Green Cinderella: proof that shoes can change your life

Make it work people (ode to Tim Gunn)

Song of the day: Dog days are over- Florence & the Machine

 

When I picked this song I had no idea whether dog days were good or bad. And I like it that way, because the period of time that is over for me can’t be easily classified as good or bad. It was the best of times and worst of times. In terms of love, friendship, laughter, joy- the best – and in terms of fear and insecurity driven by financial troubles- the worst.  

So I’m happy to say my days of unemployment are over and I’m back in San Francisco. I couldn’t be happier to be here, it feels much more “right” other than the sad fact that Lauren’s family is so far away. I’ll keep working on them to move, but in the meantime, we’re back to our long distance partnership, which is what we’re used to anyway. With both of us working full time, its time for Charmone to transform. The question is… into what?

The truth is, we don’t know. All we know for sure is that we like designing shoes. We love the creative process, and together we’ve tapped into something that I certainly didn’t know I had… although I bet Lauren knew she had it all along. My ideal situation would be to find someone that wanted to handle marketing and distribution, but needed someone to crank out designs and go to Italy twice per year to have the shoes made. We could easily do that while working full time (believe it or not!). Overall I’ve found that doing marketing for someone else is fun, but for some reason doing it for myself… not so much. It just doesn’t feel right when it’s a product we’ve made ourselves. I know that sounds backwards but it’s almost too personal, its like hawking your own baby. Well, maybe not, but you get the idea.

A lot of entrepreneurs, especially in fashion, won’t admit to working full time. For me, it’s oddly freeing. I can be creative without pressure. I can create a bunch of things that don’t work in order to find the one thing that does, and I can be more patient. Not so when you don’t have income coming in. A lot of people will tell you to commit 100% to your business and quit your day job so that you’re forced to work harder to succeed. I get that, but lack of security didn’t really empower me, it scared me and made me feel paralyzed. I got more freaked out and afraid to take risks, and that’s just not good when you have any business, particularly a creative one. So if you’re a struggling designer or artist of any type, don’t feel like a sell-out if you have to work full time. That’s life. The benefits in working for someone else go far beyond income- you learn so much more and gain a broader perspective on things than when you isolate in your own little entrepreneur/artist world. And you never know who you’ll meet or where your job will take you - it was "working for the man" that led me to meet Lauren and I can't imagine life without her.

 

So embrace it, and “make it work people”! 

 

A fun night with "The Abominable" at Green Drinks in NY-  at the now closed Tavern on the Green!

Take 25% off for Earth Day!

Song of the day: Don't Rain on My Parade - Glee Cast Version

Happy Earth Day! It seems silly to have just a "day", but then again, its silly to have just a "day" for Mother's, Father's, Valentine's, etc., so if we need reminders to celebrate something, take it! Run with it! Make it fun and not an obligation.

To celebrate spring and Earth Day, we invite you to take 25% off all shoes at www.charmone.com - just use coupon code "Earth" at checkout.

Depending on whether you want to play it safe with everyday-espresso or stand out a little more with bright green grass, the licorice is the perfect shoe to welcome in Spring. Made in Italy, eco-friendly, vegan and sweatshop-free. And at less than $99 plus 25% off, you can get both!

   


Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter

Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter

Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade

Don't tell me not to fly, I simply got to

If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you

Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade?

...I gotta fly once, I gotta try once,

Only can die once, right, sir?

Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see,

I gotta have my bite, sir.

Get ready for me love, 'cause I'm a "comer"

I simply gotta march, my heart's a drummer

Don't bring around the cloud to rain on my parade.

Take your bite baby, you only live once. (Well, maybe.)

You've got to LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!

Song of the day: Friday I'm in Love by The Cure

Things are starting to shift… can you feel it? I first noticed last week when I left a late afternoon yoga class and it wasn’t dark yet. Winter is ALMOST over, and just in case I needed a reminder, my workman publishing Shoe-A-Day calendar gave me a nudge- with one of our very own shoes!

