect Christmas gifts would be anything from the Sari Bari site! They have all sorts of items from jewelry rolls to baby changing mats, handbags to scarves and of course these great throws. So as you start your holiday gift giving list, think about those gifts that give back. Happy Shopping!

A Day of Firsts

I consider myself pretty lucky when it comes to my personal accessories closet. Through the years I have amassed quite the vast collection of shoes, bags and jewelry. So when trends happen, I can dip into my drawers and shelves and pull out something that is "au courant." Such as these Manolo Blahnik high-heeled loafers. If you look at the September Teen Vogue page, you'll see that it's all the rage right now (once again). The story behind these babies is that I was working at Harper's Bazaar and most likely went home to celebrate my birthday over the long weekend in January. I presumably went to Neiman Marcus' Last Call Sale and saw these Manolo Blahnik brown tassel loafers and fell in love immediately. Even at the tender age of 26, I knew these were the bomb. I didn't own a pair of Manolos and I really, really wanted a pair. And they were $485, marked down to $290, and then marked down again to $165.

But the practical (Capricorn) side of me (and my hovering around $20K yearly salary) definitely gave me pause to purchase them. So off I went back to my tiny studio apartment on NYC's Upper East Side Manolo Blahnik-less. I was working at Harper's Bazaar at the time and didn't get the coveted invitations to the $100 Manolo Blahnik sample sales that are legendary (second to the Chanel and Louis Vuitton ones from years past!). But as I've learned and taught others, "Walk away and sleep on it. If you can't get the item out of your head, it's kind of meant to be."


It looks like it took me about two weeks to make the decision to place a phone order. Lucky for me, they were still in stock. Two funny things, though. The first? I have yet to wear these shoes. Yup, they're still brand spanking new. Fifteen years later, these beauties are fresh out of the box and still rocking in style.

The second funny thing? It looks like I purchased my first Manolo Blahniks on 1/31/96. An auspicious day that will always be known as a day of firsts, I suppose! (Daughter Annabel was born on January 31st of this year!)

The Man With the Golden Touch

Above, Sam DiMauro in his shop.

Women all over the world have closets full of shoes, each with different purposes and different stories behind each pair. But what happens when that pair of shoes that were a little too tight but too cute to pass up begin to give you trouble or the heels on those Manolos that you saved up forever to buy breaks?

Omaha shoe cobbler Sam DiMauro of Andy’s Shoe Repair is the man behind keeping those stilettos in tip top shape. He can diagnose a problem with and fix a shoe with only one glance of a person’s stride, and practically make any shoe fit. He brings new confidence to people with uneven leg lengths, alleviates problems due to arthritis and strokes, and even allows women to continue to wear their beloved heels in favor of orthopedic shoes.

DiMauro , a third generation shoe repairman, inherited his shop from his late father Andy who had lost a battle with cancer. Carrying on the the work ethic and values his father exemplified are vital keys to his business, DiMauro said.

In the store, the walls are graced with autographed photos from bothhe and his father’s years at the head of the shop from Miss America contestants, casts of Broadway Shows, and actresses like Ann Margaret and Marie Osmond adorned with messages like “To Andy with love, Marie. Thank you for fixing my shoe. The show loves you.” and “To the world’s greatest shoe repairman.”

With customers all over the globe from countries including Brazil, Australia, Iran, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan and Mexico, DiMauro is a bit more world-renowned than he will let on.

How can a man in a modest shop in Omaha, Nebraska be the shoe industry’s biggest kept secret? I sat down with the man himself to see how he became the respected and trusted cobbler he is today.

Who is your biggest competition? Are there any comparable names in big cities like LA or NY?

None. The reason I say I feel I don’t have any competition, it’s not being arrogant, it’s because the way I fix everything is from the heart, it’s what I enjoy doing. If I could just put a donation basket out front, I would do it for free.

What is the driving force behind your passion for your craft?

People who take good care of their shoes and buy nice shoes have a better sense of pride in themselves, and I feel honored to be a part of that. When you are at a place for twelve hours and you think ‘I’ve only been here for 12 hours?’, that’s when you know you enjoy what you do.

