These Three Female Doctors Are Designing Comfortable Heels, Flats and More
Barbara Schneider-Levy
Senior Editor, Men's and Comfort
A trio of female foot doctors are uniting on a common front — delivering high-end fashion footwear to women that incorporate proprietary comfort features.
Taryn Rose, an orthopedic surgeon, along with Marion Parke and Joan Oloff, both podiatric surgeons, have all launched eponymous collections built from the inside out.
Rose, the first to introduce a line in the late ‘90s, has returned as the face of her brand, now being produced under a new licensing agreement with Global Brands Group. The collection, set to deliver this fall, will retail from $150-$250, and includes a wardrobe of looks from sandals to boots. A higher-end Taryn Rose Collection companion line will retail for $395-$795.
Taryn Rose suede slingback with covered heel, available for fall.
“The shoe has to feel great immediately and have that aah [fashion] moment,” said Rose, about comfort features that include Poron cushioning with energy return and arch support. “The shoes are [for] the woman who wants to take care of herself and is willing to pay an extra amount to [achieve that]. It’s not just about luxury, but necessity.”
Trend wise f0r fall, she said she’s loving the color rose gold and silhouettes such as slides. “I love these easy slip-ons. I’m [also] always in a little bit of a heel.”
Joan Oloff, whose family ran a shoe store, was bitten by the shoe bug early on. Noticing women she treated in her practice were often choosing stylish over comfortable shoes, decided to create her own line of Italian-made high-end looks featuring a patent-pending technology that provides shock absorption and offloads pressure points under the ball of the foot. The collection includes evening looks, tailored pumps and ballet flats, retailing from about $340.
Marion Parke, who like Oloff, produces her line in Italy, has transformed the insole of a luxury dress shoe into an orthotic. The patent-pending insoles are sculpted to follow the natural contours and curvature of the bottom of the foot and feature arch supports and medical-grade cushioning materials that mold to the foot over time.
Marion Parke Beth ankle strap sandal, $625; marionparke.com
These elegant footnotes come with luxury price points starting at about $595. Looks include shooties, block heel and platfrom sandals, and slides.
So, whether you’re headed to the office or a Saturday evening wedding, it’s possible to step into a pair of shoes that delivers on comfort and style.
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