The monarch sandal is a great example of what we’ve tried to do each season- create something simple but beautiful, wearable yet interesting, walk-able yet sexy. Plus, of course, eco-friendly, vegan and sweat-shop-free. You could wear boring old flip-flops all summer, but why would you when you have a more elegant option? These shoes remind me of a great line from the movie we watched last weekend:

“You’ve got to live, live, live! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!”

- Auntie Mame

Don’t starve to death. Bring some fun into your wardrobe and smile at yourself even while doing the most mundane of tasks.

Originally $295, now on sale for $79 at www.charmone.com

PS- Thanks to everyone who emailed that they liked the shoes after seeing the calendar!

Smile and Take 40% off with Glee coupon

Song of the Day: Smile by Lily Allen, as sung by Glee kids

It's been a strange past month in NY. I never really wanted to live here, particularly in the winter. Fall was GREAT. But now that fall is essentially over, its been harder for me to find the positive, happy, glowing kind of vibe that was so easily cultivated in San Diego. Getting dark at 4:30 just isn't cool, nor is having to wear socks. (And coats, scarves, gloves, and, God forbid, a hat!) But I can't change my environment quite yet, so I have no choice but to change my attitude.

It hasn't been easy, but I'm really lucky to have some great people and activities to lean on. In addition to truly enjoying living with Lauren's wonderful family, there are 2 things that always, always get me in a good mood: yoga and watching Glee. If you haven't seen it, start from the beginning and just go with it. Its silly, heartwarming, fun and inspiring. Its been a long time since I got this into a show that wasn't cynical or twisted. (Well, its a little twisted, but in a sweet way.)

So to celebrate something so silly, heartwarming, fun and inspiring - we're offering 40% for the month of December! Its a perfect time to pick up some party shoes for New Years or start thinking about cute sandals for the winter vacation!

Just use coupon code "Glee" upon check out - and have a wonderful holiday season!

A great day in NY- ran into some Glee cast members at Bryant Park!

Upcoming Sample Sales in NYC

Song of the Day: I See You Baby by Groove Armada

Come see us in person baby! Get major discounts (up to 50% off web prices!) on great holiday party shoes, ass-kicking boots and winter-worthy platforms. Here's where to find us:

Saturday, November 21: Teich Design - 84 East 7th St, NYC

Friday, November 27th - Sunday, November 29: Green Finds Eco Holiday Marketplace - 2 Great Jones St., NYC

The Cinnamon: a worldwide favorite

The Mantegna: only 3 pair left!

 
Darjeeling: less than 1 size of each left- also available in black!

New styles: part 3

Song of the day: Girls on Film by Duran Duran

Yesterday I wrote about our love of patterns, today its all about our love of silver. Its such a great substitute for black or gray, and manages to be neutral without ever being boring.

The first favorite pair of shoes I can remember were silver, pointed toe flat slingbacks from ESPRIT, around 1987. I wish I had a picture of them, they were amazing. I wore them without socks in the middle of snow in the freezing cold Minnesota winter and I did not care. My Grandma kept buying me knee-high nylons but it was no use - I was suffering for fashion from an early age.

I think I've wised up a little, and we did our best to avoid any suffering with a chunkier high heel and a low heel - easy to walk in and just enough height to make you feel dressed up. Like the others, these will be available in December- we'll keep you posted! In the meantime, enjoy!

Carolina:

 

Chantelle:

New Styles: Part 2

Song of the Day: 32 Flavors by Ani DiFranco

♫ "I am beyond your peripheral vision… so you might wanna turn your head."

That’s what these 2 new styles say to me. They don't jump out at you from blocks away like the black and pink- you have squint your eyes and look closer at these.