A "Before" picture of Troc employee Jamie's shoes we took to Sam, including (practically destroyed black boots complete with damaged soles and ripped leather).

The "After" picture of the restored boots and pink booties with replaced heel caps and added Met bar.

What’s more important- the shoe or the shoe repairman?

The shoe repairman, because we can make that shoe better.

What kind of volume does Andy’s bring in?

On average we bring in over 100 customers and between 200 and 300 items from all over the word in a given week.

How and where do you get most of your clients?

My customers are the greatest because they do all the work for me. Word of mouth; it’s fantastic! A customer of mine met a man in Tokyo that couldn’t get his cowboy boots fixed anywhere in Japan, so he gave him my card and the guy ended up shipping his shoes to me. Sometimes a person will come in for something simple like a shoe polish and then it turns out we can do more diagnosing than their doctor can.

The met-bar seems to be a popular service in your shop. Explain to me what it is exactly and how it works.

The met bar varies in material and design based on the client’s needs. What I use it for is a numerous amount of problems people have with bad blood-flow. The met bar uplifts the back side of the metatarsal head, so it allows blood-flow to travel to all the toes and drain back to the heart and get oxygenated.

A close-up shot of a Met bar.

What are some of the problems the met bar helps?

People with a Neuropathy, which is when two muscles rub together and rub the sheeting off, start to develop a pain and as the pain gets worse, it becomes hard to take a step and put any pressure down. When we put the bar on, it allows the blood to travel. It’s the same way with gout, diabetes and hammertoes.

Can you really make any shoe fit?

We will try to fix any problem. Some women will buy a shoe that’s a size 6 and they’re a size 8, and it was just a cute shoe they wanted to make work, and we have to make that shoe work for them. I just had a girl in who brought a pair of boots in and said they were too tight around the calf. She’d already had someone stretch them for a month and they couldn’t get anything. She said she needed an inch or two. In two days I stretched them an inch and a half. When she came in to try them on it turned out she needed three more inches, so we decided to put a dart in them with elastic material.

Any celebrity clients?

Let’s see, we’ve had Ann Margaret, Manheim Steamroller, Kiss and the rock band 311, they gave me a one of a kind authentic autographed photo. When they gave it to me, they said ‘Don’t let anybody photocopy this!’ There are a lot of other actors and actresses we’ve done work for that I can’t even remember. You just kind of forget.

Tell me more about the shoes you did for Kiss.

It wasn’t Gene Simmons, but the Kiss member with the star on his eye [Paul Stanley]. It was just one of those spur of the moment things where a guy calls at 10:30 and says ‘this is so-and-so from Kiss’. He wanted me to rebuild his [11 inch] boots, but I only had 3-4 hours to get his boots done in time for his show. At the time, the glue we were using took 3-4 hours to dry, so all I could do is get them wedged and put new soles and heels on them.

What do you think sets you apart from other shoe cobblers and repairmen?

Everyone else is about making as much profit as they can, as soon as customers walk out of that door they could care less about them; whereas, I want to see them again, because I want to fix whatever else they need. I feel like I’ve been given a little gift of God to just look at someone walking and am able to tell what I can do with that [shoe] to make them feel better.

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Andy’s Shoe Repair

4954 Grover Street

Omaha, NE 68106-4526

(402) 558-1030

No thanks to Carrie and Company

In a piece of shocking news....I kinda really don't like Sex and the City. I feel like a traitor to all thirtysomething and fortysomething Manhattan working women in the world of magazines, PR and fashion. But truth be told, I wasn't a huge fan of SATC when I was living in NYC either. I could hardly stomach Carrie's character, Samantha was such an over-the-top caricature and Charlotte wasn't close to anyone who I would want to befriend. It was Miranda with whom I most identified as she seemed the most real and, dare I say it, normal? It seemed truly unrealistic that any of these women would be friends with each other but I understand that TV can work its magic in many ways that suspend reality for good television.

The show came at a time when TV needed something brash, sexy and with strong female characters who were also attractive, successful and...single. It was definitely a very realistic show in depicting the type of women who do exist in NYC and showcasing the myriad of problems that women of that age had in finding love and/or balancing love, marriage and/or a career. For that very reason I tuned in and watched it and for a while enjoyed the stories that were told week in and week out.

