After almost 30 years selling footwear at her eponymous boutique, Northfield’s own shoe diva Lori Andre launches capsule collection
Maurizio Celin joins Lori Andre for the launch of her first shoe collection at Lori’s Shoes in Northfield.
By Meg Moore
Most gals identify with leather. And pain. No, no, no, not like that!
No, either you’re a handbag gal — and no satchel is too large and heavy — or you dedicate yourself to the fine art and discipline of walking in impossibly tall shoes.
Leather. Pain.
And then there is Northfield’s Lori Andre.
The owner of Lori’s Shoes lives in the best of both leather worlds — she owns a shoe and accessory boutique with locations in Chicago, Northfield and Highland Park. Which means she can accessorize any outfit at a moment’s notice.
With nearly 30 years in the business, Andre knows how a killer heel can make the woman.
“There is nothing like being a girl, getting dressed up and feeling good in what you wear,” she said. “Especially if you have a passion for shoes, like I do.”
It’s a passion that naturally translated to designing her own capsule collection — a small line of three designs carried in all of her stores.
She’s worked with shoe designer Maurizio Celin for years, buying his lines — Bacio 61, Nicole and OTBT — for Lori’s Shoes, consulting on other projects and bouncing ideas off each other. The next logical step was for Andre to try her hand at designing a house brand for her boutique.
“It was a natural step for me, and I was up for another challenge,” she said. “I wanted to create something and build our brand.”
The line has three pumps — the Kimber (snakeskin pattern with two different accent colors), the Bamma (gray, camel or cranberry) and the Knockout (green and purple or a red and black combinations). Each has a 5-or-higher-inch heel, but the platform eases the heel-to-perceived-pain ratio.
The shoes range in price from $98.95 to $138.95 and are perfect additions to any holiday ensemble — and beyond.
Designers put their name on their work, so most identify with each piece in their line — but it seems appropriate for Andre to play favorites.
After all, we’re talking about a gal who owns more than 150 pairs and admits to having a closet just for shoes.
“My favorite is the Bamma. I’d wear that shoe,” Andre said. “It’s the easiest, a classic and tailored. It fits my personality.”
And it’s a perfect fit for her North Shore clients.
“I think the shoes [the capsule collection] are great, especially for the broad customer base I have on the North Shore,” she said. “They’re sophisticated for a Saturday date night. They’re also great for our younger girls — they’re willing to endure a long night in a great pair of shoes.”
Andre plans to launch capsule collections twice a year.
And she’s relishing the role of being a shoe designer.
“I think the greatest part of the evening for me was when ladies asked me to sign their shoes,” Andre said of the Dec. 3 launch party.