Cool Hunting

by Loryn Hatch

Constructing shoes is no easy feat. As designer Kristen Lee explains, "They're the only piece of fashion that you actually walk in—they have to perform." Lee launched her women's modern-by-way-of-slightly vintage line as an answer to all the "shoes out there being designed by men for this idea of a sexy woman," she says. "I wanted to make feminine shoes with an edge by a woman for a woman." This fall, that translates to brightly hued and sometimes subdued suede, leather, reptile, and fabric platforms, heels, and flats that balance the quirky and the sophisticated.

Lee has also recently introduced a men's line called The Reform Party. Keeping things sans fuss, Lee designed three variations on the classic loafer, giving each style a distinct persona and matching attache. "It's very small and experimental with a classic, uniform-style," she says, adding that "men's fashion has really been revitalized in the past couple of years by brands like Trovata, Thom Browne, and Steven Alan, and I think the men's accessories market needs to catch up." Read more…