But my interest waned rather quickly while I was still a Manhattanite myself. And then I moved to Nebraska. I watched the TBS-edited versions at night when I couldn't find anything else to watch and then when the first movie came out, I went to go see it. I found it so unentertaining that I couldn't bear to watch it again when it was on HBO or wherever it aired.

With the sequel coming out this week, I am once again faced with not really giving a shit. It seems as if so many friends (and many acquaintances) assume that this would be top of my list of things to do but frankly I'd rather poke hot coals into my eyeballs. I'll be saving my $10 and be putting it towards a bucket of balls to be used the next time I hit the golf range.

One of the only reasons why I am somewhat interested in the movie is because my good friend, shoe designer extraordinaire Brian Atwood, has a major role in the movie. Well, not him per se, but his shoes!!! Brian's gorgeous creations were both on set and off and have become SJP's go-to shoe brand.

When I first opened my shop Trocadero, I carried Brian Atwood's shoes. He's a favorite designer of mine, in addition to being a friend, and I wanted to bring the best of the best to Omaha. Unfortunately in 2007, many folks still hadn't heard of the brand and didn't know how lucky we were to have this label represented in Omaha. It's meant that I haven't been able to carry it for the past couple seasons because frankly a lot of women did not know that Brian Atwood was literally going to become the next Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin. So for the past couple years (including right now), women have been snatching up stunning Brian Atwood shoes for 25%-75% off retail at Trocadero. It's not too late!

I've got some amazing circa 2008/2009 shoes that are still in the shop, such as these gold platform stunners! They are literally the most comfortable heel I have ever worn and in the softest, most flattering gold leather. We only have a size 36 left but if you are that size, I urge you to buy them! You won't be disappointed.

Tonight is the Omaha premier of the quintessential chick flick, benefitting the Junior League. I won't be there but my support is still there via two tickets I purchased to give away to two lucky Trocadero visitors as well as my help to secure a Christian Louboutin handbag for a raffle prize at the event itself.

Two for the Road: 11/12/09

Date: 11/12/09

Bag: Anya Hindmarch three pocket bag

Shoe: Manolo Blahnik tan mid-calf boots

Worn with: Ferre by Gianfranco Ferre silk sleeveless shift, Veronique Branquinho menswear blazer

This posting is not entirely authentic. I came to work with a Fendi brown logo tote but realized that this Anya bag that I carry in my shop coordinated with my outfit so well that I decided to show it instead. The boots are a gift from the Manolo Blahnik PR office and are super old...like from the late 90s (though upon further reflection it might have been the early 2000s). They were definitely one of my first gifts and the dead giveaway is the pointed toe box. Lately I have been finding these really pointy toed shoes and boots and they haven't been looking so dated. I'm thinking they'll be back in fashion next fall/winter...My dress was purchased so long ago on sale somewhere and the jacket is either from Barneys New York in NYC or from Susan in San Francisco (one of my favorite shops in the world!). All I know is that I purchased many Veronique items including a skirt I still own and covet from Susan but I think the jacket might have been an additional purchase from Barneys or perhaps even somewhere else?

Two for the Road: 10/31/09

Date: 10/31/09

Bag: Fendi "B" Bag in black patent

Shoe: Manolo Blahnik black patent open-toed three buckle pump

Worn with: Plenty by Tracy Reese black tunic top, Nanette Lepore leopard print skirt, Gerard Yosca and Lee Angel jet necklaces