One of the unexpected benefits of using only vegan and eco-friendly materials is the freedom it’s given us to explore unique patterns and prints. Instead of feeling limited by the lack of eco/vegan options, we’ve been inspired to use unusual fabrics and print our own patterns onto eco-friendly materials. Without plain old brown leather to fall back on, we often end up finding or creating an interesting pattern that meets the requirement for “something to go with browns” without being just brown. (Not that there’s anything wrong with brown. It’s actually a pretty underappreciated color that looks better on most skin tones than black, but I digress.)

When I came across this gorgeous peacock feather pattern in Colombia, I knew we had to use it. 

 
There's something about this pattern- it's kind of romantic, kind of old fashioned, kind of mysterious… I don’t know, it just did something for me. It has tones of honey and caramel with antique dusty rose and amethyst elements. The pattern is printed onto high quality microfiber faux leather that, like all of our shoes, is water resistant, flexible and behaves almost identically to leather. It’ll go great with your denim as well as browns, pinks, creams, purples… I may have to dedicate a blog to what it’ll go with. For now, here’s a peak at how we’ve used it:

Donna:

 
Donna is sophisticated and a little understated. But don’t let her lower heel fool you- she has sex appeal and she isn’t afraid to use it. She just doesn’t feel the need to wear it on her sleeve.

Angela:

With a higher heel and a shorter, rounder toe, you see Angela coming. She may have a delicate pattern but this chick is sassy with a very low cut toe- wait till you see her toe cleavage! (yeah I said it.)

Look for them on our site in mid December! Two more styles to follow tomorrow…

New Styles- Part 1

Song of the day: All Fired Up by Pat Benatar (because I am!)

There are many times when something you’ve been anticipating for a long time does not live up to your expectations.

Hopefully there are just as many (if not more) times when this thing you’ve been waiting for turns out even better than you could have hoped. Fortunately, this is the case with our new samples from Colombia. We’ve been working on them since last June, and although I trusted their quality and craftsmanship, I was so afraid to open the box when it arrived. Despite spending time in Colombia going over the sketches and choosing the lasts and heels myself, I was so worried that the final product wouldn’t look anything like our designs. Or worse, that they would look like our designs and I’d find out the hard way that our designs just sucked. We’ve experienced both many times and its never easy. You just never know what you’re gonna get when that box arrives.

So I’m thrilled that we can show off these samples immediately and edit-free. Posting them right away like this is pretty unusual for us – Lauren and I come from traditional marketing backgrounds where the mass market is the last to see a prototype. We haven’t shown the press. We haven’t shown retailers. This time its all you. We hope you like them as much as we do! 

There are 6 new styles in all, and we’ll be posting them throughout the week. This is just a preview and the shoes will be available to purchase on our site in December – for now, just starting thinking about all the places you can wear them! We’ll give you a few ideas… 

Introducing: Gabrielle

This is my favorite of the collection- to me this shoe is the perfect combination of sweet and sexy. And a little unexpected. Black patent can pretty much be worn all year long and in almost any situation- so there’s a “workhorse” quality to this shoe – but the pink guarantees you’ll stand out just a little. My bet is you’ll get asked about this shoe every time you wear it!

 

Diane

This is Lauren’s favorite and a close second for me. The elastic bands and slightly lower heel bring a sporty element that makes this pump look equally fabulous with jeans or a dress. I think we’re both going to be living in these!

More styles to follow tomorrow!

500 Days of Summer (Rayne Oakes)

Song of the Day: Pop Life by Prince

I’m often asked for photos of people wearing our shoes, and I usually respond with the same handful of celeb photos that we’ve been fortunate enough to receive over the years. But after awhile it feels weird to keep sending the same photos, and I know there are a lot more out there that I haven’t gotten my hands on. So I was thrilled when I ran into Summer Rayne Oakes at fashion week and found that she was not only sporting the Caravaggio's (first photo below) but also had a fresh batch of photos of her wearing the Cinnamon, Bellini and Cezanne styles. 

