Rupert Sanderson shoes, all exclusive at Barneys, 660 Madison Ave. Devon in leopard, $995 (
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Estelle in taupe, $795 (
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Zohra in cognac, $755 (Tamara Beckwith/NY Post)
A new footwear fantasy hit New York the moment British shoe designer Rupert Sanderson launched his eponymous brand at Barneys last month. Bye-bye Cinderella and your impossible-to-wear glass heels (glass, really?). Hello forever-and-ever style icon Audrey Hepburn owning the room in “Funny Face” with sublimely simple flats. ’S wonderful! ’S marvelous!
The thrill comes from a designer whose philosophy begins and ends with “less is more.” “I fell in love with his clean, restrained patterns,” says Daniella Vitale, chief operating officer at Barneys. “There are a lot of handcrafted details but nothing overdone.”
Played-down elegance has been the mark of Sanderson’s shoes since he founded the line in 2001. “There is a temptation to burden stuff,” he says. “Our shoes are meant to be understated, not about explosions. They’re not about walking on stilts. They’re a secret weapon with a stealth feel.”
The designer apprenticed with Bruno Magli and Sergio Rossi in Italy on summer break from Cordwainers College in London. There, he fell head over, well, heels for the height of handmade quality. He’s so committed to the artisanal process that in 2006 he bought the controlling interest in the factory near Bologna used to make his collections.
In another keep-it-unique-and-perennially-pretty quiet coup de maître, each Sanderson style is named after a daffodil varietal. Fans of these understated symbols of classic cool include Jessica Chastain, Claire Danes and Naomi Watts.
For his debut at Barneys’ shoe department — whose overhaul last year was met with much love — Sanderson pared his collection down to 13 minimalist styles, with four colors exclusive to the store for fall.
Despite his desire to keep it carefully curated at all times, Sanderson shows no such restraint in his enthusiasm. “I always wanted to be in Barneys,” he says. “It’s almost sweeter we didn’t get in right away. It gave us time to get it right, to arrive.”