Okay, I gotta admit that Manolo Blahnik can make an awesomely chic, classic but at the same time sexy shoe. Of all the Manolos that I own, this one is near the top of the heap. It has a perfect 90mm heel (3 1/2 inches) that is not too high, not too low. It has great arch support, a very sexy line and the skinny buckles are tiny, tiny and just hug the foot in the right way. I always feel really sexy wearing these heels and often take them with me on any trip where I want to get some height, be comfortable and look sexy but sophisticated. The Fendi bag was a press gift before Fashion Week one season. Some people got the double "B" bag; my former boss found it to be cumbersome and so did I. I liked my "single B" since it was much more lightweight and easier to maneuver. I must admit that often times my Fendi bags had terrible issues with the ease of getting into and out of them. My former boss actually cut herself on the closure of her double "B" bag. Yes, it was that tricky! I am wearing a top by Plenty that I bought at the Tracy Reese store on Hudson Street in the West Village in NYC and the skirt is from Super Saturday in the Hamptons, the yearly fundraiser that In Style and Donna Karan hosted to support the OCRF (Ovarian Cancer Research Fund). It was towards the end of the day and Nanette handed it to me thinking it would work for me. I love Nanette Lepore; she is definitely one of my favorite designers I met while working in NYC. She and her hubby were so lovely and kind people. And down-to-earth. I just might have to reach out and say hello to her the next time I'm in the NYC-area. Thanks, Nanette, for my lovely leopard skirt -- still rocking it after all these years! The necklaces are wonderful wardrobe staples from Gerard Yosca and Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel. I carry Lee Angel at the Troc (though nothing jet at the moment). I received both of these necklaces (and the bulk of my jewelry collection) as gifts from the designers themselves. I still have boxes upon boxes of costume jewelry that hardly ever see the light of day...I'll try to post more photos as I get the hang of it...

Oh, and the bonus photo are pillows that were gifts from Manolo Blahnik at the holidays -- a different sketch of a shoe each year. (And some Burberry pillows too from Christmas one year.)

Sarah, Smile

A few weeks ago one of Troc's own, Sarah B., got hitched! And in perfect fashionista fashion, she did a costume change. Sarah wore a long gown for the ceremony and for half of the reception before changing into her shorter gown for the rest of the night. Her accessories also changed (of course!) and her "something borrowed" turned out to be a pair of René Caovilla crystal ankle-strap sandals from my closet. They were a gift from the designer (it's really great being a sample size 7, let me tell you) and actually had never been worn. I think my closet is mostly full of evening bags and shoes that hardly ever see the light of day. After seeing Sarah in my shoes, it's made me think that I should start loaning out my bags and shoes more often. It's not the first time Sarah has took a little loaner from my closet; she rocked a pair of my old Manolos and a Sergio Rossi evening bag for a wedding she attended this past summer. And just this week I gave intern Cygne C. a pair of Sergio Rossis, René Caovillas, an Alberta Ferretti black lace dress and some Lee Angel jewels to possibly wear for Homecoming festivities. I just love the idea of being able to have my beautiful objects get some needed "face" time. Because while I am blogging about my daily shoe and bag pairings, it's often not going to be super high heels or Swarovksi-encrusted evening bags. So perhaps I'll have to start another Troc Talk feature with "The Weekly Special" of something in my closet that I just simply adore. But where to start? The Murakami original jewelry case purse? The black velvet Dior mules with key charms? The burgundy satin Christian Louboutin evening clutch with gold snake detail? Oh, there's just too many to list...

Two for the Road: 10/15/09

Date: 10/15/09

Bag: Chanel black quilted with white stitching and long silver chain shoulder strap

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik gray flannel with black rope detail

Worn with: Madison Marcus black sleeveless shift, Aqua gray cashmere with black piping, Forever 21 black leggings, Dior black wool scarf

I've been away from the store...playing a little hooky as of late so haven't had outfits to blog. But I have to admit I forgot to take my photo on 10/14/09 so will have to rewear that outfit another day. The bag is from a Chanel sample sale from long ago. The shoes are also from a Manolo Blahnik sample sale held twice yearly where pretty much every shoe is $100 a pair. I think I've gotten at least a 1/2 dozen if not more Manolos that way. The dress is from Talulah G, a boutique in Las Vegas that I adore. This one was from their Red Rock outpost. The cashmere sweater is from Bloomingdale's in NYC and the scarf was a gift at the DIOR fashion show from "28 Février 2006" at "Le Grand Palais" (both were embroidered in black on the black scarves and were with our Run of Show program on the cold metal bleachers in the very, cold, restored Grand Palais). They kept our butts warm and then made a great wrap for every day, planes, you name it.