If you know eco fashion, you know Summer Rayne Oakes. She’s more than a model, more than a writer, more than a designer- I’d like to say she is an ambassador of eco-fashion. She’s a fantastic supporter of us small, independent, eco-fashion designers and an ideal showcase for our wares. But she describes herself better than any of us could on her site- I’ll give you just a taste and you can read the rest here- it inspires me and I hope it inspires you!

“I stopped trying to define what I do. I’m over this whole title thing. Titles are far too limiting. ... I don’t have rules, never did, and probably never will. Rules have too many boundaries.”- Summer Rayne Oakes

Well, at least we have one thing in common! (note to self: stand up straight.)

 

Cinnamon in black

Cezanne in black

Love this one at the launch of "Style, Naturally"- more Cinnamon!

Wearing the Bellini with Julie Gilhart of Barney's. Hey Julie- we're still waiting for your call!

Front row at fashion week and rockin' the Cezanne in Antique garden with sexy fishnets.

Believe the Hype!

Song of the day: Prove my Love by Violent Femmes

When you drive into Brooklyn, there is a big sign that says “Welcome to Brooklyn- Believe the Hype!”

Now I don’t know about you, but if there is a large sign telling me to believe the hype about a much-hyped place, I’m going to go ahead and assume that it’s going to suck. (I mean really Mayor Bloomberg, don’t you think most of your famously skeptical constituents would react that way? Play it down for God’s sake.)

So I was more than surprised when it not only didn’t suck, but I had more fun within a 4-block radius than I have in long time. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve honestly been having such a good time in NY I feel like a kid in a candy store. A very expensive, dirty candy store that sometimes has chicken bones on the floor, but one where the salted caramel-covered chocolate is so good you don’t even notice.

Anyway, my point is that sometimes places, people and products live up to the hype. Like Brooklyn. Like Paris. Like the rooftop at Juliet in Williamsburg. The key difference is where the hype is coming from – ideally it should come from someone completely unbiased. I fully expect people to not believe what we have to say about our shoes, but instead listen to what real customers have to say. With that in mind, here’s just a few of the unsolicited emails we’ve received from customers about Charmoné shoes- believe the hype! (PS- this should also answer the question of whether or not we ship internationally!)

(PPS- no idea why there are so many from the UK, perhaps the English really are more polite?)

“Hi Jodi,
I received the shoes this morning. They are so beautifuuuuuuuul! and so well done (well, they are made in Italy!....;-)))”

… Italy
 

“I just wanted to let you know that my boots arrived on Saturday and they’re just as beautiful as the pictures show. I feel like Cinderella! They fit perfectly.  

 Thank you again for all your help getting these wonderful boots delivered to me.  The service you have provided more than exceeded my expectations, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to have found cruelty free boots that look as great as these ones!  

 It’s a great message to get across to people that there are alternatives and I think people are finally starting to see the bigger picture. I’m going to a vegan fair in October and I’ll tell everyone I meet how fantastic you are.”   

…UK
 

“Thanks, Jodi.  I received the shoes, they are beautiful, what great design! Thanks for everything you do and giving us a non-leather alternative!”

….San Francisco

 
“Just a quick line to let you know I have received my shoes.  They fit well, feel so comfortable and I am very pleased.  They are beautifully made and the quality is brilliant. Now I have had the opportunity I will have no hesitation in ordering again. I eagerly wait your new collection and look forward to seeing it when it is ready.
Thanks again!”

…UK
 

“Hi Jodi - i received my two pairs of shoes - they fit!  And I LOVE them.  They're so well made and gorgeous to look at. Thanks so much. I look forward to wearing them at every opportunity!”

…LA

“Thanks so much for my beautiful, beautiful shoes they are perfect & so comfortable. I shall definitely be ordering from you again and telling all my friends about your fab site!
Thanks for making it so much easier to be elegant & stylish as a vegan!”

…UK