Steve Madden is the Heart of Rock and Sole
By AYN ROBBINS
DESIGNER AND WRITER: Steve Madden with writer Ayn Robbins during his recent show at Dillard’s.
Courtesy STEVE MADDEN
“I started in the shoe business when I was 16 as a stock boy. The Rock ‘n Roll stars at that time – Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Elton John – fused fashion and music unlike anything I’d seen before.”
– Steve Madden – Shoe and Fashion Designer
Steve Madden is a rock star. That’s to say he rocked our world recently on a chilly Saturday afternoon just before Thanksgiving. What a day for the iconic shoe designer and T-Town. He brought the Steve Madden brand of shoes and clothing to Dillard’s at Woodland Hills and spiked the ozone like it was Fashion Week in New York.
“It is absolutely the biggest turnout we’ve had for a designer. We’ve been bugging him for years,” says Chris Plank, division merchandising manager from Little Rock, Ark.
Hundreds of young women of all ages and men of all persuasions came out for what was billed as a personal appearance but was way more MTV than A&E.
Keith Dockery, general manager of Dillard’s Woodland Hills, was preening like a peacock over the afternoon’s success, which was appropriate considering the popular plumage colors of browns, purples and blues he expects will take us into spring.
I asked Dockery what he believed would be the big seller of the season. He pointed to a new slouchy take on the cowboy boot called “Gammbble,” with buckles that can be worn with anything from skirts and dresses to skinny jeans.
Picking a favorite had to be tough, like asking Angelina Jolie to pick a favorite child.
“We have over 300 designs on display today; and Mr. Madden brought in 50 extra styles,” the accommodating Mr. Dockery offered.
Hip-hop hottie, Julissa Bermudez, star veejay from BET TV, kept the venue hoppin’ with announcements like “Yes, Steve Madden IS in the building” and “Isn’t it about time for another drawing for a pair of shoes?” Everything she said met with cheers, accompanied by a pulsating Steve Madden music mix featuring artists he supports like Jessie James (real name), Diane Birch and Melanie Fiona. Tulsa’s D.J. Dave was also on hand.
Madden’s eye for fashion is the perfect complement to his ear for music. Word around the water cooler is that Katy Perry was featured on a previous personal appearance tour. Who better to epitomize trendy fashion-music fusion than that?
Among Madden’s entourage was a professional photographer who took photos of fans with Steve, who autographed tee shirts and black eco-friendly shopping bags with hot lime, pink and purple icons emblazoned across them that read “peace.love.shoes.” (Just the right size for a Steve Madden shoebox, I discovered.)
On either side of the glass table Madden sat at were models from Tulsa’s Linda Layman Agency, “voguing” in fabulous new casual wear and accessories from the Steve Madden Spring Collection.
The Steve Madden Brand is described as a lifestyle.
“Today, fashion is dictated by individual style,” Madden explains. “It is about maintaining fashion while still maintaining that funky independence that first defined the brand 18 years ago.”
Celebrities who are mad for Madden make his case for diversity. Stars like our own Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and NBC News Anchor Ann Curry are fans. Rhianna performed in them. Diablo Cody wore Steve Madden’s to the Academy Awards and picked up an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Juno.” Model Bar Rafaeli found a pair of flats she love, love, loved and her significant other, Leonardo DiCaprio, bought them for her in every color.
Although the latest release by JLo may be “Throwing On My Louboutins,” most of us have been forced to “get real” in today’s economy. You could throw on a pair of Steve Madden’s and an entire outfit or two from his collection and still have money left over to buy JLo’s new CD. (Visit www.stevemadden.com or any Dillard’s.)
While the crowd moved as smoothly as Smokey Robinson across a stage, I noticed that the fashion superstar took the time to look every person in the eye and smile with a few words as he signed autographs. Steve Madden really is the man behind the brand, and it comes across loud and clear.
To call Steve Madden understated would itself be an understatement: while the young models dazzle in trendy fashions and boots and shoes with names like Blondee, Punkk, Tatuum, and Lotusss, Madden’s personal style is jeans, a v-neck sweater and baseball cap (often bearing the emblem of Syracuse University).
In deference to the stevemadden.com catalog and its Steve-speak lexicon, I realize I should have begun this column by stating: Steve Madden is a Roqstar.
Let’s bond together this holiday season and donate a sufficient number of boots and athletic shoes to the Laura Dester Home for physically and mentally abused children, who are in urgent need of warm shoes and clothes to stave off the bitter winter cold. Many of them were taken from their homes with only the clothing on their backs and in some cases no shoes at all. Please call (918) 560-4803 for more information about how you can do your share to put a smile on the face of one of these precious, innocent children. Happy Holidays!
Ciao for now!
Updated 01-19-2010
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— Debi Dec 17, 07:15 PM #