Monday, October 19, 2015

Alumnae - Spring’s Most Affordably Cool Shoes

Alumnae marks a new chapter, playful, but perhaps a tad more subdued, soigné even. After a soft launch of a few styles for Resort, Spring ’16 marks the first full collection, chock-full of wearable flats in mottled, jewel-tone calf hair and patent, all made in Italy and clocking in around $400 to $600 per pair. “I noticed that there might be some space in there, a sweet spot that’s just below luxury and above contemporary, room for nice, clean, intelligent design,” Sigerson says. “There are lots of women who might wear a shirt from Protagonist, and on bottom jeans from 6397. That’s sort of our ideal customer—and hopefully our shoes would be something they’ll feel good about wearing on their feet.” Fittingly, you’ll find both those lines on the racks at The Apartment By The Line, where Alumnae will launch its inaugural season (along with Philadelphia boutique Joan Shepp).
If Sigerson Morrison’s early-aughts heyday is synonymous in many ways with starlets like Charlize Theron, then cofounder Kari Sigerson’s new project, Alumnae, has an edgier brand of beauty in mind. Sigerson name-checks Edie Campbell as a modern-day muse for her new line with partner Eliza Axelson- Chidsey, the footwear phoenix rising from the ashes of SM’s legal disputes (and Sigerson’s ultimate split from the empire she and Miranda Morrison founded). As at SM, comfort is paramount for Sigerson and Axelson-Chidsey; nary a pair of pumps in sight.

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