Happy Birthday Kenneth Cole

Kenneth Cole will have 56 candles on his birthday cake today.   I am fairly impressed with Kenneth Cole Productions.  It was founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole. Wanting to preview his line of shoes at Market Week at New York’s Hilton Hotel, but couldn’t afford the purchase of a hotel room to display his items, Kenneth asked about parking a trailer two blocks from the Hilton Hotel. When told that permits for trailers were only granted to utility and production companies, Cole changed the name of his company from Kenneth Cole Incorporated to Kenneth Cole Productions, then applied for a permit to film the full-length film, “The Birth of a Shoe Company”. In two and a half days, Kenneth Cole Productions sold forty thousand pairs of shoes, while chronicling the beginning of the company on film.  Since then he hasn’t looked back.

He and his wife Maria Cuomo are very supportive of several charities and organizations and has been very public in his support of AIDS awareness and research since 1985.   He is known for his socially concious and provocative ad campaigns from his “We all have AIDS” campaign to the current “We all walk in different shoes.” campaign.

Kenneth Cole shoes are mid priced and for their price, they are a fairly good buy.  Here are some Kenneth Cole shoes for today.

Gentle Souls - Sole Lace $210 at Kennethcole.com

Gem nastics $70 at Zappos

Fish n Chips  $70 at Piperlime

And my favorite.  Is this the best color in the world?

Rocky Canyon $107 at Endless

To celebrate I am going to put the above shoe in my Zappos shopping cart.  I may even buy them.  Does anyone else do that?  Put a shoe in the cart and let them sit a while?

Kenneth Cole New York Walking Feet Bag for $3.50

I love to give and receive holiday stockings.  There’s something really fun about digging deep into the stocking to find all kinds of cute, little knick knack surprises.  Holiday stockings however, are only good for Christmas and afterwards they go into the storage bin. What a waste!   Instead, how about this non-traditional holiday ‘stocking’/tote to stuff little goodies in.  It’s by Kenneth Cole and is called the New York Walking Feet Bag.  The price is terrific -  on sale for only $3.50 ($5 – 30% off in cart = $3.50) plus it ships free using coupon SHIPIT.  You can wear this tote year round as opposed to just during the holidays and look pretty chic too.

Update:  The sale appears to be over.

P.S.  Have you remembered to enter out Taryn Rose Shoe giveaway.  We have a $445 ‘Fierce’ shoe to hand out and your odds of winning are excellent.  Enter here.

A Shoe Showdown: Comfortable Footwear

It has been a couple of weeks since I read this, but with Shomore’s review of the new Kenneth Cole technology, I recalled this article in the Chicago Tribune about a showdown with four shoes and their comfort levels.   Here’s the set up:  Ellen Warren purchased 4 pairs of shoes, then 4 women wore them, giving their assessment of each shoe.  Here are the shoes in comfort order.

Naturalizer’s Magee $70 at Naturalizer.com

Cole Haan Air Lyric Maryjane pump  $182 at Zappos.com

Kenneth Cole Stud Bolt   was $175 at Kennethcole.com but this style isn’t available anymore.  The Stud Bolt does not seem to be a part of the 925 series.  The “hype” mentions that the technology was 4 years in the making, but I couldn’t find the shoe listing any longer.

Taryn Rose Diles $475 at Endless.com

It is a great article with wonderful information.  Read the entire article at Sexy Shoe Showdown.

Kenneth Cole 925 Technology

Tired of switching between comfy flats and killer heels after arriving at work?  Shoe designer Kenneth Cole aims to solve this problem through the patent pending 925 Technology.  Named for its 9am – 5pm wearability, so women wouldn’t need to play the shoe switcheroo game, the shoe has a few soleful features. Shoes bearing 925 Technology are made up of two layers of foam: one is a shock absorber and the other is a poron memory foam that molds to the shape of your foot. A pillow in the arch cradle is designed to support the foot and soft rubber sole enhances flexibility. Basically, the technology is designed to marry fashion with practical functionality.

The Kenneth Cole Silver line,  named for its signature silver heel with 925 Technology, was on pre-order in the summer but now you can purchase them at Kenneth Cole’s official website.  There are currently 5 basic styles, but the plan is to expand the technology into all Kenneth Cole shoes.  Prices range from $135 to $195.

For those that have worn these shoes, please let us know what you think about them.  Both Taryn Rose and Anyi Lu use poron cushioning in their shoes, but they are $200-$300 more expensive than these Kenneth Coles.  I’m curious to see if 925 Technology provides an equivalent or comparable alternative.

Lavande, the Perfect Storm of Shoe Shopping and Pedicures

I am in love with the Bay Area spa Lavande, where you can not only get your tootsies pampered, but shop for pretty shoes to slip them into – brilliance! Lavande carries cheap to mid-level shoes, the likes of Bamboo, Kenneth Cole, Blowfish, Corso Como and Pink. They also carry jewelry and a few handbags, making it a pre-going out one stop shop.

The Lavande in Russian Hill has a Holiday Pedicure Special going on right now that is pretty amazing – a pedicure, brown sugar scrub and callus treatment for 25 recessionrific dollars. Lavande is the perfect holiday girls’ day out.