▎❝ The many shoes of Christian Siriano. ❞

One of the clearest fashion moments in my memory is when my mother and I went into Payless to go shoe shopping—you know, as you do. Imagine my surprise when I was walking down those aisles with the petite benches inhaling that familiar new shoe smell and I happened to glance down at a black box with gold writing peeking out from the bottom rack like an old friend. It read a very familiar name to me, Christian Siriano. Suddenly the sparkly stilettos I was heading for meant nothing.

For those of you who don’t know or never watched one of my favorite shows, Project Runway, Christian Siriano is one of the winners and he went on to start his own fashion label named after himself in 2008 following his victory. We happen to share both Italian ancestry and a birth state, Maryland. His designs have captivated me for years. So of course, I was elated and got everything on sale in my size but more than anything, I was bewildered. I was also immensely grateful.

Christian is a brilliant couture designer—the youngest winner of Project Runway at the time of this post—and he brought high fashion to Payless for ordinary, everyday people. Now, he worked with other major brands around the same time as a part of his label launch but still, how important it is to see something from couture hands on a clearance rack for anyone to snatch. It’s such a rare of a feat in this industry. In truth, it was a fashion miracle and one that went mostly unnoticed by the masses though I’ve never forgotten.

Runway to subway

It’s not often that the roads of high fashion and everyday clothing meet. Usually it takes having an eye and an interest for this to occur. Many of us are taught that designer pieces are unattainable or so used to low quality, subpar goods to wear that we don’t even realize that’s what we’re being sold. We just get what’s in front of us or what seems available with little thought elsewhere.

The fact that Christian would partner with Payless and bring his talent to normal wearers instead of just supermodels made me even more emotional especially at a time when the last thing I could afford to get my hands on was couture. My struggle remains but then it was unthinkable. It may have been a good marketing tactic for his new brand but to me it was so much more.

Obviously it was a partnership and there were clear promotional benefits to accompany the launch of his brand but Christian didn’t have to do it. Yet he did. He gave us an opportunity to have classy shoes on our own budgets at our own stores. No more endless saving for Louboutins. No. We could suddenly have Sirianos even if it was just fleeting. It was a beautiful moment. This collection was important for so many reasons and raises interest surrounding luxury brand partnerships in general.

Selling soles

There is a myth circulating that you have to be of a certain class or pay bracket to be able to have nice things and this myth has been alive as long as humanity has. We have discussed this before if you’ve read my other posts. It’s just that—a myth. As long as you have patience and spend time looking, you can have nice things. Do not let anyone ever tell you otherwise. You deserve nice things and you can get them.

Designers such as Michael Kors and Kate Spade have done a fantastic job of bringing luxury fashion to the middle class and I applaud both brands for doing so but I have never seen a designer selling their goods at a more affordable price then when Christian partnered with Payless. I mean, it’s even in the name! Affordable luxury has never been more sought after and with the explosion of second hand designer sites, it leaves shoppers wondering why they need to pay such big price tags at all when they can just wait for something to show up on Ebay. They would rather buy second hand from a third party pricing an item more reasonably than pay top dollar to the designer themself—unless of course money is no object but it usually is.

This is not to diminish the creativity, artistry, or work of designers. It’s not my intention to price shame any brand either because I understand quality costs more. I’m simply explaining the gap that exists between the runway and the sidewalk. I do compare this collection to when Versace partnered with H&M but there’s still something particularly magical about a couture designer selling their shoes and handbags at a store called “Payless.” It makes me wish more big names would have arrangements like this even if they’re only seasonal or temporary campaigns. It’s worth it for the exposure to broader audiences.

Most designers I mention in conversation aren’t even recognizable to those outside of the fashion circle and that’s a fact. Unless they’re a huge name, the average person doesn’t know who the hell I’m talking about. Even when a designer is a “household name”, I still run into people who don’t know their brand. It’s tragic, really.

Couture comfort

Even though Payless is gone and with it, the one time partnership they had with Christian, you can still buy his shoes on second hand sites like Ebay, Poshmark, and Vestiaire Collective, many of which might still have their original box and tag. I have purchased several pairs after the fact completely new, just second hand. This has been the only comfort to me as of late and I continue gathering items from this collection.

The shoes are comfortable. They really are—at least to me. The man can make a shoe. As someone who has broken both their foot and their ankle, if I can still wear a 4 inch stiletto from this collection, it’s a good one. If my bones still creak when the wind blows and yet I can slip into my swanky Sirianos without issue, it is a good shoe. I’ve also been able to wear a half size smaller than my usual size. If I tried to do that with any other shoe, I’d need new feet like a Bratz doll.

The only issue I had was with the ballet flats but to be honest, they all give me a hard time no matter the brand because of my narrow feet. I was so excited when I got my hands on the pink gingham ballet flats from this collection but had to give them away because they were unkind to my feet. I tried to tough it out for the sake of style but I just couldn’t do it. That’s the only shoe that hasn’t fit comfortably, though.

Everything about comfortability is just my own opinion and experience so do with it what you will. If you’re looking to buy a pair of these shoes, I recommend only getting one to start since you can’t go into the stores and try them on anymore. If they fit and you like the feel, you can always find more foot friends.

It’s also worth noting that when I was asked to walk in a fashion show for a local boutique, I could choose my own shoes and it was my Sirianos that I wore—the gray block heels because it was a casual S/S theme. Even with the unlevel runway, I managed to keep myself properly balanced through four different quick changes and three runway walks. I think they’re good luck, actually.

So thank you, Christian. Thank you for such a wonderful partnership, I always was and have remained a fan. My feet are too. This entire collection remains iconic.